Published: June 04, 2008 11:56 am         

ABBA expansion, renovation complete, ready to help

A local women’s center is hoping its move to a larger facility will help expand its mission of helping women and families during crisis pregnancy and other difficult situations.

After weeks of renovations and work — done in large part by volunteers and staff members — ABBA Women’s Center (All Babies Born Alive) is currently open at its new location on the corner of 214 N. Taylor and East Broadway in the former Broadway Church of Christ building.

The organization is in the process of renovations to allow its Second Chance Resale Store to operate on the same campus as the women’s center.

Second Chance is owned and operated by ABBA and is scheduled to open later in June at the new facility.

The store is open at its present location at 212 E. California St. and will be promoting a 50 percent off moving sale beginning June 16, according to ABBA executive director Sandee Feyereisen.

“We are very blessed by the community support we have received. Our organization has grown extensively beyond our community borders and we are reaching clients needing assistance from Cooke, Denton, Grayson and Montague Counties as well as clients from southern Oklahoma,” Feyereisen said.

ABBA is apparently growing every year.

Feyereisen said the agency doubled its client load between 2005 and 2006.

“Our statistics have increased from 2005 with 800 clients served to the 1,600 we served in 2006. In 2007, our clientele increased to 2,744. As of the close of May, we have already served close to 1,700 area families in need. We have become a North Texas and Southern Oklahoma regional pregnancy resource and family crisis center,” said Feyereisen.

The move to the new facility comes just less than a year after the severe flooding of June 18 which destroyed much of the agency’s furniture, equipment and baby supplies.

Feyereisen said generous donations of time, labor and supplies helped the agency recover from the flood, but that a larger facility was necessary because the agency is growing.

“This new facility includes much needed extra classroom space, baby items storage, an extra peer counseling room and office expansion. The store area will be located in the former sanctuary area and is much larger than our current location,” she said.

ABBA had been operating in a 3,000 square foot facility which Feyereisen said often made for crowded conditions for clients, staff and volunteers.

“Our new location is a 10,000 square foot spacious facility which will house our offices, pro-life pregnancy resource and family crisis center and our resale store,” she said, adding that the new location will also provide ample parking for center clients and resale store shoppers.

She said it will also allow for projected growth and be easily accessible to the public.

“ABBA Women’s Center belongs to the community. We are about neighbors helping neighbors and our precept is the golden rule. This organization is unique in that most churches of many denominations in Cooke County help support our pro life goals financially, materially and with a strong volunteer base. In fact, the largest gift we have received to date came from the Board of Directors for the Broadway Church of Christ who voted to discount their asking price by $100,000 to make the property obtainable for our organization. We are very thankful for their sensitivity to the needs of our community.”

Feyereisen said the board of directors for Broadway Church of Christ are not the only members of the community who stepped in to help ABBA obtain its new headquarters.

“There are multiple expenses related to such an intense organizational move and our community is so loving and responsive we went to the closing table at Gainesville Title Company overwhelmed by the charitable giving as almost every fee was discounted or donated by the generosity of the title company, Muenster State Bank, Joe Wilhite Land Surveying, Hawkins Realty, Joe Schmitz’s land appraisal fee, Estes Termite and Exterminating Services, Mr. Doughty’s building inspection and many others I may be excluding unintentionally,” she said.

During a recent tour of the facility, Feyereisen pointed out the details she hopes make ABBA clients’ experiences more pleasant.

“Many who come here are facing a difficult time in their lives,” she said. “We want to make them comfortable and to make them feel special.”

In addition to a larger reception area and improved classroom spaces, the center is also undergoing renovations including artwork.

“Regionally renowned faux artist and sculptor Ginny Blevins of the Blevins Studio in Tolar has traveled to take on the enormous project of donating her time faux painting our center entrance reception hall as a garden atrium with trompe l’oeil. She is a very gifted artist who has painted restaurants to look like Tuscan Villas, stores to look like quaint European village shopping and even a Harley Davidson Shop in Fort Worth. We hope everyone will come by and see her gift of art to ABBA Women’s Center,” she said.

The Blevins have demonstrated their sculpting technques by invitation from the Gainesville Area Visual Arts group, Feyereisen said.

“Art Blevins is a well-known sculptor who has sculpted civic projects and professional athletes and one of his most famous sculptures was of the late Dallas Cowboys Coach Tom Landry and the piece was autographed in clay by Tom Landry before it was bronzed. Coach Landry gave him his famous hat to get complete the detail work. Art will be sculpting a special project for ABBA in the near future for a fundraising auction.”

Feyereisen said she is also grateful for businesses and owners such as “Super Dave” of Dry Clean Super Center on East California Street, the Gainesville Daily Register, Suddenlink Communications and First State Bank who serve as drop off stations for baby items.

“More businesses are becoming involved daily and others such as Nascoga Credit Union donated office equipment for our expansion like. We are very thankful for their assistance and their community service,” she said.

A local eatery, The Woolf Den Restaurant, located on California Street near North Central Texas College is scheduled to host a concert in late June. Woolf Den co-owner Bill Black said he plans to donate 15 percent of the restaurant’s profits from that day and also to collect donations for ABBA, Feyereisen noted.

Many community gifts and donations are very personal in nature she said. Handmade items are an example.

“We should never forget to thank the precious grandmothers who hand-quilt and crochet baby blankets for new baby layette baskets and the hundreds of donated teddy bears, handmade bibs, custom tailored receiving blankets and even medical supplies which are donated,” Feyereisen said.

“We have such a compassionate community with over 100 rotating volunteers between our store and the women’s center. We need more help and anyone interested in volunteering may pick up a volunteer packet at the ABBA office at 214 N. Taylor. Our entire store is operated by volunteers or call (940) 668-6391 for more information.”

The center is a pro-life, faith-based 501c3 community service organization.

ABBA services are provided with no charge to clients. ABBA Women’s Center operates off the free-will financial gifts, material donations and patronage of the organization’s Second Chance Resale Store.

The center’s hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday excluding holidays throughout the year. Tax deductible receipts are available for financial and material donations.

Free community services include pregnancy tests (walk-ins are welcome), materials requests, referrals, and limited ultrasound between ten weeks to 20 weeks gestation are available by appointment and educational classes.

Supplies avaible to clients include diapers, baby wipes, baby toiletries, layette items, baby formula and baby furnishings.

Gift vouchers for Second Chance Resale Store are also available to families in need after completing an evaluation process at the ABBA Women’s Center.