Some St. Marys community members spent their Sunday evening supporting an Auglaize County resource for expecting parents of unplanned or crisis pregnancies.
The group held their annual pro-life event at Wayne Street United Methodist Church. This year's keynote speaker was the actress and pro-life advocate Lauren Roman, who spoke about her own experience with abortion and the value she sees in pregnancy resource centers like The Family Life Center.
"The work of pregnancy centers is so important and regardless of what is happening in the government, in the legal system, these are services that are being provided, just loving care being provided to people who are in need," said Roman. "I don't think I have the emotional constitution to do that on a day-to-day basis so I'm really grateful to do what I do to help raise support for the work that they do."
The audience also heard from a woman who experienced the guidance of the center for herself after she unexpectedly became pregnant at the age of 17, and wants to return the support she received as a client.
"Just going there, you feel like you're not alone," said Katie Schmitt of New Bremen. "Just those feelings that you have going through the pregnancy, especially as a teenager, and everything that people think. There's so much support and so much information that can just guide you along the way."
The center also put on a silent raffle to help raise money as they search for a more suitable clinic location in Wapakoneta, as well as for a new ultrasound machine.
