[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3444]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF THE PREGNANCY ASSISTANCE CENTER NORTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 2, 2017

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the Pregnancy 
Assistance Center North (PACN) for more than three decades of dedicated 
work to empower women and men to choose life-affirming healthcare 
options, address health issues for medically underserved women, and 
build healthy families in the northern Houston suburbs.
  In January of 1986, a small group banded together with the common 
goal of helping families struggling with unplanned pregnancies. Members 
of this group poured out their compassion on those families, and 
demonstrated their willingness to serve by donating tools for 
education, support, and resources to the new ministry.
  PACN served its first clients in February of 1987. These families 
were welcomed into donated office space and later, Sunday school 
classrooms of partnering churches. From that early network of eight 
churches, support has now grown to include over seventy-five church 
partners and nearly one-thousand financial supporters.
  The organization, which started with just $100, now operates two 
full-service medical clinics totaling almost 15,000 square feet and 
provides top-notch well-woman care on an annual budget of just over 
$1.25 million, all without a single tax-payer dollar.
  In its early years, PACN served just 360 clients each year. Today, an 
average of 7,000 clients visit the clinics annually, receiving 
pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing and treatment, women's health 
exams, post-abortion support, and material assistance for those who 
choose to give birth and raise their children.
  By placing their focus on empowerment through education, PACN's 
education and counseling programs provide clients with the tools they 
need to break free from past decisions, chart a new path for their 
lives, and begin building strong family legacies.
  Each week, over 130 volunteers give their time to PACN. They are the 
backbone of this organization, each one possessing their own story of 
why they choose to invest in The Cause for Life. Their assistance to 
this organization's mission cannot be overstated.
  I am proud to recognize PACN's mission to bring about positive change 
in northern Houston by providing a community of support, which allows 
women and men to confidently choose life.

                          ____________________