A 17-year-old mom from New York who chose life over abortion was reported to have received a college scholarship from pro-life and award winning actress Ashley Bratcher.
Life News said Katy is a single mom from Hudson Valley and is one of the Unplanned Movie Scholarship recipients. Katy became pregnant in junior high school and thought that abortion was her only recourse for it.
Katy did go to an abortion facility, but she ultimately chose life and became a mom to Mariana who will be celebrating her first birthday in two weeks. Katy continued with her studies after giving birth and recently finished high school.
Life News revealed that the scholarship was made possible through the partnership of Heartbeat International and Bratcher, who first came out in the box office hit movie on abortion-provider giant Planned Parenthood, "Unplanned." Heartbeat International is said to be the largest network providing pregnancy help.
Bratcher surprised Katy by awarding the scholarship personally to her at the Alight Center, where the latter volunteers. The Alight Center provides pro-life options to pregnant women through services that range from pregnancy tests to birthing classes and counseling support.
"Being here in Hudson, New York, and being able to award another scholarship at Alight Center has been incredible. Katy is such an inspirational woman. She is 17-years-old, and she chose to parent after going from wanting an abortion to considering adoption, and then ultimately making the decision to be the mother of her daughter," Bratcher told Life News
"And not only is she graduating early but she has plans to continue on and eventually become a nurse. And she's already back at the center, she's giving back," she added.
Bratcher, who is also a writer, producer, and director, posted the video of the awarding in her Facebook on Monday and revealed that Katy actually got a real surprise because the scholarship given her is four times what the Unplanned Movie Scholarship normally gives.
"This is by far my favorite part of my job. She had no idea she was about to receive a scholarship for $20,000," Bratcher revealed.
The Unplanned Movie Scholarship, according to its website, is designed to empower "mothers to chase their dreams" after their plans changed due to their unexpected pregnancy. It is designed to honor moms who braved to choose life with an annual scholarship of $5,000 so they can "continue pursuing their dreams while raising their babies." Through the scholarship, the partnership hopes to encourage "positive choices" that "can literally transform families and communities."
The first recipient of the Unplanned Movie Scholarship was awarded last April 2020 to a mom from Idaho named Brittni, who became a client of Lewiston's Reliance Center. Brittni chose life and gave birth to her son, Brantlee. Brittni was likewise surprised to receive the scholarship, which she disclosed in a presentation shown during Heartbeat International's Annual Conference that year.
Bratcher, who is the CEO and co-founder of Simple Jane Films that produced "The Merrytime," greeted Brittni during her wedding anniversary last June through a post in her Facebook account, expressing how proud she was of her being a recipient of the scholarship.
"Happy wedding day to Brittni! Brittni was the first recipient of our Unplanned Movie Scholarship. So proud of you and happy for you!" Bratcher announced.
