Anderson Update
by Chara Lavelle, Development Director
First Choice Anderson Banquet
First Choice for Women of Anderson banquet attendees had a wonderful evening of fellowship while enjoying the music of Sara Scharbrough! With over 300 people in attendance, guests made a statement for the cause of Life on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at the Paramount Ballroom as we celebrated our efforts to open our new location in Anderson.Tam Hodge, Speaker, Author, and Advocate for Save the Storks, shared her story of overcoming several years of poor choices, abortion, and the risky decisions that trapped her, holding her back in fear. Tam communicated the importance of pregnancy resource centers like First Choice for Women who empower women to choose life for their unborn children. It was truly inspiring to hear her story and to see how God has used her journey to help women facing similar circumstances.It was also encouraging to hear from one of our early clients and follow the journey she and her family had taken. Upon meeting with center volunteers it was evident that the young girls’ parents’ hearts were impacted. As God worked in their lives, their determination for her to abort the unborn child changed to encouragement to carry the baby to term!The crowd was touched when “baby Isaiah” – now 20 years old – stood up in the midst of the audience! This young man’s life is a tremendous testament to the work of First Choice for Women.The challenge to raise the support needed to open the Anderson Clinic was presented to everyone, and it was accepted wholeheartedly! We raised $34,575 in sponsorships and offerings that night, and nearly $1,400 in monthly donation commitments – giving us an annualized total for the event of nearly $52,000! Praise God for His goodness and the generosity of His people!We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and would like to thank everyone who participated in this event – you are truly making a difference for life! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Clinic Update
As we consider the cultural landscape around us, we see an immediate need for First Choice for Women of Anderson & Madison County. We are working diligently toward opening the clinic and hope to begin offering services to the community near the end of August. As you can imagine, there is much to be done before we will be able to open our doors and begin seeing clients.First, we need 12 trained volunteers willing to commit to a minimum of 2 hours per week. Secondly, we need to raise at least half of the amount needed to cover our normal monthly expenses with consistent monthly donations. This means that we currently need 8 more volunteers and an additional $2,800 per month in contributions. This is quite an undertaking, and we can only meet this challenge with the support of the community and faith that God will make a way for this ministry to flourish.We want to thank each of you who have given of your time, talent and finances to make our vision for the Anderson ministry come to fruition. We are also asking that you help raise awareness of First Choice for Women and our efforts to share the love of Jesus Christ with those facing unplanned pregnancies. Tell your friends, family, coworkers and church family about First Choice and how they can make an eternal difference in the life of a young woman in crisis.If you are not currently supporting the ministry on monthly basis, we humbly ask you to prayerfully consider a $20 per month donation so that we can begin saving and change lives in Anderson and Madison County.
A Special Thank You!
The staff of MUGS Coffee and Tea in Anderson generously donated all of the tips they earned for an entire month to First Choice for Women of Anderson! Skye Huff, owner of MUGS, said that her employees “like to give back” and each month they donated to a different organization in the community. A HUGE THANK YOU to Skye and all of the employees at MUGS, for this kind and generous gift!
