Baby Steps
“When I found out I was pregnant…I felt overwhelmed and anxious about whether I would be able to continue and complete my degree. It was a very uncertain and emotional time for me.
Finding Baby Steps gave me a deep sense of hope. It reassured me that I wasn’t alone and that there were other Student-Moms navigating similar circumstances. Knowing there were resources and a community specifically designed to support women like me was incredibly refreshing and comforting.
Without Baby Steps, I don’t think I would have experienced the same sense of community and belonging that I did. Baby Steps blessed me with countless supplies for my son and me and—most importantly—a strong support system beyond my immediate friends and family. Their presence made a significant difference in my college journey.
The support I received from Baby Steps truly touched my heart. I was overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of the organization and its donors. It meant so much to know that people I had never met cared so deeply and were willing to invest in me and my son.”
Morgan Portis Bachelor of Science in Nursing Baby Steps Alumni
Together as Founders, we have had the gift of living out and learning every facet of the mission of Baby Steps to serve Student-Moms and their little ones. The vision continues to unfold because of people like you. Through your support, StudentMoms are living their stories, and becoming visible signs of hope for future generations who have been, and are, touched by Baby Steps. The population we serve is never going away. Unplanned pregnancies remain a consistent epidemic and education continues to be a vital requirement of our society. Therefore, Baby Steps is a needed and necessary resource in college communities everywhere.
Our local Hubs are the heart and soul of our organization, acting as local sites of empowerment near college campuses. This year, our organization hit a major milestone by officially opening the doors to our Alabama Hub! We have had the honor and privilege to begin serving a population at The University of Alabama that was previously underserved. 2025 also presented the amazing opportunity to purchase our property in Auburn. We recently launched the “Owning Our Future” Campaign with the goal of securing a permanent, long-term resource for our Student-Moms at Auburn University by the end of 2026.
Nationally, interest in establishing Baby Steps Hubs is rapidly growing. We continue to receive inquiries from college campuses across the country. The process of selecting a future Hub is both thorough and intentional. We are excited to begin this process with our volunteer Planter teams who are now actively fundraising and rallying community support to establish Baby Steps Hubs at the University of Tennessee and the University of Illinois. These major milestones make it clear that the need for the resources Baby Steps provides is not only significant but will continue to grow.
Our National Leadership team serves as the driving force behind Baby Steps, setting the vision, mission, and standards that guide our work. This team works diligently to provide ongoing strategic leadership, expertise, and resources, ensuring each Baby Steps Hub is supported by a strong foundation of excellence and consistency that creates a lasting impact for generations to come.
Whether you support one of our local Hubs or are driven by the mission to empower Student-Moms nationwide, we are deeply grateful you have chosen to stand in the gap between an unplanned pregnancy and a college degree. Your selfless generosity continues to empower Student-Moms to have both their education and their baby with not only confidence and support, but with hope for the future.
With Gratitude, Michelle Schultz & Kaitlyn Willing Baby Steps Founder & Co-Founder
The Baby Steps Team
The Founders
The Board
The Leadership Team
Michael DiChiara, JD
Kristen Cooper, MA, PHR
Tim Gallagher, JD
Kaitlyn Willing
Finances at a Glance: at
“Financially, this has been a year of transition from a single location to multiple hubs and soon multiple states. This has required changes to our accounting services, our donations platform and accounting systems to rise to a new level of complexity and accountability. These upgrades ensure we are not only expanding our reach, but are doing so with integrity, precision, and care for every dollar entrusted to Baby Steps.”
-Cary Chandler President & CEO
*For full financial results, please refer to our IRS 990 Form on our website.
Donations and Grants Donations
$1,144,115
A Year of Impact:
Auburn Hub
From the Hub Director
January 2025
• AL Hub officially opens their doors
“As each year passes, more opportunities come for the campus and community to rally around Student-Moms and their Tiny Tigers. It is beautiful to see how linking arms together can make a life-changing impact in the lives of these StudentMoms and their Tiny Tigers. As we embark on a new year, new opportunities will continue to be a chance to draw others into the mission. One of our most important projects since opening in 2017 is, ‘Owning Our Future,’ as we fundraise to buy our beloved property.”
– Michelle Schultz Auburn Hub Executive Director
March 2025
• Introduction Event at the President’s Mansion
April 2025
• Playground Ribbon cutting
May 2025
• 2 Student-Moms graduate
July 2025
• Awarded East Alabama Community Foundation grant
August 2025
• Baby Steps represented in Auburn Department of Public Health Safe Sleep Campaign
September 2025
• Tiger Giving Day (Student-Mom Scholarships)
December 2025
• Signed contract to purchase AU House & began pre-planning for 2026 capital campaign
Alabama Hub A Year of Impact: From the Student-Mom Advocate
“A year ago, Baby Steps at UA was just starting to fully open our doors. It’s so incredible that we now already have a fully furnished and occupied house! It has been absolutely remarkable to see how the Tuscaloosa and UA communities have come together to support Baby Steps’ mission. We’ve served almost 40 Student-Moms in our community and are so excited to see that number continue to grow. We could not be more grateful for the support we have received and cannot wait to see what the next year brings!”
– Mary Kinsey Student-Mom Advocate
January 2025
• AL Hub officially opens their doors
April 2025
• Hub Ribbon cutting
May 2025
• 2 Student-Moms graduate
June 2025
• Tuscaloosa Realty Association Supply Drive
July 2025
• Hub fully staffed
August 2025
• Awarded Nick’s Kids grant
November 2025
• Celebrated Momsgiving
• Iron Giving Challenge (AL won)
• Featured in North of the River Living Magazine
December 2025
• 1 Student-Mom graduates
Where We Could Go Where We Could Go
The
Hub Phases
The inquiry phase begins when a community expresses interest in bringing Baby Steps locally and explores what expansion could involve. This informal step marks the starting point before formal Hub development.
Infant
There are people in the community showing significant interest and having preliminary conversations with Baby Steps staff.
Crawler
Official Baby Steps Staff or Planters are actively fundraising to be able to open their doors and begin serving Student-Moms.
Walker
The Hub is up and running, and Student-Moms are being empowered with housing, community, and support.
Inquiry Locations:
Columbus, OH
Nashville, TN
Oxford, MS
Bismark, ND
Carrollton, GA
Altoona, PA
Baltimore, MD
Montevallo, AL
Levelland, TX
Troy, AL
Virginia Beach, VA
Greenville, NC
Tupelo, MS
Lexington, KY
Meridian, MS
Houston, TX
Fayetteville, AR
Minneapolis, MN
Asheville, NC
Baton Rouge, LA
Atchison, KS
Canyon, TX
Montgomery, AL
Tampa, FL
Pittsburgh, PA
Louisville, KY
Tallahassee, FL
Lubbock, TX
Sioux Falls, SD
Tuskegee, AL
Statesboro, GA
Corvallis, OR
Cincinnati, OH
Tempe, AZ
Dothan, AL
Columbus, GA
Hattiesburg, MS
Jacksonville, AL
Saint Paul, MN
Amarillo, TX
Santa Barbara, CA
Lafayette, LA
Columbia, SC
Gainesville, FL
Austin, TX
Lehigh Valley, PA
Athens, GA
Huntsville, AL
Orlando, FL
Birmingham, AL
Chapel Hill, NC
Champaign, IL
Knoxville, TN
Infant Hubs: Crawler Hubs: Walker Hubs:
Starkville, MS
Florence, AL
Atlanta, GA
Clemson, SC
Raleigh, NC
Mobile, AL
Auburn, AL
Tuscaloosa, AL
By the Numbers:
2 Planter Teams established at Illinois and Tennessee
11 Locations in Infant Phase
46 Inquiry locations
1st Annual Baby Steps Staff Retreat
Kaitlyn Willing promoted to COO
188 Total volunteers
347 Total Baby Steps Ambassadors
140 Community Dinners provided
101 Counseling Sessions
27 Current Student-Moms being served
8th Organizational anniversary
108 Total Student-Mom Alumni
When one story is shared, countless others feel seen.
1,300 Downloads every 90 days
65 Total Episodes
11 Alumni featured
42 States Reached
27 Countries Reached
Baby Steps creates an open space for honest conversations about the realities of facing an unplanned pregnancy in college. Unplanned & Untold emerged from a sincere desire to be a source of inspiration for women across the nation who are navigating an unplanned pregnancy without the support of a Baby Steps Hub.
“I spent days searching for something, anything that could help me. I wish something like Baby Steps was at every college campus.”
–
Kelly Brown
“She Couldn’t Drop the Ball” Ep. 62
“You could see your breath in our bedroom on cold winter mornings but we closed the doors and let all the heat go to the baby’s room. We lived way below the poverty line but we kept going to school and finished with our little girl in tow.”
– Sandi & Greg Williams
“Roped In & Riding It Out” Ep. 47
We are grateful for the ongoing support of our donors and volunteers. We are pleased to highlight some of them here.
Top Donors:
Legacy Circle
Austin and Stacie LeCroy
Auburn Community Church
Cox Family Foundation
David & Nikki Richardson (NCFAlabama)
Evan and Alexandra Lutomski (DAFgiving360)
Hugh and Eliza Culverhouse
Jim Simons
Kendie and Amos Oelking
Kim Canaday
Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church
Specialized Services Company
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
The Gerald and Paula McNichols Family Foundation
The James W. and June E. Webb Charitable Fund (NCFGeorgia)
Thomas and Catherine Lister
Tom and Cordia Harrington
Travis L. Rabren Foundation
Empowerment Circle
Amy and David Morrow
Brad and Sue Eidson
Church of Highlands
Claudia and Ronnie Harrison
David and Jeanne Barranco
Fr. Mike
Pat and Bud Foshee
Paul and Sophia Davila
R&R Landscaping (Charlie and Claire Goldman)
Suzanne and Cary Chandler
Tommy Cobb
Top Volunteers:
Baby Steps Organization
Carolyn Excell
Chris Austin
Colleen Austin
Heather McCann
Jennifer Lynch
Mary Pat Howard
Megan Ulrich
Shannon Lynch
Alabama Hub
Amy Callahan
Anchor Church College
Anna Punswick
Baby Steps Alabama Student Organization
Bama Catholic
Capstone Church College
Grace Cowan
Highlands Serve Day Group
Krissy Willoughby
Sarah Calder
St Francis Parish
Auburn Hub
ACC Serve Day Group
AU Greek Life (Panhellenic, AGD, & AOPi)
Auburn Chamber AYP Group
Baby Steps Auburn Student Organization
Bob Milano
Canvas and Clay
Highlands Serve Day Groups
Jim Doyle
Michael Taylor
Mike Hamilton
Stephen Hamby
Steve Kaiserw
Baby Steps Alumni
Kaitlyn Taylor, 2018
Doctorate of Physical Therapy
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science
“When I found Baby Steps, I was relieved because it felt like I was no longer alone. It was helpful to be surrounded by StudentMoms who had already faced what I was experiencing and to see them thriving on the other side.
I was starting my senior year at Auburn University when I found out I was pregnant, and it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. My life and plans had changed in that moment, but I never anticipated it would lead me to where I am today.
Since then, I’ve gotten married, my husband and I now have three incredible boys, and I achieved my goal of becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy - which I ended up accomplishing in 2023! Baby Steps provided me with a community that made an unknown and scary situation into something that could be faced head-on with support from those around me.”
Since 2017, Baby Steps is honored to have served 108 Student-Moms that we are proud to call our alumni. We look forward to hosting them at our first Student-Mom Reunion in April, 2026.
We would love to hear from you! Share your milestones and other updates with us by scanning the QR Code.
Abby Turkia Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Georgia Smith Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Kate Calixtro Bachelor of Science in Horticulture
Veronica Taylor Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Hannah Brown Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science
Kyleh Cole Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is Baby Steps funded by the universities/ colleges they serve?
No. Baby Steps is its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is funded mostly by individual, one-time, and monthly taxdeductible donations.
Are Baby Steps Hubs located on campus?
No. The Hub houses are not located on campus but are conveniently located close to campus.
Does Baby Steps charge Student-Moms for services?
No. All of our resources are provided at no cost to Student-Moms and are funded by our donors.
Is Baby Steps faith-based?
No. We are not a faith-based organization. We serve Student-Moms regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs.
Is Baby Steps politically affiliated?
No. We believe in empowering StudentMoms without any hidden agenda. We aim to provide a supportive and empowering space for every Student-Mom. In a world that can be extremely divided, we are proud to be an organization that brings people with differing opinions and views together.
Does Baby Steps plan on expanding to other campuses?
Yes! In response to requests from other university communities around the nation Baby Steps is actively working to expand and establish new Hubs. Visit our expansion page to learn more about this process and where we could go next!
