As the 41st annual March for Life occurs in Little Rock tomorrow, employees of the Hannah Pregnancy Resource Center will be speaking at various churches in El Dorado and Union County as they kick off their annual baby bottle campaign on Sanctity of Life Sunday.
“A lot of pregnancy centers use that day to kick off the baby bottle campaign in churches,” said Hannah Center Director of Resource Development Paula Williams.
The baby bottle campaign is a fundraising drive the Hannah Center uses to fund many of the services they offer. Williams said last year, the campaign raised close to $50,000 and they have made that amount their goal for this year.
Area churches will receive baby bottles, which they will ask their congregants to fill with cash, change and checks as they feel led to. Williams said the campaign would last for four to six weeks and a second campaign will begin on Mother’s Day.
Williams said Sanctity of Life Sunday is a day of observance of the value of human life. The event began in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan declared Jan. 22 would be the National Sanctity of Human Life Day. She said the Hannah Center chose that day to start their campaign because they are pro-life ministry.
“It’s just the idea that human life is sacred and holy and precious and it’s a day that was set aside to remember that,” Williams said. “We try to go and visit with the churches during this campaign to make awareness more, so we’ll be there to answer questions or to speak about exactly what we do and how the program will help us.
The campaign will fund services and products the Hannah Center provides; the money will go toward ultrasound supplies, pregnancy tests, Bibles, bill assistance, counseling and other services, Williams said.
Williams said the campaign’s slogan is “Fill a bottle, save a life.” The campaign will be spearheaded by local churches, though businesses and individuals are also welcome to participate.
“Sanctity of life to us is the value of human life. We are, like I said, pro-life,” Williams said. “When girls come in and they’re facing an unplanned pregnancy, there’s three options that a girl has: she can parent the baby, she can have an abortion or she can put the baby up for adoption. So we are the pro-life stance in that. We talk to the girls about parenting the baby, and if they feel like they can’t raise a child, then we try to assist them in adoption.”
For more information, contact the Hannah Pregnancy Resource Center at 870-862-61317 or through their Facebook page or website, hannahprc.com. All services provided by the Hannah Center are free.
The March for Life Rally, which is sponsored by Arkansas Right to Life (ARTL) will take place at the Arkansas State Capitol tomorrow, beginning at 1:30 p.m. According to ARTL’s website, the event is intended to be a day of remembrance for “the estimated 60 million unborn children who have been killed by legal abortion.”
Today, the Arkansas Coalition for Reproductive Justice is holding their annual rally at the Arkansas State Capitol. According to a press release, the organization’s mission is to improve education, access and equality with regards to reproductive rights and services for all Arkansans.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].