Myrtle Pierce
Special to the Sun

Hay bales, saddles, and cowboy boots created a Western ambiance for the Pregnancy Resource Center’s annual banquet at the Family Life Center Aug. 28.

The evening netted more than $4,500, organizers said. More than 200 guests feasted on a Jim Wyly-catered dinner and bid on auction items to raise money for PRC’s ongoing services to the Kern River Valley.

Young people from Kern Christian Church and Kern Valley High School’s ECHO program served dinner to the banquet guests.

This year’s banquet featured heart-felt testimonials from Elizabeth Hardison and Candy Hellyer, two local women who have used the services of the Bakersfield Pregnancy Center and the Pregnancy Resource Center of the Kern River Valley. Hardison and Hellyer spoke of the services provided to families and individuals, and described how PRC was, “extremely beneficial in helping them to sort out their thoughts and get back on track in their life.”

Rounding out the evening’s festivities of a spirited auction, silent auction, and numerous door prizes, were local retired educators Rich Zimmerman and Larry Holochwost, who sang, played the guitar, and quoted poetry.

Teens from Kern Valley High School’s ECHO Academy Program and some of the youth from Kern Christian Church served guests.

The Pregnancy Resource Center, located at 5120B Lake Isabella Blvd., offers pregnancy tests, peer counseling, referral services, and materials assistance to anyone who has a pregnancy-related concern. All services are free of charge and totally confidential. The PRC is planning on adding parenting classes, abstinence classes, and post-abortion Bible Studies in the future.

For more information, call or leave a message at 760-379-8893. The center is open Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Pregnancy Resource Center of the KRV is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.