Women facing unexpected pregnancy receive local support

Times Contributor      

 

A group of Strathmore residents approached the Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre a year ago, with a request. They dreamed of opening a Pregnancy Care Centre in Strathmore, but, financially and logistically, the task was daunting. Would the Calgary centre work with them to open a satellite centre in Strathmore?

The Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre (CPCC) would – and they did. This month, those dreams and that hard work will come to fruition with the birth of the Strathmore Pregnancy Care Centre (SPCC). The SPCC aims to support women, men and couples from Strathmore and surrounding areas, including the Siksika Nation.

Strathmore office hours will be two days a week — Tuesdays from 1 to 5 p.m., and Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m., said Susan Herman, Director of Operations at the CPCC. At all other times, people can get support through the 24-hour CPCC helpline.

Jenn Page, coordinator of the Strathmore centre, will work with local volunteers to provide “onsite peer counseling” and “lots of community referrals,” Herman said. 

For services like post-adoption counseling, birth-moms support, post-abortion support, and prenatal or parenting classes, people may be referred to the CPCC.

“As the volunteer base grows out in Strathmore, and as services develop overtime,” Herman said, “we’re hoping to re-evaluate and look at the possibility of bringing some of those (services) more locally, if needed.”

The CPCC will also continue to offer school-based programs in Strathmore, Calgary, and surrounding areas. 

“We go in and talk about healthy relationships, and boundaries, and lots of stuff in terms of sexual activity, and sexual decision-making and abstinence is presented as an option,” Herman said. “We’re invited into schools and we present that on a volunteer basis.”

Herman expressed the centre’s gratitude to the people who made this beginning possible. The steering committee, those residents who dreamed of a Strathmore Pregnancy Care Centre, organized information evenings, shared their vision with colleagues and friends, and secured donations such as the office space contributed by Wayde Garrioch, Keith Garrioch and Rob Desjardins. 

A local church hosted a fundraising dessert night. And about 20 local people attended volunteer training, so they’ll be prepared to provide peer-counseling as soon as the centre opens. The SPCC welcomes ongoing donations and additional volunteers. 

On May 11, Mother’s Day, the CPCC and SPCC will begin their annual Formula for Hope campaign, raising funds by stuffing money into baby bottles, which can be obtained through community churches. Individuals interested in volunteering at the SPCC are encouraged to contact Jenn Page through the website.

The Strathmore Pregnancy Care Centre is at 304-3rd Avenue, Strathmore, on the second floor of the Aztec Real Estate building. Jenn Page may be reached through the website www.pregcare.com, by email at strathmore@pregcare.com or by phone at 587-896-0902. The CPCC 24-hour helpline is 403-269-3110.

 “We’re really pleased to be able to offer these services locally,” Herman said, “and look forward to working with the community and in the community.”