When Mylaika Stephenson became pregnant as a teenager, she briefly considered abortion. Because of the help she received at Pregnancy Center North and guided by her Christian values, however, she decided against it. Both she and her unborn child’s father, Jonathan, wanted to do their best for their child.
“I could be pregnant and didn’t have to be embarrassed about it,” she said of the Pregnancy Center North, the pro-life licensed medical pregnancy clinic where she confirmed her pregnancy and found support from the staff. “It’s hard to be a teenager and walking around with a big belly. A lot of the pressure the outside world put on me stopped when I walked in there.”
After graduating high school, Stephenson went to Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore on a scholarship, and graduated this past May with a degree in business and communications.
Now 23, Stephenson is the proud mom of Leilah, her preschooler daughter.
For the last four decades, stories such as Stephenson’s have become common at Pregnancy Center North. From its start, the center’s work has been impactful, helping up to 1,000 women annually in the early 1980s.
“Right now we have about 400 clients a year,” said Cindi Ritter, the center’s executive director and a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist in Hydes. “That equates to about 1,000 visits, because they (parents) come back for the educational component and the material assistance. Last year we did 77 sonograms, but we average about 100 sonograms a year. This year we’re probably going to be closer to 100.”
Pregnancy Center North will hold its annual fundraising dinner Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m., to celebrate 40 years of service to parents and babies in the Baltimore area. During the anniversary celebration, the center will honor its founder, Delores “Dee” Silverman, with this year’s pro-life award. Silverman, who now resides in Nevada, will be the subject of a Zoom presentation.
“When it began, they were just doing pregnancy tests and material assistance,” Ritter said. “In 2012, we became a medical facility. We have an ultrasound machine that was donated by the Knights of Columbus, and now we’re able to offer free ultrasounds. Our medical director is a physician, and our sonographer is a registered diagnostic medical sonographer.”
The center’s roots are Catholic, and local parishes have helped the center thrive over the years. Silverman is Catholic, and she instilled Christian values in the center she created.
“From the very beginning we would connect with local parishes for our volunteer pool and also for support,” said Ritter, noting that her center has touched the lives of more than 30,000 people. “We have many volunteers from various parishes, mostly Immaculate Conception in Towson. They support us through fundraising. A lot of the churches do baby bottle fundraising and they also come to our events.”
Center leaders plan to announce a capital campaign Sept. 15 to help fund its move to a new location farther north on York Road. The new location will have its own parking and more space.
The lease is three times that of the center’s current location, but center leaders have already raised a bit of a nest egg, although additional funding is needed. Ritter hopes the move will take place in December.
“Currently our clients and staff have to park on the street, or use metered parking,” she said, “and we’re on the second floor. This will give us first-floor access, lots of parking, a bigger facility with lots of room to accommodate everyone.”
For more information about the fundraiser or to attend, call (410) 377-2871 or email amyf@pcnorth.org.
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