ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Liberal’s Grace Place Pregnancy Care Center recently hosted its annual fundraising banquet and a teen rally, and with the help of a good banquet committee, Client Services Director Letty Hernandez said planning for that event flowed more smoothly than in past years.
“We have some small things that need to be tweaked for next year to help things flow more smoothly,” she said.
The meal for the banquet was catered by John Ross, and Hernandez said this was a huge win for the night.
“His food is consistently great, and people always comment on how wonderful it is,” she said. “It is not easily available in Liberal.”
Hernandez said the night’s dinner music, provided by pianist Alisa Henderson, was awesome as well, and speaker Pam Stenzel brought a dynamic, passionate and enthusiastic message to both the banquet and the teen rally.
“I always enjoy listening to her,” Hernandez said of Stenzel.
As for the teen rally, Hernandez said that was an experiment for this year, and having never done one, Grace Place officials were looking for additional events to help educate youth about sex.
Hernandez said Grace Place wants to have Stenzel back to speak at next year’s teen rally and possibly move the date to a Monday. This year’s rally took place Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Hernandez said $600 worth of prizes helped bring students to the rally.
“We were pleased to see the youth who were there,” she said.
Hernandez said hopes are for a completely full room at the Ag Building at the Seward County Fairgrounds at future rallies.
“We are open to new ideas to bring the teens to the event for next year,” she said. “I was pleased parents came with teens so they could process the things they hear at the presentation.”
Hernandez said fundraising from the banquet was up slightly from the 2023 edition, with much of the focus on purchasing two buildings, one of which is currently occupied by Grace Place.
“The cost has been set at $252,080,” she said. “We have been saving for this type of rainy day where we need to have a large amount of money.”
Hernandez said the purchase could be made at this time, but funds earmarked for an ultrasound machine would have to be spent in order to accomplish that.
“That would defeat the purpose since we started this entire conversation around a limited medical clinic using the old Genesis building,” she said. “When we asked about using the Genesis building, the trustees met and decided to sell both buildings. This made it necessary to either move or purchase. Right now, we are $100,000 short of that goal.”
Hernandez, though, said there is some exciting news about purchasing the buildings.
“The Kansas Legislature has implemented a tax credit bill for pregnancy care centers,” she said. “Anyone who wants to make a donation to a pregnancy care center will get 70 percent of their donation credited to their Kansas taxes. We have the form K-96 to send to anyone wanting to make a substantial contribution and use it as a tax credit for the Pregnancy Resource Act. They will need to complete the form and give it to us along with their contribution. Then we will have some paperwork to complete online.”
Hernandez said other buildings were looked at in the area around Grace Place, but center leaders decided the one they currently use is perfect.
“It has a great location, and we are already established here,” she said. “The parking lot is key to our Run Baby Run and our car seat safety lane events. We would like to stay where we are.”
Hernandez said Grace Place leaders anticipate closing on the buildings by the end of December.
“Once we gain possession of the building, we will begin some renovations,” she said of the former Genesis Family Health building which sits next to Grace Place on Third Street. “Several of the rooms have water damage and will need work.”
Hernandez said Grace Place is looking to hire and train a registered nurse as well so that once the Genesis building is ready, an open house can take place for what she called the Grace Place Limited Medical Clinic.
As for the ultrasound, Hernandez said she wants the hired RN to help purchase that equipment, so she is waiting for the nurse to be hired.
Stenzel had spoken at the 2023 banquet, and Hernandez said every time she listens to Stenzel, her socks are blown off.
“She is so honest and clear about the choices we have,” she said. “Today’s society has gotten things so muddled. She cuts through all of the mistruths and reaches straight to the heart of the matter.”
In this way, Hernandez said Stenzel’s message felt like a breath of fresh air.
“The truth is we are created to have one mate in a committed relationship, and when we go off the truth, we pay consequences,” she said.
At the teen rally, Hernandez said Stenzel’s presentation made a significant impact.
“The teens who were there were quoted as saying, ‘Well, I wasn’t planning on doing that any time soon, but after hearing Pam speak, I know I definitely am not going to do it,’” she said. “We did not reach all of the teens who live in Seward County, but we made a good start. We had a client attend and tell us she wished she had heard Pam talk before she became pregnant.”
Hernandez said, though, determining what pregnancy and abortion rates will do in the next year is difficult.
“The state has not published 2023 abortion rates yet,” she said. “We do have mothers who come to us wanting an abortion and change their minds after visiting with us about options and having an ultrasound.”
Seward County had 30 teens give birth in 2023, and Hernandez said about a third of those are now clients attending Brightcourse classes at Grace Place.
“The classes are creating stronger moms and stronger families,” she said. “The women and men who attend are teaching the concepts to their friends and inviting their friends. It is making a big impact here in Liberal.”
Hernandez said 100 new donors attended the banquet, and many of them did not know much about Grace Place before the event.
“I believe their donations are a vote of confidence,” she said.
With the teen rally, Hernandez said she visited with parents and church officials who agreed they liked what was presented and would like it offered again next year.
“The thing is this is a topic that should be addressed in the home,” she said. “I can personally say it wasn’t addressed in my home when I was growing up. My kids were told about sex from older kids on the school bus before I was ready to have ‘the talk.’ As a parent, I didn’t like that at all, and their information was not accurate either. Where else will the kids get this kind of information? They don’t get it in the schools and not in the churches either.”
Overall, Hernandez said Grace Place has had much growth in its short time of existence.
“We have hired a part-time worker to help us meet the needs of the men and women who come in for classes,” she said. “Since the banquet, we have a few more volunteers to help us keep up with the donations and the boutiques. God is providing for our every need through the wonderful donors who support us.”
In addition to the teen rally and the banquet, Grace Place also hosts its Run Baby Run fun run in the spring, along with car seat safety lanes, and Hernandez said other avenues of outreach are being considered at this time.
“We are looking forward to having booths at area events such as the fair,” she said. We have a safety lane scheduled for October, but are out of car seats. We will receive some more in December. We will be able to help parents ensure the car seats they do have are not expired and are installed correctly.”
