Pregnancy Services of Delta County (PSDC) held its Open House and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, April 18 at their new location at 2501 First Ave. No., Escanaba (former U.P. State Credit Union building).
Though they are in a new location, the idea for Pregnancy Services was founded in Delta County at the grassroots level 45 years ago. In 1978, Carol Carlson had a desire to start an organization to help women in crisis pregnancies. With the encouragement of the late Father Arthur Parrotta, Carlson began what was to become Pregnancy Services in the basement of her home. She counseled women who were considering having abortions, and also women who regretted having had an abortion. Though many volunteers had helped over the years, in 2012 Carlson knew it was time for more.
“I remember praying, ‘God, I can’t do this on my own. I need help,’” Carlson shared. “Hans Whitmer, Audra Buchmiller, Anne Carlson, Tara Weaver, Virginia Hallfrisch, and Diane Kobasic came to me two years later, and said they wanted to help and grow Pregnancy Services. I knew that God had answered my prayers; it has only grown since then, and now, there are so many great volunteers. It’s beautiful.”
Though its beginnings were very small, the impact of Carlson’s idea to start Pregnancy Services over the decades has been huge, with many more services being offered now to those in need. Buchmiller, who would eventually become PSDC’s first Executive Director, says that Carol’s commitment to help those facing crisis pregnancies will live on in the newly-expanded Pregnancy Services.
“The ministry will continue a great legacy here. Many generations of families exist because of the trust Carol had in the Lord to begin this ministry,” Buchmiller said. “Everyone who has gifted time, talent, or treasure to Pregnancy Services is a part of that legacy of life.”
Pregnancy Services is still run primarily by community volunteers with a mission to provide emotional and physical support for community women and families, and is funded by donations and grants. They offer many educational classes, along with parenting and wellness programs.
“We’ve been very blessed,” Executive Director Cindy Asher said. “It took a lot of volunteers to get this building ready to open—over three hundred volunteer hours! We are so thankful for the community’s support, including all those who helped work to get this location ready. In addition, I am so thankful for all our donors, including our honorary chair, Ken Gartland.”
Ken and Patricia Gartland purchased the house at 1801 Ludington Street for PSDC to use as its pregnancy resource center starting in March 2015, and only charged a small monthly amount. Then, seven years later, at PSDC’s Fall 2022 Fundraising Banquet, Ken announced that he was going to give back the entire amount of rent that PSDC had paid—as a donation to the organization.
“This incredible donation shows their hearts for our ministry, and how we change lives in our community,” Asher said.
She described the generosity of the many other organizations that have donated to PSDC:
“U.P. State Credit Union donated the beautiful furniture at this new location, the Knights of Columbus will be purchasing the ultrasound machine, and OSF St. Francis Hospital donated the exam table in the ultrasound room. It is because of all of them that we can offer all of our services and supplies here at Pregnancy Services for free.”
Asher said that she would like to spread the word about the current needs of PSDC as they continue to grow.
“My hope is people will become more aware of our services and possibly want to partner with us throughout our Capital Campaign,” she said. “We’re trying to pay down our mortgage, and also do the remaining renovations on the building. “We are so excited for the community to see our new location offering four times the space of our previous location. This will greatly improve our ability to serve,” Asher said.
PSDC also offers free lab-quality pregnancy tests, peer counseling on any subject related to the following topics: pregnancy options, adoption support, crisis intervention, prenatal and postnatal support, and sexual risk avoidance. Additional services offered include crisis intervention, man-to-man mentoring, material assistance for families, referrals to community agencies, and post abortion support.
PSDC is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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