T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Emma Kielman, Linda Jacobs and Lindi Trowbridge with Guiding Star Marshalltown show their new space in the Nicholas Center. Guiding Star went from a space of roughly 1,000 square feet to a suite with 4,300 square feet, which will give opportunities to offer new services and serve women simultaneously.

The same building, but different location has brought additional space and opportunities to Guiding Star Marshalltown, a women’s holistic healthcare center.

The nonprofit moved from a 1,000-square-foot space in Suite Q to Suite N with 4,300 square feet in the Nicholas Center at 2501 S. Center St.

Executive Director Lindi Trowbridge said Guiding Star had just outgrown the former space.

“I equated it to a fishbowl,” she said. “We can only grow as big as our environment and it was time for us to move into something bigger and better so we could continue to serve.”

Trowbridge said it is almost like the new cozy, warm space is where they were supposed to be all along since the nonprofit opened its doors in 2020.

“It just feels so right,” she said. “It feels like home. The first time we ever walked into this, before it was even in consideration, I walked in and said, ‘This is it.'”

Guiding Star made the move in October, and Trowbridge said they were open immediately so clients could utilize their services. While clients were receiving help, the walls were being painted to induce a warm feeling. The bathroom was also modified to make it unisex.

“We were functioning with stuff all over the place,” she said. “We were still available via phone call, and could take appointments.”

Word of the move reached new clients who attended the Thankful to be a Woman soft open house on Thursday. The event was well received and drew between 50 to 60 people.

Trowbridge said they are planning a grand opening for sometime in the spring. While a date has not yet been set, she hopes all 14 partners of Guiding Star Marshalltown will be present. That way, the partners will be able to talk about the services they provide. There is also hope of featuring natural health vendors during the opening, to shine light on health options available in Marshalltown.

Fertility Educator and Client Services Coordinator Linda Jacobs said some new services will be available in the new space, which includes a partnership with Hope4Healing, which will help bring parent cafes.

“This space will allow us to set up tables and offer larger groups,” she said.

Jacobs said they will eventually offer childbirth education, but it has not yet been scheduled. Trowbridge added nutrition centered around women’s health will also come to Guiding Star.

The Cycle Show Workshop for girls was previously hosted in a different location, but Jacobs said with the new additional space, they can host the event at the Nicholas Center. Trowbridge said the plan is for Guiding Star to offer a variety of classes on Tuesdays, and people should stay tuned for news about additional services in the works.

“We definitely plan to do a lot more now that we have more space,” she said.

The new suite also brings the opportunity of serving clients simultaneously. Jacobs said since the old space was so small, they could only host one service at a time. She said now the pediatric nurse practitioner will have her own space for the Mothers Circle, and others will be able to serve a fertility client at the same time.

Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Emma Kielman said they will host a breastfeeding basics conference in partnership with Iowa Valley Community College District at Marshalltown Community College.

Kielman said she feels like she has to pinch herself because of the new space.

“Our community here is incredible,” she said. “We want people to really feel welcome and at home, especially after COVID. People wanted to stay at home and do their own education, do everything by themselves. Opening up the support groups and the classes really brings people together and makes people know that just because there is not an OB clinic, we are able to provide them with help and education with a community of other women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or who have lost a child, to know they are not alone in this.”

Kielman said they also plan on adding a kitchenette area to give people the chance to get together and perhaps have some coffee.

A free supply closet is scheduled to open sometime in 2024. The supplies will include baby essentials, such as baby washes and lotions, bottles, diapers, wipes and maternity and infant clothes.

Trowbridge stressed that volunteer-provided free child watch is available for clients using their services, which is something all Guiding Star affiliations offer.

“A lot of times, that’s probably one of the biggest obstacles for a woman coming to utilize our services – ‘I don’t have child watch,'” she said. “We really want the community to know it is not a drop-and-go, but please use this while you’re here benefiting from our services. That is probably one of our best kept secrets.”

Trowbridge also wanted people to know everyone is welcome at Guiding Star.

“We are here to serve the community through love and grace and compassion,” she said.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Business: Guiding Star Marshalltown

Address: 2501 S. Center St., Ste. N

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays

Telephone: 641-351-4041

Website: guidingstarmarshalltown.org

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.