The St. Gerard campus in St. Augustine continues to carry out its mission more than 40 years after it was founded by Al and Caroline Wolff.
A fully accredited pro-life interfaith Christian high school, St. Gerard campus caters to the needs of unwed pregnant teenagers. There is an on-site dormitory, pregnancy center, day care center for the babies, community outreach and food pantry, and abortion-recovering counseling.
Many pregnant teenage girls drop out of school due to embarrassment and find themselves ostracized by other students and even their own families, forcing them not to complete their education.
The facility believes in empowering them through education and preparing them to enter society, breaking the cycle of abuse, poverty, hunger and homelessness. St. Gerard’s motto is, “We Heal, We Rise, We Overcome.”
The staff at St. Gerard campus say their hearts are touched daily by the Holy Spirit, guiding them and giving them the strength needed to help, encourage and support the girls.
Students start the school day with a prayer and reading a verse from the Bible.
“Many of our girls are just now being introduced to our Lord and Savior, and we never give up on them,” according to the St. Gerard management. “We have qualified teachers who strive to help them get their diplomas. We have staff available for each girl if they need to talk. We have staff who help them learn how to be a good mom and just to listen to them. We have volunteers who sit with the babies in the classrooms until they are two months old, and when the babies need to be fed or have their diapers changed, their moms do that right in the classroom as we have changing tables readily available for them.”
Once the babies are two months old, they stay in the fully accredited day-care nursery where they receive care from the professional staff.
Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, St. Gerard campus has a new ultrasound machine in its pregnancy center.
The on-site dormitory houses two house moms and several students. Each room has a crib in it, a personal bathroom and a comfortable bed. The dormitory also has a recreational room where the girls can just sit and chat with one another, watch television or read a book. A washer and dryer are also provided. House moms cook breakfast for the girls and teach them how to prepare a nutritional dinner.
The St. Gerard campus’ new executive director is Brittany Glisson, a former student at the campus who had her baby at 17. The campus also has a new assistant director, a new high school dean, a new pregnancy center director and a volunteer coordinator.
The St. Gerard campus extends its gratitude to donors, churches and organizations who help support its mission.
