In about six months, the ABC Pregnancy Resource Center will have a new home that is triple the size of its current location at 510 W. 18th St. This announcement was made Wednesday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility.

In 2021, Becky Girola, executive director of ABC Pregnancy Resource Center, visited the old Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, 600 Belden Street. The Pregnancy Resource Center had outgrown its facilities, and she was looking for opportunities to expand.

“When I pulled up to this parking lot, it (the building) was gutted from the storm and it didn’t have a roof. The temporary roof wrapping paper was the ABC building supply company.”

After seeing “ABC” on the roof of the building, she felt like it was a sign that this location would be the setting for the center’s new chapter. This cautious optimism was solidified when her father in law – a long time member of the building’s owner First Baptist Church of Lake Charles – told her that the building was in fact for sale.

They entered a five-year owner-finance agreement with First Baptist Church in January 2022, and have spent the past two years planning and fundraising. The new facility is a $1 million project broken down into four categories: $400,000, $300,000 for the parking lot and exterior, $200,000 for interior renovations and $100,000 for furnishings.

The Center reached this goal in only 10 months, and all $1 million in funding was donated by the community. Individuals made a wide range of monetary donations; One contributed $500,000. Girola believes that this feat is an indication of the community’s priorities.

“People donated to say this matters in Lake Charles. … Being able to be in this community where people really love other people. We tell moms, there really is no better place to have a baby than in Southwest Louisiana because people care about you.”

For 32 years, the ABC Pregnancy Resource Center has provided local mothers with emotional, educational and practical support and resources before, during and after one of the most transformative moments of their lives. She said they  pour resources and knowledge into each mother that walks through their doors, with the mission of “sharing the love of Jesus while providing alternatives to abortion” and walking alongside women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.

Fifty percent of pregnancies are surprises. She said that for many expectant mothers, this moment can be overwhelming, but the center serves as a warm and welcoming space.

“We want to be the compassionate place in our community where when a woman finds out she is pregnant, she knows ‘Hey, there are people in my community that care about me and I can go there, and they’re not going to judge me. They’re going to welcome me with open arms.”

The center helps local mothers by providing pregnancy tests, doctor referrals, ultrasounds, medicaid, baby supplies, classes and advocacy. The classes that they provide is one of the center’s largest components, and they plan to prioritize expanding this service at the new location.

They host classes on life, financial and parentings skills, but due to limited space and post-COVID gathering restrictions they can only help so many people. This is about 40 moms a week; Girola believes many more would participate if there were more interior space and parking available.

At the new facility, she expects that they will be able to host up to 100 mothers and offer a full slate of classes –  breastfeeding, cooking and financial budgeting classes to name a few.

Other features of the new building include: a covered entrance, expanded parking, a parenting and training room, a nursery, a large kitchen, a baby boutique and an ultrasound room.

The center is working with Blueprint Construction and Development, Peridian Engineering Services and Jen Inman Architecture, LLC on the project.

The Life Matters Gala was hosted in November, but they are accepting donations year-round for ProjectLIFE – the name of the funding campaign for the new facility she said. In addition to cash gifts, those interested in contributing can do so through securities and transfers, IRA charitable rollovers and naming opportunities – gifts that can be pledged over a two to five-year period that include the opportunity to name one of the rooms in the new center.

Donations can be made through the mail or online at www.abcprc.com.