Christian center to open in August

   A Christian pregnancy center is scheduled to open in early August on West Colorado Avenue, a stone's throw away from Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control, counseling and abortion services.

   Old Colorado City Pregnancy Center, 1315 W. Colorado Ave., will offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and educational materials for its clients, but not birth control services or abortion referrals.

   The center's proximity to Planned Parenthood is sheer coincidence, said Christine Reyes, executive director of Life Network, a nonprofit that will operate the center.

   "Our being in that location is about the women we serve," Reyes said. "That location makes sure that women and families in the west side of town have the resources they need and a true choice when it comes to making a decision regarding their unborn babies."

   Pregnancy center workers will not accost women entering nearby Planned Parenthood, Reyes said.

   "We would not dream of doing something like that," she said.

   Planned Parenthood is not concerned about having the center so close to its office at 1330 W. Colorado Ave., said Katie Groke Ellis, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, which oversees the Springs location.

   "We have been in that community for 40 years and plan to remain there," Ellis said Monday. "We won't change anything we are doing."

   Planned Parenthood charges a fee for pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and abortion services, but does not charge for educational materials and referrals. All services at the pregnancy center will be free.

   Life Network, a Christian interdenominational organization funded solely by donations, operates a much larger pregnancy center that's been at 3700 Galley Road for 14 years. Reyes and her husband, Life Network President Raul Reyes, saw a need for a similar center on the west side, and began planning it in January.

   Al Pittman, senior pastor of the Calvary Worship Center on the west side, said a faith-based pregnancy center will fill a need in the area.

   "The west side gets overlooked sometimes when it comes to services," Pittman said.

   The center will be in a 1,200-square-foot bungalow that Life Network is leasing for $1,400 a month. On staff will be a sonographer, nurse and director. The center is expected to receive 150 visitors a week, Raul Reyes said.

   For further needs, such as parenting classes, birth classes, prenatal care and baby clothes, clients will be referred to the Galley Road facility, which serves 5,500 women a year.

   Opening a nonprofit center during the current economic downturn is a risky venture, local leaders of nonprofits say. People tend to curtail their nonprofit giving during difficult financial times.

   But Raul Reyes isn't worried. 

   CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0367 or mark.barna@gazette.com