‘Miracle’ helps Lighthouse Women’s Center become reality
Light House Women’s Center formally opened its new facility Sunday, with ribbon-cutting, refreshments, door prizes and tours of the facility to serve those facing unplanned pregnancies.
This is “a day I still cannot believe is finally here,” said Tanya Carter, executive director of the center. “This clinic behind me is absolutely nothing short of a God-sent miracle.”
Formerly known as Sav-A-Life, the center now is a medical clinic offering ultrasounds, or what the clinic staff calls “Project Love at First Sight.” It is the ultrasound machine that Carter believes is part of that miracle.
The facility signed a contract with the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) in September 2019 to begin the process of converting to a medical clinic.
“They come in and hold your hand and walk you through a medical conversion from start to finish to make sure you become a top-notch medical facility,” said Carter.
The major obstacle, however, was finding the funding for an ultrasound machine. After several grant applications fell through, Carter contacted an associate at another clinic who lined up a private donor to pay half the cost of the $30,000 machine.
Fund-raising efforts began in earnest, but then Carter learned the donor would be unable to help. That’s when Carter’s “miracle” occurred in the form of a phone call three days later from George Gentle with the Knights of Columbus in Birmingham.
“Mr. Gentle fell out of heaven,” she said.
Gentle, a former State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus, had just stepped into the job of coordinating with pregnancy centers. In his research he found that the Light House Women’s Center was the closest to the University of West Alabama and asked if the center needed an ultrasound machine.
What made the offer even better is that the state council and the national Knights of Columbus together paid for the machine in its entirety. The money raised locally was used to complete the renovation and furnishing of the new clinic.
Gentle, current State Deputy Joseph Flaherty III and other members of the Birmingham council were among the more than 50 people who attended the opening.
Carter and Jessica Pearson, RN, went through three days of intensive training in March to be qualified to operate the ultrasound. They then conducted a minimum number of ultrasounds under the supervision of Kimberly Vann, RDMS to be certified.
Drs. R.G. Hooper, medical director, and Ashley Steiner serve as the medical consultants for the center. “You cannot run a medical center without physicians,” said Carter.
The new center is located just behind the former Sav-A-Life office at 549 U.S. Hwy. 80 W, a building owned by Fairhaven Baptist Church. It offers counseling for its clients and a classroom where parenting courses are given.
Clients earn Mommy Money by attending sessions. They can spend it in the Baby Boutique, a bright room filled with infant clothing and baby supplies, all new and donated by churches and individuals.
“This place serves as a bright light in the darkest of places,” said Carter.