Directors and staff of the Women’s Hope Medical Clinic mingled with guests around cups of coffee punch and appetizers in a room filled with Christmas decor on a steamy Tuesday.
The open house, held in WHMC’s Family Life Center, was a chance to meet staff, view the facilities and learn more about how to get involved with the organization. Director of Marketing, Elle Fuller, led a tour of the Family Life Center and Clinic.
The tour gave a glimpse into the day-to-day work happening in the anti-abortion ministry. Pictures of smiling babies who came through the clinic lined the walls and a baby boutique full of clothes, diapers, formula and more was on display.
The organization started in 1983 under the name Sav-a-Life to assist with “crisis pregnancy.”
The non-profit has grown since then, adopting a new name and offering many new services to the community such as STD testing, pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, prenatal care and post-abortion care ― all free of charge and no insurance required.
The staff at WHMC expressed the importance of making each person who comes in comfortable in an otherwise uncomfortable situation. Warm cookies fresh out of the oven and hot coffee welcome guests. Fuller said, “We want people to feel safe and relaxed.”
“There is no judgment, we accept them unconditionally and we are all walking this walk,” said Executive Director Daria Monroe.
Monroe said placed like WHMC are needed and related personally to those she serves, sharing that she had her first child just before the age of 17. She also said she adopted her youngest child from a parent who was contemplating an abortion.
“I was able to walk through some hard times in youth and yet go back, finish college, go on to get my EMBA and press on to direct different organizations,” Monroe said. “I like to be that voice that says ‘you can do it.’”
The staff offers support in other ways such as counseling and parenting classes where new parents can earn “caring cash” to spend in the baby boutique.
The baby boutique does take donations but Fuller said the most needed donation currently is time and volunteers.
She said hearing success stories is what makes the job rewarding. Fuller spoke on how the staff is a team and work hard to make clients comfortable with what the next steps will be.
"For me, this is my dream job," Fuller said. "We share the love of Christ with everybody. But, you share love with action, it’s not always with words."
A wall of educational brochures covering anything from abstinence to parenting and relationships near the front of the clinic is available for clients.
“I love getting to be that person that says ‘we want to educate you’ because I feel like so many people these days aren’t fully educated," said Nurse Manager Abbie Smith.
Fuller said she wants to reach out to the local college community.
“If you are going through something, we’re here and we want to help you," she said. "We don’t want to push anything on you, we just want to talk to you.”
Word of mouth is currently how clients hear about WHMC but the staff looks to increase awareness for the community. Events such as the Christmas in July Open House provide Women’s Hope Medical Clinic with the opportunity to raise awareness.
WHMC is solely funded on donations that come from direct donations or from events such as their annual banquet or their annual walk and 5K run.
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