Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center set to expand services

For expectant mothers, the journey to motherhood is an exciting time, especially when they begin the process of preparing for their new child. However, when the pregnancy is unexpected, or the mother faces financial difficulty, she may face many stresses and uncertainties because she does not know if she will have sufficient support through the parenting process.

For Fallbrook area mothers who need that additional support, the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center (FPRC) has been a sanctuary. Since 2001, women who need support, or even someone who will listen to their circumstances without an agenda, have entered FPRC’s doors.

The center’s volunteers were able to meet with 619 at-risk mothers in 2015, and were able to provide 141 pregnancy tests, with free ultrasounds, a listening ear, a helping hand, and a hopeful heart.

In addition to providing emotional support, the FPRC also provides GED prep, peer group counseling, and free supplies for individual parents who choose to take parenting courses with the center, according to executive director Carolyn Koole. All these resources are available for free to parents.

Because of the invaluable resources and options available at FPRC, the center has rapidly outgrown its meeting space, and though volunteers are working diligently, every nook and cranny of the rented facility is used to capacity.

To address this need, the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center was able to purchase a property at 121-129 E. Hawthorne St., which allowed the FPRC to expand from 3,120 to 4,500 square feet. The board was able to raise $120,000 in less than 30 days for the down payment of the facility. However, in order to occupy the new facility, the FPRC will need to raise the funds for construction over the next three years.

The new facility will allow for an anticipated 20 percent increase in the number of clients seen, as the FPRC will open a medical clinic, provide additional room space for counseling, and have a larger boutique of baby items.

"The board wants us to be licensed as a primary care clinic," said Koole. "We will be able to do well-mother checks and ultrasounds."

With the new facility, the FPRC is taking the opportunity to re-brand and let the community know more about its resources, classes, and counseling available. Rhonda Schlumberger, a fellow with Mission Continues, is serving a six-month fellowship with the FPRC as brand manager.

"The purpose of Mission Continues is to connect experienced leaders with community organizations," said Schlumberger. "All my life I have worked for things greater than myself. I chose to serve in the military; I fought cancer with genetics and cancer diagnostics; and now am helping in my hometown.”

Schlumberger’s goal as brand manager will allow her to work with marketing and social media as ways to reach out to more community members who might not be aware what the FPRC offers.

"Our brand is serving compassionate support for women in crisis pregnancy," said Schlumberger. "We want them to leave with hope."

The FPRC’s plan to raise funds, known as A Home on Hawthorne, will allow the FPRC to both raise funds for its new facility while providing community individuals with information about the new facility.

"We want our clients to feel at home, which is why we are calling this A Home on Hawthorne," said Koole. "We have meet and greet opportunities for local contractors and project managers, as well as people who want to know more about the FPRC."

For individuals who have extra funds to lend the FPRC, Koole said there is an opportunity to lend an amount to the center with a six-percent interest return. Koole says there are many opportunities for community members, businesses and groups to "leave their fingerprints" on the new resource center facility.

"We are so thankful when people donate," said Koole. "We want our mothers to feel special at the Home on Hawthorne, and we want it to feel safe and comfortable for all who come through our door."

"A 17-year-old who chooses to parent needs all the support she can get," said Koole. "We know we are not the only organization in Fallbrook that cares. Many churches and non-profits work in the community to take care of women in the area."

In addition, 30 to 40 regular volunteers donate precious time every week to make the FPRC a safe place.

"We even have an older couple, Tom and Frances Pyle, who run our boutique," said Koole. "They restock our boutique with baby items, every week. No one is more or less important. Without them, we would not be able to serve. Each person has a genuine love for these girls."

The Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center will host its next Meet and Greet for A Home on Hawthorne on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. For more information or to RSVP, contact Carolyn Koole at (760) 728-4105, ext. 10.

For more information on the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center, visit http://www.fallbrookprc.com.