Presidential Perspective
by Dr. Brad Oliver, President, Board of Directors
For the last two years, I have had the privilege of serving as President of the Board of Directors at First Choice. During that time, I have watched our Board members, and our Executive Director take bold steps in faith around our mission based on a strong strategic vision for this ministry. Working in partnership with caring and committed donors such as yourself, we have seen amazing progress at First Choice for Women – progress that we recently celebrated at our Annual Fall Banquet.First Choice for Women has now achieved status as a medical facility allowing us to expand our care to clients. This milestone was celebrated in September when we cut the ribbon on our new digital ultrasound machine. As Lisa Miller reported the night of our Annual Fall Banquet, three women receiving digital ultrasounds since September of 2015 have made the best decision of all – they have chosen life for their babies!More recently, the Board authorized significant work on critical improvements to our facility. Specifically, the Board stepped out in faith to repair the roof and replace the older stucco and siding on the building. The older stucco and siding has been the source of massive water damage created by moisture becoming trapped between the stucco and the wood surface of the exterior walls. Despite concerns about our ability to take on these costly repairs, we stepped out in faith and many of you responded with a generous gift the night of the banquet.Even more, our insurance company has just communicated that they will cover the replacement of our roof and up to half of the cost to repair the exterior of the building. Between your generosity and the assistance of our insurance carrier, these repairs will be made before winter arrives without First Choice incurring significant debt as we head into a new year of ministry.While there is much to celebrate, I want to share with you that we still have some critical needs. One in particularly that I want to explain is that of recurring donor gifts. Over the next year, the Board of Directors will continue to focus on cultivating donor relationships to strengthen the sustainability of the ministry. While we have made some progress, First Choice remains heavily dependent on large events (such as our Annual Fall Banquet and our Spring Walk for Life) to raise the financial support needed to cover basic operating expenses. In 2016, the Board will continue to concentrate on growing the number of new individual donors and donating churches who give to the First Choice on a recurring basis. As Board member, Sari Harris, explained so well at our Annual Fall Banquet, one-time gifts are always helpful, but donors who give a regular gift of even $30 per month, can help first choice raise $3,000 in operational income each month.As of today, First Choice for Women continues to see monthly revenues falling behind by as much as $2,000 each month. This shortage can be overcome by simply increasing the number of individuals and churches donating a regular gift on a monthly basis. So with that in mind, let me offer three challenges that I hope you will pray about:1) If you are not already giving to the ministry of First Choice on a regular basis, would you please consider starting giving each month to first with a gift of $5, $10, $20, or even $30?2) If you do give a monthly gift, would you pray about giving an increase for 2016, perhaps raising your monthly gift as much as $5, $10, $20, or $30 a month?3) Finally, if you have influence within your parish or local church congregation, would you encourage your pastor, priest, or church governing board to give a regular monthly gift in support of life?Thank you for doing your part to share in the critical work of First Choice for Women. Thank you for helping young women have a place where they can find a caring and well-trained staff member or volunteer who will love them, counsel with them, and point them to Christ. Thank you for helping to provide financially for the critical needs of our young mothers and their babies.
