PREGNANCY & FAMILY CARE CENTER

PURPOSE

The Pregnancy & Family Care Center supports women and families who are experiencing challenging circumstances related to pregnancy and parenting. The program offers physical, emotional and spiritual support providing for immediate needs while equipping clients and knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful parent.

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The Center's Earn While You Learn program provides for the physical need of clients including maternity clothes and baby care items such as clothing, diapers, bottles, formula, baby furniture and car seats. Parents earn points to exchange for these necessities by completing parenting and Bible study lessons which equip them with life skills that will enable them to be confident and capable parents. The Center also offers childbirth and parenting education. The parenting classes are accepted by the Department of Children and Families and are approved for court-ordered education.

PROGRAM DETAILS

The Pregnancy & Family Care Center provides pregnancy testing and counsels women based on the outcome. Those who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy and are considering abortion are referred to local pro-life physicians who provide ultrasounds, usually within 48 hours to help mothers see the miracle of the life entrusted to their care and to consider the consequences of their decision. Those who choose life are supported as they live out their decision, including adoption planning or childbirth and parenting education. Those who do not are offered support through post-abortive counseling. While we are not an adoption agency, we refer birth moms who want to make the loving choice of adoption for their babies to Christian adoption agencies and then walk alongside them through the adoption process.

Facilities

The Pregnancy and Family Care Center facility provides a comfortable, homey atmosphere for its clients. Small rooms for counseling and watching educational videos offer privacy. Clothing, diapers and other baby needs are stored in a large room for families to browse. There is office space, a kitchen and a space for processing pregnancy tests and storing literature as well as a play space for small children and plenty of seating space for conversation and relaxation.

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The Pregnancy & Family Care Center is located at 1309 High Street, Building 104, Leesburg, FL 34748. We are open Monday - Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, although you can reach our after hours help line at 352-787-8839.

History

The Pregnancy & Family Care Center was founded in 1987 to aide women in crisis pregnancies by offering alternatives to abortion including medical referrals with ultrasound, adoption counseling and placement for housing during pregnancy. Through the years additional programs have been added to provide support to families with children. On average each month, the center serves 100 clients and provides 30 pregnancy tests. During any given year, 19-30 abortion-minded women choose life for their babies as a direct result of these efforts.

Partnering Options

• Mentor young men or women

• Offer help as a mentor or counselor

• Volunteer as a Receptionist

• Input Data

• Help organize the baby food and clothing room

• Partner financially to facilitate an adoption, educate pregnant moms about their choice, supply Earn While You Learn items or provide emergency care for families

Staff

The Pregnancy and Family Care staff consist of two positions:

• Director: oversees all operations of the Pregnancy and Family Care Center, its programs, facilities, staff and residents

• Assistant Director: coordinates and schedules volunteer efforts and assists in day-to-day operations.

The staff is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers from a variety of churches who serve four-hour shifts as client counselors, educators, receptionists and many other positions.

Wanda Kohn

Director | Pregnancy & Family Care Center

Wanda began her involvement with the PFCC in 1988 as a volunteer counselor and has served as Director since 2002. During her tenure, the PFCC has greatly expanded its service offerings. Wanda is the Co-Founder of Habitat for Humanity of Lake County and received WORLD magazine's 2007 Daniel of the Year Award for her work in the pro-life cause. She is also a state board member of Pregnancy and Family Resources Alliance and serves on the Personhood Florida’s executive committee, having earned their Defender of Life Award in 2023. She and her husband, Bob, teach a family-focused Bible Fellowship class at First Baptist Leesburg and love serving the Lord together.

"Friends of SoZo kids, a nonprofit organization, that donates to the Help Agency of The Forest, also called SoZo Kids, has a drop-off box in the lobby of North Lake Presbyterian Church, 975 Rolling Acres Road in Lady Lake. Donations accepted in the drop-off bin include new children's clothing, school supplies, art supplies and toys, full-sized toiletries and new linens. Currently there is a big push for underwear for boys and girls in all sizes. Checks written to "Friends of SoZo Kids" can be mailed to Friends of SoZo Kids, 333 Colony Boulevard, Suite 164, The Villages, 32162. Cash donations are also accepted online at friendsofsozokids.com. All donations benefit the children living in the Ocala National Forest. The majority of the children live in poverty, and when they receive new items it makes a world of difference. All donations of money benefit the children in the form of supplies, improvements to the camp facilities and scholarships. To make sure the church will be open to drop off donations, call the church office at 352-753-8484 beforehand. For more information email [email protected]." The Villages Daily Sun, 2/1/24 Sozo Kids is a program developed and run by Help Agency of the Forest, Inc. ​ Who are we? The Help Agency is a 501(c)3, non profit organization that has been serving those in rural poverty since 1993. There are approximately 45,000 people live within the borders of the Ocala National Forest, the second oldest and second largest forest in the United States, established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. Within these 430,000 acres of residential land are living families and children in abject rural poverty. Recognizing this need, the Help Agency developed SoZo Kids in attempt to rescue as many families and children as possible. Between handing out groceries through our food banks and serving meals at feeding sites, we are now currently reaching more than 7,500 people every month. More than twenty years ago the Help Agency received their first donation from the local Winn-Dixie in the Ocala National Forest in the form of a $25 gift-certificate to help fill the empty shelves. Many of our clients live without electricity and running water, which made it evident that the need goes beyond the everyday food handout with compassion and love. The Help Agency also helps break with cycle of poverty through education, mentoring, teen pregnancy prevention and opportunities to a better future. Since that first day of giving back to the community, the Help Agency has developed different programs and avenues to help those in need.

The court system can be a frightening place for a child caught in a legal battle. This agency gives children a voice. GAL Staff and volunteers work together for the best interests of children who have been abused and involved in the court system. The goal is to ensure that they live in a safe and caring environment. Teens who are aging out of the foster care system can also learn about their options. Volunteers are always needed. The website also has a store which benefits the GAL program.

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