Pregnant teens find second mother in 71-year-old Mary Hall

One week after Monica Risher found out she was pregnant, she walked into a tiny, nondescript outreach office to figure out just what a 12-year-old should do with a baby.

The seventh-grader, who had begun to spend hours alone in her room crying, wasn't expecting much - maybe some diapers and clothes.

The calm, older woman behind the small desk seemed eager to help, but what did this great-grandmother know about being 12 and pregnant?

As it turned out, Monica not only found help with her pregnancy, but a second mother who became her confidante, her biggest supporter and, most importantly, a lifelong friend.

Mary Hall sits amid the baby wipes, formula and toys inside her Baby Find office and points out the pictures that line the wall - photos of children celebrating birthdays, teen-agers graduating from high school.

"I was invited to the wedding," Mary says, gesturing to a bridal portrait of one of her "girls."

At 71, she's a tireless volunteer for mothers-to-be. She works 40 hours a week for no pay at the Baby Find center inside the MASH Village Crisis Center, a facility that helps homeless families and others in need. Baby Find, a Clark County Health District program funded through the United Way, helps expectant mothers with prenatal care and provides clothes and food to those who can't otherwise afford them.

Mary, a resource mother, manages the office. But instead of just handing out diapers and scheduling doctors' appointments, Mary's heart has gotten the best of her. She makes home visits to her clients and becomes a part of their childrens' lives - so much so that many call her "Grandma."

Mary tries to visit some of her girls every week after she leaves her job at Baby Find. But getting to her appointments isn't that easy; she can't drive a car.

When she was just 32, an automobile accident left her right leg mangled. She developed cancer in the leg and doctors had to amputate above the knee.

Mary had six children then, with the youngest only 2 years old, and couldn't slow down. Right then, she decided she wasn't going to sit around and feel sorry for herself. She got around by wheelchair first, and later, crutches, which she uses today.

"Self pity - I can't take it," she says.

Mary, who used to work as an apartment manager, initially came to Las Vegas six years ago from Wichita, Kan., with her second husband, David, to retire. But just sitting at home didn't suit her.

She began volunteering for the Clark County Health District, working with pregnant women and later moved into the Baby Find office just north of downtown Las Vegas. Soon, her work consumed her.

"She has a very generous heart," says Fran Courtney, director of clinic and nursing services for the health district. "Even though she's handicapped herself she doesn't allow that to stop her from returning a kindness to the community."

And so this mother of seven, grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of seven had to convince some homeless women to spend money on their child and not alcohol or drugs.

That got Mary thinking there could be more to her job. She would become a friend, a mother to these girls and women who maybe never had one. She took a special liking to the teen-agers.

"A lot of the girls have these babies because they think they're going to have someone that really loves them. I tell them, when you have a baby, your whole life changes," she says.

Mary takes the bus to her job each day and David drives her to the girls' homes. Some of their children have even taken to calling him "Grandpa."

Pregnant at 15, Lisa Lange found herself in Mary's office in need of help. She got the medical care she needed and was surprised to find a surrogate grandmother in Mary. Both of Lisa's grandmothers had passed away and she longed for that bond.

"It was wonderful," she says of meeting Mary.

Now 19, Lisa has two children and married the father of the second child, who was born three months ago. Mary was there, of course, to welcome the new baby.

Twelve-year-old Monica Risher is now 16-year-old Monica Botello. She married the father of her baby, now 4, and they now have a second child, 4-month-old Damien.

"I thought she would come when she had to, and then after her job was done, I kind of figured I wouldn't see her anymore," Monica says.

When Olivia's walker broke when she was 6 months old, Mary and her husband spent their own money to buy her a new one - a small gesture that meant the world to a 12-year-old mother.

"I thought that was the nicest thing in the world," Monica says.

Mary may be a sweet great-grandmother, but she's also tough. She talks to the girls about birth control and making a life for themselves. And she didn't want to see Monica have another child.

But Monica found herself back at Mary's office last year, saying her birth control had failed. Mary didn't judge her, just told her things would work out.

Now, Mary makes sure Monica gets her birth control shots.

"God just puts some people here that are really good people. That's Mary. Mary understands that some people get stuck in a bad situation," Monica says.

On this day, Mary is helping a single father get some clothes and diapers for his two young children.

After grabbing suckers from Mary's stash of candy, the toddlers are headed out the door, past the small Baby Find sign that begs people to inquire about its meaning.

It doesn't seem like anyone can really explain just why the center is called Baby Find.

Maybe it's so mothers can find a way to properly care for their babies. Or maybe it's so babies can find their way to Mary.

"I'll do this as long as the good Lord lets me," she says.

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