With the Cochrane Pregnancy Care Centre Fundraising Banquet on the horizon, Cochrane and area residents are encouraged to open their hearts — and wallets — in support of the services provided by the organization.
The fundraiser is slated to run March 13 at the Cochrane Alliance Church. Doors will open at 6 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The theme for the evening: A Journey of Hope.
“Hope is inherent to everything the centre does,” said Laurel Pedersen, executive director of the organization.
“We meet people in crisis. Hope can be a lifeline to the vulnerable.”
For more than 20 years, the care centre has been providing free education, counselling and material support to women, couples and families who seek aid regarding pregnancies and their pregnancy-related concerns.
The organization is geared towards creating a safe and non-judgmental environmental for clients to take tests, learn about their options and be walked through their pregnancies, as well as to access post-abortion grief counselling.
Attendees will have their chance to bid on a selection of decadent desserts — including fresh, homemade cinnamon buns — during the live dessert auction. Over the course of the evening, a number of the centre’s clients will take the stage to share the story of their personal journey of hope.
The centre is busy and growing, said Pedersen. In 2013, the organization saw a 50 per cent increase in the number of new clients, she noted.
Pedersen said she hopes the banquet raises more than $16,000. Last year’s event raised $11,200 and collected more than 200 adopt-a-day donors.
The funding go towards programming, as well as the operating costs of the centre.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by contacting the centre at 403-932-2900 or [email protected]. If possible, please purchase tickets by March 10.
