By Allison Peck
Listen to the full interview on our Kubota Podcast
For the Women’s Resource Center, the work doesn’t end when someone walks out the door.
Sometimes, clients return years later simply to say hello. Some former clients have gone on to become volunteers, staff members or donors themselves. Others come back to share how their lives have changed.
Those moments are part of what the Women’s Resource Center will celebrate Thursday during its 27th Annual Fundraising Celebration and Banquet.
About 400 people were registered for the event as of Monday afternoon. The celebration begins with doors opening at 6 p.m. at North Platte Berean Church, 202 W. 8th St.
Executive Director Linda Logsdon and Client Services Director Tracy Schaub recently joined the North Platte Post to talk about the event and the work happening at the center throughout the year.
Logsdon said one of the most rewarding parts of the job is seeing what happens after clients initially come through the doors in difficult circumstances.
She recalled one client who came to the center years ago while homeless, pregnant and struggling with addiction.
Today, Logsdon said, that woman is living well with her child and has a job.
“She’s doing very well in life,” Logsdon said, describing the support she received from the Resource Center as well as others in the community.
For the staff, those transformations can be difficult to put into words.
Logsdon said employees sometimes continue thinking about and praying for clients after they leave the center, particularly when they know someone is facing a difficult situation.
“And then when they come back and we can see where life has taken them,” Logsdon said, “it really means a lot to know that we’re able to have a service that helps people improve their lives.”
The center has served the community for more than 50 years and works with clients at different stages of life and facing different circumstances.
Schaub said the first step is often simply creating a place where someone feels comfortable asking for help.
“You don’t know what their story is. You don’t know what brought them in the door,” Schaub said.
The center offers free pregnancy tests and limited OB ultrasounds, along with parenting classes through its Learn and Earn program. Clients earn points by participating in classes, which they can then use for diapers, formula, baby food and other necessities.
The center provides more than 5,000 diapers each month.
Clients can also earn larger items, including car seats, cribs, pack-and-plays and high chairs, while the organization offers life-skills classes such as cooking and financial education.
The goal, Schaub said, is to provide practical support while also helping clients build stability.
A box of diapers can cost around $40, she noted. By earning diapers through the program, that money can instead remain available for rent, utilities or other expenses.
The center's reach has also continued to grow.
Staff serve clients in approximately 11 communities around North Platte, and a Lexington location opened in March. Logsdon said the Lexington center has already seen new clients each week, with 10 babies born to some of the clients served there.
Housing is another major need staff are seeing.
Logsdon said some pregnant clients come to the center homeless or couch surfing and unsure where to turn. While the Women’s Resource Center does not provide direct financial assistance for housing, staff work to connect clients with other organizations that can help.
The center also has a food pantry specifically for its clients.
The organization's approach extends beyond women, as well. The center offers fatherhood classes, and Logsdon said reaching fathers is an important part of supporting families.
“If you can reach a dad, you’ve reached a family,” Logsdon said.
That broader focus on relationships will be part of Thursday's celebration.
Two Client Experience Stories will be shared during the banquet, giving attendees an opportunity to hear directly about the impact of the center's services.
The evening will also feature keynote speaker Keith Ferrin, an author, speaker and “Your Bible Coach” on YouTube. According to the Women’s Resource Center, Ferrin has partnered with pregnancy centers for more than two decades and is passionate about helping women, men, children and communities understand the value of life and experience God’s grace and freedom.
The event will include a complimentary meal catered by Ole’s in Paxton. Community youth from the area will help serve the meal, something Schaub said has become a meaningful part of the event.
“They do a phenomenal job,” Schaub said.
The fundraising celebration is an opportunity for donors and others interested in the center’s work to hear updates, learn about the needs facing the organization and make a financial contribution toward its ongoing ministry costs.
The Women’s Resource Center also relies on volunteers and prayer support, Logsdon said.
For those who have never attended the banquet, she said Thursday offers an opportunity to learn not only what the center does, but how they can become involved.
The Women’s Resource Center’s 27th Annual Fundraising Celebration and Banquet will be held Thursday at North Platte Berean Church, 202 W. 8th St. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Registration is available at FriendsOfWRC.com. Seating is limited.
The event is free to attend, with underwriters covering the cost of the meal so donations can go toward the center’s client services.