When the overturning of Roe v. Wade was announced in June, 2022, Caitlyn Kano, Compass Catholic’s then Executive Director, was sharing her excitement with an equally enthusiastic Jennifer Ibarra, Compass Catholic’s Business Manager. During this conversation, Caitlyn and Jenny realized they had a unique set of skills that could, if combined, help support those facing unexpected pregnancies in an innovative way. The Compass Catholic Board of Directors was supportive of their idea and gave them the room to develop it. 

Caitlyn and Jenny are both unapologetically pro-life, yet empathetic to the stresses that young parents face. Caitlyn is a mom to 4 children and Jenny is a mom to 6 children. They both grew up with the understanding that life is a gift from God that begins at conception. When they read the following quote from Archbishop Jose Gomez, they were simultaneously convicted to proactively address one of the main contributing factors to abortion decisions: finances.

“Now is the time to begin the work of building a post-Roe America. It is a time for healing wounds and repairing social divisions: it is a time for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love.”

By creating a financial wellness program designed specifically for this population, Caitlyn and Jenny thought they may be able to address one of the main reasons why these parents were abortion vulnerable: financial stress primarily due to poverty and lack of income.

Caitlyn and Jenny entered the idea for Leap Personal Finance into the 2023 Save the Storks Pro-life Innovators’ Summit and were named the 2023 winners! The Compass Catholic Ministries Board of Directors understood the potential impact of Leap and graciously allowed for Leap to become its own organization to focus on a unique mission: to walk alongside economically vulnerable expectant parents and parents of young children, providing financial hope.