April 2020 - Mercer Savings Bank

Patricia Thees has always had a passion for helping families who find themselves in tough circumstances. She also has a knack for transforming what could be dispiriting events into opportunities.When the pregnancy center she worked with closed its doors, she was disappointed but realized it was the perfect time to forge out on her own. That led to the creation of a nonprofit pregnancy center where she has a more direct impact on the women and families she serves.“We are a nonprofit,” Thees says of her organization, the Choosing Life Pregnancy Center, “and everything we do is free. All of our services are free and we don’t have any age or income guidelines.”Supporting the Spiritual Health of FamiliesThees worked as a secretary at Celina First Church of God and reached out to church leaders asking for their support in founding The Choosing Life Pregnancy Center in that space. They agreed, and the church became the organization’s first home. Since then, the center has grown and now has its own independent location in Celina.Thees’s vision is to promote the wellbeing and spiritual health of men, women, and families in a pregnancy situation. The Choosing Life Pregnancy Center seeks to incorporate responsible sexual values and alternatives to ending a pregnancy.The center offers a number of vital services to women and teen girls who find themselves pregnant. This includes pregnancy tests with verification, ultrasounds, counseling, adoption planning, parenting classes, and life skill classes. By enrolling in these free classes, participants also receive free maternity and baby items from The Everything Shop (also known as The Beating Heart Boutique).Donations for Life“We have a boutique,” Thees says about The Everything Shop, “and it is open to the public Monday through Friday, and all the money that comes in there goes back into the pregnancy center. But our clients shop for free. They watch videos that pertain to them and then they get points to shop in the store.”The Everything Shop also accepts donations of new and gently used furniture, home decor, craft supplies, clothing, tools, and more. All proceeds from the shop benefit the center.Thees says the center also recently received a surprising new donation: a whole house!Her goal is to use the home to provide shelter for families who are in transition. “It’s short-term living for people,” she says, “such as a pregnant girl who might get kicked out, with a baby and nowhere to go.”Donations like the one from Mercer Savings Bank make all of this possible.“I just want to say thank you to Mercer Savings Bank for picking us,” Thees says. “We’re just so excited about this new house coming up and being able to help people.”How to Support Choosing Life Pregnancy CenterThe Choosing Life Pregnancy Center accepts donations of any kind. Their boutique accepts all sizes of clothing, decor, tools, craft furniture, and more. They hold various fundraisers throughout the year and also take monetary donations at their center, located at 560 Touvelle St, Celina, OH, 45822.For more information about the center, how to donate, or if you or a loved one is in need of services, contact them at (419) 733-4847 or choosinglife@bright.net.

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Giving Mission Spotlight: Choosing Life Pregnancy Center

Celina (Market Street)

Celina (Irmscher Boulevard)

Fort Recovery

Greenville

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Giving Mission Spotlight: Choosing Life Pregnancy Center

Celina (Market Street)

Celina (Irmscher Boulevard)

Fort Recovery

Greenville