Dr. Lori Buzzetti

Tiffany Bruner

Conversation with Nested Spaces’ Tiffany Bruner  & Lori Buzzetti, Founder & President of So Big

So Big is a non-profit in Indianapolis, that provides shelter, education and love to expectant women in need.  Join us as we sit down with Lori Buzzetti and learn about all of the amazing things her non profit, So Big is creating.


 

Tiffany:

For anyone who may not know, could you explain what So Big does?

Lori Buzzetti:

So Big is a non-profit established to bring glory to God as we connect pregnant women with resources to help break the cycle of generational poverty and improve pregnancy outcomes. We do this tangibly through the Mountain House Maternity Home that opened on March 1, 2018. At the Mountain House, we meet the spiritual and physical needs of expectant women and their children. These pregnant women can move in at any point in their pregnancy and can for up to a year after their baby is born. During that time,we provide food, shelter and other basic necessities for them. We connect them with resources and make sure they are getting consistent prenatal care. We are staffed 24/7 and our staff walk alongside these women helping them establish skills so they can become self sufficient and provide for their families. As we share the love of Jesus, God transforms lives, creating better tomorrows for the women and their families.

Tiffany:

Are there any new updates on So Big since we spoke last?  It’s been almost two years! 

Lori Buzzetti:

In April of this year we finally reached capacity and we have a wonderful group of women and children. We are so excited as they are eager to take advantage of the programs we offer at the house and stay for the year after their babies are born.  As an example, our women attended Wheeler Mission’s Transformed class taught by our staff this spring.  Since we have four women that are committed to staying with us they have been giving us great feedback in helping us to refine our house rules and develop additional programming, like movie nights and resident outings as well as summer concerts.

 

Tiffany Bruner:

How many women/families are in the So Big house?

Lori Buzzetti:

We are at capacity now and currently have four women, two children and four babies. Two of the babies were born within the last two weeks!

Tiffany Bruner:

Can you explain what the So Big Born to Sparkle Gala is and any details you have about the Gala?

Lori Buzzetti: The Gala is our annual fundraiser that we use to raise a good portion of our yearly funds to run the maternity home. We will be hosting our 3rd annual event this year on October 3, 2019 at the Cardinal Room located at the Golf Club of Indiana. We will have both a live and silent auction, Cash bar along with dinner by Maggianos and comedic entertainment by Danny and Kristen. We will also be highlighting and sharing what has been going on at the Mountain House. We are currently accepting donations for the auctions as well as sponsorships for the event. If anyone is interested in donating visit our event page.

Tiffany Bruner:

What are some opportunities the community can take action in to help So Big?

Lori Buzzetti:

Small Fundraisers are a big help. We have have had several groups organize different events. The Whitestown American Legion did a motorcycle ride for us last fall. Others have done a 5k, a bake sale, a golf outing. We have had Eagle Scouts and one Girl Scout do several projects and that has been very helpful. High schools and churches have helped with spring and fall clean up outside which has been great.

Tiffany Bruner:

Is there any certain donations or volunteer needs the public could help with?

Lori Buzzetti:

We could use flowers around the house in the beds and we have several other landscaping projects and house maintenance projects. Our women have weekly chores around the house but we are looking for volunteers to come once a week and help with deep cleaning. We have a meal train on Friday evenings and right now we have two women on maternity leave and so we have added more meals to the  Meal Train.  We also have an Amazon wish list where we post items needed for the maternity home. 

Tiffany Bruner:

How can we pray for So Big?

Lori Buzzetti:

For the women…That they understand that they are loved and beautiful. That they develop a life changing relationship with Jesus and that they develop the patience and perseverance needed to continue the challenging steps towards a better tomorrow. We also have a praise (just one of many!) since opening the Mountain House, we are excited to share that two women and one staff member have gotten baptized. Please also pray for the staff  that they are given energy, patience and open mindedness as they walk alongside our residents and that they staff become more equipped to do the work God has called them. For the children and babies…safety and good health 

Tiffany Bruner:

What drew you to create So Big? What is your background? 

Lori Buzzetti:

I am a board certified OBGYN. I did my medical school at University of Iowa and then did my OBGYN training at IU Med Center. I was in private practice for six years and then was a member of the teaching faculty for St. Vincent OBGYN Residency. While at St. Vincent, I served as the Associate Program Director for the OB Program. This involved being the Director for the Womens Health Clinic at the Primary Care Center where the residents cared for their patients. While I served in the position God laid it on my heart to open a maternity home where women would have an opportunity to choose life.  I dreamed of a place that would promote healthy pregnancies and equip expectant women with life changing resources. About five years ago I left St. Vincent to focus on So Big.

Tiffany Bruner:

What does the rest of 2019 look you like for So Big and what does the future of 2020 hold?

Lori Buzzetti:

Some of our staffing prayer were answered in early 2019.  In January, we hired Alys Shorter as the Executive Director of the Mountain House and just recently we hired Sarah Chastain as the Assistant Director. With these two women taking on leadership roles at the Mountain House, I am going to have more time to begin looking into developing more programs for So Big. We would like to expand our educational opportunities for the women by providing learning opportunities on different topics and eventually open up these opportunities to the public. For the short term, we are looking for a second location and long term, we are looking at starting a pregnant women’s shelter.  There’s so much God is doing in and through So Big and we want to continue to grow the organization to help more expectant women in need.

Nested Spaces would like to thank Lori and So Big for allowing us to interview them.  Visit So Big to learn more!