History

HISTORY OF THE FORESTVILLE PREGNANCY CENTER 
                                 

The Forestville Pregnancy Center was founded in late 1983 by Mrs. Marilyn Szewczyk of Baltimore, Rev. William Ryan, and Deacon John Sommerville.

Mrs. Florence D. Smith was our first Executive Director from 1984 to 1998 and was instrumental in establishing many foundational policies for the Center.  She was followed by Mrs. Chyllene McLaughlin, from 1999 to 2009, who had been associated with the Center since it's inception. Chyllene was followed by Mrs. Gloria Bouknight who was the Executive Director from April 2009 to December 2009.  Currently, the Board of Directors is running the Center with Frank Zak being the Acting Executive Director.

The goal and purpose of the Center are to enable women to make educated and healthy decisions about their pregnancies and their sexuality, while preserving and nurturing the lives of their unborn babies. We promote abstinence and traditional family values. 

Since our doors opened in January 1984, over 21,000 persons have received help from the FPC. Most were women who were pregnant or who thought they might be. More than 18,000 have received direct services by coming into the Center and others were helped by phone through information and education. Volunteers are trained by the Center. ALL FPC SERVICES ARE FREE.

The Forestville Pregnancy Center is non-profit (501(c)(3)), non-political and non-sectarian. The Center is an independent entity governed by a volunteer board of directors. There is no parent organization that underwrites our funding or our staffing. We solicit all of our income. Donations to the Center are tax deductible.

Our Center also has several unique programs.  We have conducted a practicum course for college students who are studying for degrees in psychology; and we have trained women who are studying to become pastoral ministers at their respective churches.  For many years we have trained third year Archdiocese of Washington diaconate candidates and their wives in pregnancy center counseling and they, in turn, have donated 20 hours of volunteer service.

Since 2000, our services have been augmented by limited sonogram capability.  This move to become a medical facility has enabled us to offer these sonograms, giving us a wider scope of women to serve.  From 2003 to 2008, we instituted free testing for sexually transmitted diseases, with total focus on abstinence and chastity.  In 2010, a 3D/4D ultrasound machine was purchased enabling our Center to view first trimester pregnancies with greater precision and resolution.

Each year we serve approximately 800 clients who mostly come from Prince George's County but our doors are open to all women regardless of where they live.  We see clients from Montgomery, Charles, Garrett, Baltimore, Calvert, and Anne Arundel Counties as well as Virginia and the District of Columbia.

In keeping with our belief in abstinence, we have conducted programs promoting an abstinent lifestyle before marriage at several churches in the area as well as the community at large. 

Our counselors are all trained by attending a 20 hour in house training program, including several supervised observations.  We currently have 25 volunteers at the Center.