As I sit to write this, I’m just coming off the excitement of the Ladies Tea and now I’m focusing on the next event, our Fall Fundraiser “Por la Vida”. It’s been quite a whirlwind since stepping into the Director’s chair August 1st. I’ve attended a weeklong training in Ohio, moved into my new office and recovered from the last event and now jumping right into the next!
I’ve had a week or so to reflect on my training and how I can apply the knowledge gained there to the Pregnancy & Family Resource Center. Thankfully, I’m not in the same situation as many of my peers that I met at the Heartbeat International New Director’s Training. There were several ladies that I met that are coming into a pregnancy center after a director was forcibly removed and others are coming into a newly formed pregnancy center. I’m so fortunate that the Pregnancy and Family Resource Center is such an established help center that I have no major obstacles to tackle as the new director and can focus on what the Lord wants to accomplish through me in this ministry. My faith has been well and deeply rooted in prayer, I’ve been very blessed to be part of congregations that also move to prayer and seek the Lord’s will before jumping into anything. If I could, I do ask that you pray for me and for this ministry. I seek
God daily and ask for His guidance and direction for leading the amazing team that He has assembled here at the Pregnancy & Family Resource Center. If you are one of the amazing prayer warriors, please contact me and let me know. I want to be able to pray for you as well.
I want to make sure and introduce our new Office Manager, Annie Riveira. There is more to read about her in the newsletter. Annie comes to us from personal contacts here at the pregnancy center, she attends Calvary Chapel Nuevo. Annie is married with 3 children and blessed to be a grandma of 2. Annie came on board with us July 1st and has fit right in with our team. We have already utilized Annie’s artistic talents at our annual tea, and I’m looking forward to her input for our fall fundraiser as well.
Focusing on the Fall Fundraiser coming up in October, I do want to ask and encourage all of you that are regular attenders and partners to start thinking of people you know that share the passion for the pre-born and ask them to be your guest at our “Por la Vida” fundraiser. The event will be held at Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland on Friday October 25th at 7pm. We are looking for people and/or businesses to be underwriters for tables and all or part of the evening. If you are interested, please drop me a call (909-382-4550) and I can go into more details about the financial underwriting. I’m very excited for this year’s event as it will be a more casual event with a Fiesta themed taco bar and Mike G Williams, a Pro Life advocate and comedian, as our special guest. In the past few days when I was talking to different people, I made sure to mention that our “Por La Vida” event is a great time to bring husbands, boyfriends, dads, or just that special man in your life. Yes, we are a pregnancy help center but that doesn’t mean all our events, functions and resources are only for women. NO, we are just as focused on the men’s needs during and after pregnancy as we are women. So, let me say I want men to attend our fall fundraiser and I would love to see more men involved in this ministry.
There is no charge for seating at this event because the focus of the evening is to raise funds to sustain our ministry throughout the year. Even though there is no charge to join us that evening doesn’t mean the event is free. The pregnancy center carries the cost of the entire program so that our guests can focus on how they can financially support and partner with us. The bulk of our yearly budget comes from the funds generated from this event. This is one of the reasons that I ask for our current shareholders, yes, shareholders because you invest in what we do at the pregnancy center, to encourage people in your sphere of influence to join us and learn what we do at the Pregnancy & Family Resource Center.
It seems like it is said very often but I can’t stress enough that we are a 100% privately funded non-profit ministry. The Pregnancy & Family Resource Center does not receive any funding from any city, county, state or federal entity. The FREE services we provide to our community are solely funded from the blessings of our partners, and for that I am so grateful. Our partners are people like many of you that were introduced to this ministry from someone that was bold enough to invite you to one of our events to raise funds and awareness to combat the devastation of abortion. We don’t just focus on the moms and dads that are faced with unplanned pregnancies, but we also come alongside and offer healing to those that are post-abortive and then we help with the material resources and referrals that families desperately need to be survive.
Recently I was doing some shopping for the center at my local dollar store, where I was purchasing baby wash, baby shampoo, and baby lotion, in bulk and the cashier a young man looked at my purchases and asked why I was buying so much baby stuff. So, I told him that I have the privilege of working at a pregnancy resource center and when our shelves are depleted of the necessary items, I do what I can and make purchases to fill in the gaps. Then this young man looked right at me and said the most amazing thing, he said, “You love you job, don’t you?” I was delighted that just by explaining why I was purchasing lotion and shampoo this guy saw my passion! Let me tell you the rest of my day I was on such a high.
One of my favorite parts of the events that I get to participate in is meeting the people that share my passion for the pregnancy help movement. Let this be my personal invitation to you, I want you to join me at Immanuel Baptist Church on October 25th at 7pm for an evening of truth and sharing. Sharing of the gifts and talents that God has given each of us.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kathleen