The Pregnancy Center of Gadsden County is expanding its reach, opening a second location in Havana.
The new Havana location, 106 1st St. NE, offers the same free, confidential support and services for pregnant mothers as the center’s pilot location in Quincy, including pregnancy testing, adoption assistance, ultrasounds; parenting, family and relationship education; material assistance, referrals, support groups, mentoring programs and much more.
“I was going through a divorce and I had nothing. By finding the Pregnancy Center I was able to pray and talk to the spiritual counselor. This helped me in so many ways,” said Dominique Oswalt, a client of the Pregnancy Center. “Also knowing that I can come back if I ever need help with anything else makes a huge difference.”
Even post-pregnancy, the Pregnancy Center of Gadsden County continues to offer aid – counseling, diapers, clothes, formula, and potentially anything else a client may need.
“Since I have been going to the Pregnancy Center of Gadsden County, it has been extremely helpful,” said Shantashia Eummer, another Pregnancy Center client. “Every month I am able to pick out outfits for my baby, receive formula, and they also call me to remind me of my appointments. If there are items I need and they don’t have, they always end up finding them for me.”
The Pregnancy Center of Gadsden County was born out of a Havana ministry with a vision to open a facility to assist pregnant mothers. A member of the ministry invited Havana First Baptist Church Pastor Eric Erskine to one of its meetings, and Erskine enthusiastically embraced the ministry’s vision and ran with it.
“Helping women who were facing pregnancy issues and the preciousness of life has always been a burden on my heart,” Erskine said. “We wanted to protect life and enhance life choices.”
Kimberly Nelson, the center’s executive director, began her journey as a volunteer. She named the Pregnancy Center in Quincy “Abella,” which means “breath” in French.
“We offer [pregnant mothers] the support they need when they are facing a life-changing situation,” Nelson said. “It is so neat to be able to tell clients when they sit down sometimes for a pregnancy test, not knowing if they’re pregnant or not and not knowing how they are going to be able to afford a baby and for us to be able to tell them that they are not alone and that we are going to be here with them through the whole process and even afterwards is amazing.”
“We want to help women and men make positive life choices, planned or unplanned pregnancies. We want to be the voice of hope especially for unplanned pregnancies,” Nelson continued.
All Pregnancy Center workers are volunteers, and the center is completely supported by donations. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointments are necessary. Translators are available for non-English speakers.
For more information, call 850-539-1221 or visit www.pregnancycentergadsdencounty.org.
By Nia Muldrow
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