In life hardships arise, laughter prevails and love conquers.
For more than 25 years, Cochrane's Pregnancy Care Centre has been a place of comfort for many women, their partners and families. Whether you have questions or just need an easy friend with an ear to lend, the door is always open.
"We started in the early 90s with women meeting women in coffee shops and doing pregnancy tests in coffee shop bathrooms, and then a small group of women just started collecting baby items to help moms," explains Laurel Pedersen, executive director of Cochrane Pregnancy Care Centre.
On Friday March 13, the centre will be hosting its annual gala at the Cochrane Alliance Church. This year's event will showcase a delicious dinner and silent auction followed by a program with three clients telling their stories. An update on future plans will also be addressed at this time, finishing off the evening with a live auction. Decadent cakes and a couple of trips to Mexico are just a few items attendees will have the chance to bid on.
The event acts as the main funding source for operations with an emphasis on meeting individuals in light of the centre's capital campaign, A Place to Call Home.
Cochrane's Pregnancy Care Centre is filled with good intentions. The focus lately has been geared toward securing a place of their own, establish housing for their clients and expanding their services to the Bow Valley area which would include Morley, Canmore and Banff. The centre believes that by providing a safe and supportive space, a foundation is created which builds strong and healthy futures.
"For women and sometimes their partners that are in new situations, we offer a place where there isn't pressure, where they may be already feeling pressure, so we meet people where they're at and offer follow-up support," said Pedersen.
An array of services are provided through the centre, from pregnancy information to post-abortion counselling to nutrition and pre-natal instruction. Staff walk alongside both women and men wherever their journey in life may take them.
"The average women says she makes a decision about a pregnancy in about 24 to 72 hours," explains Pedersen.
Accessibility is essential for the centre and they can always be reached at any time of the day through an after hours talk and text line.
"Don't let the hours scare you away, real life doesn't happen between eight and five," chuckled Pedersen.
Tickets are $50 per person or $350 for a table of eight. Doors open at 6 p.m.
If you would like to donate a silent item auction to the gala they are still looking for a few more. Reach out to Elise Shelley at 403-932-2900.
You can purchase tickets at www.cochrane-pregnancy-care-centre.ticketleap.com/gala-2020/ or by calling 403-932-2900.
