By By EMILY DREITZLER / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The Pregnancy Care Center is sponsoring their annual LifeWalk this Saturday, June 18, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Riverfront Amphitheater, in downtown Niles.
The LifeWalk serves two very important purposes. First, it is a positive show of support for the pro-life movement. Secondly, it is a fundraiser to help establish more support for the Pregnancy Care Center.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. at the Riverfront Amphitheater, the walk is approximately two miles and will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and proceed to the Pregnancy Care Center. Tours of the Center will be available if desired. The walkers will then circle back to the riverwalk, ending at the Riverfront Amphitheater.
Participants may call the Pregnancy Care Center at 684-1896 to obtain a pledge form, then recruit sponsors to support their walk and the Pregnancy Care Center. Walkers who raise $150 in pledges will receive a LifeWalk T-shirt. If participants are unable to walk on June 18, it is still possible to obtain sponsors to walk two miles at their convenience.
Participants may also simply show up at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Riverfront Amphitheater and walk for life.
If any participants are unable to walk, it is possible to also sponsor somebody else to walk in their place.
The Pregnancy Care Center is joining several other pregnancy centers in southwest Michigan in sponsoring this LifeWalk. Each center holds the walk in their own specified area.
The LifeWalk is being held the day before Father's Day, which holds some significance for pregnancy centers. Many of the young women who seek the assistance of pregnancy centers have either no father figure or a negative one. In addition, often their unborn child has no father figure.
There will be an additional LifeWalk tonight, to allow Seventh Day Adventists to participate. Anyone who is unable to come on Saturday, but can walk on Friday, is welcome. The walk will begin at 6 p.m. at the Riverfront Amphitheater. Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The Pregnancy Care Center offers the gospel to each client. The Pregnancy Care Center also provides free services to women to help them choose life for their unborn child and to support them after the child is born.
The services provided by the Pregnancy Care Center include: pregnancy testing, peer counseling, referral services to provide for medical or social needs of the mother, including ultrasounds if needed and adoption referrals if appropriate, provision of baby and infant clothing (up to size 4T), maternity clothing, cribs, strollers, car seats, etc., parenting classes for first-time mothers with provision of new supplies to help them care for their child as an incentive to participate in the classes, and an abstinence program.
The Pregnancy Care Center is located at 1011 Broadway, in Niles.
You may contact them at 684-1896 with further questions or concerns.