The center on 1131 Central Ave. received a new ultrasound machine courtesy of the Knights of Columbus Middletown and Franklin councils as well as a considerable discount from General Electric on Friday. The retail price for the 4D ultrasound machine is $78,000, Keller said, and the center received one for $40,000 as part of the Knights of Columbus’ Ultrasound Initiative — a program designed to provide pregnancy centers with ultrasound machines.
Keller said it’s the largest donation in the 26-year history of the program.
The 4D machine has the capability of detecting a fetus’ heartbeat at five-and-half weeks, Keller said.
“It’s a heart the size of a printed period on a page,” Keller said. “When (pregnant women) hear that heartbeat, something transforming happens, they say all the time, ‘There’s a heartbeat? I just found out I’m pregnant.’ ”
Over the past three years, the Knights of Columbus have managed to donate 92 ultrasound machines.
The Middletown and Franklin councils raised $10,000 each and received a $20,000 match from the supreme council in Columbus to help buy the machine. GE said they’ll take care of the rest, Keller said.
“I had $40,000 to spend, and I wanted to get the most bang for the buck,” Keller said. “After negotiating with GE, I said I had $40,000 — take it or leave it.”
To raise their end of the necessary funds, the Franklin council hosted a baby bottle drive with approximately 250 bottles, said Franklin council member Gary Beall.
“We said, ‘If you’ll (Middletown council) chip in $10,000, we’ll chip in $10,000,’ ” Beall said. “As a Catholic men’s organization, we stand firmly on the right-to-life issue — when pre-abortive women see that viable fetus on a ultrasound machine, they will not abort.”
For Keller, she never thought the center could have such a piece of equipment because of the lofty price tag, she said. She was touched to see a predominantly male organization organize a donation to the pregnancy center.
“It’s odd for a group of men to come in here and to have men sitting in front me deciding how to help,” Keller said. “But I’m so appreciative.”
The center serves about 1,800 women per year, typically between the ages of 15 and 20.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5112 or kelgazzar@coxohio.com.
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