Christmas Open House celebrates moms and babies

Jessica Helling holds up her son, Oliver, so he can give Lucy the giraffe a hug at the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center's Christmas Open House on Dec. 5. Lucy is the mascot for the center which is located at 113 E. Hawthorne and is in the process of buying the property next door. Lucette Moramarco photos

Tom Pyle keeps donated baby items (from blankets and sheets to clothes and diapers) in order at the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center (FPRC). Pyle and his wife, Frances, are in charge of organizing the supplies the center's clients can earn by taking classes, keeping appointments, going to church, etc.

FPRC board members, from left, Miriam Vanderlaan, Sue Dingess, and Gabriela Carenza greet guests at the center's open house on Dec. 5. The event was the center staff's way of thanking their supporters for partnering with them in their mission to provide life-affirming care to those in pregnancy-related crises.

FPRC's sonogram room offers expectant mothers a chance to see their unborn babies. The equipment was funded by St. Peter's Knights of Columbus; the center serves residents of Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow, De Luz, Valley Center, and Camp Pendleton.

Center board member Miriam Kirk talks with volunteer Joanne McIntyre (who performs the sonograms done at the center) and Michael Sizer during the Christmas Open House at FPRC.

During the FPRC Christmas Open House, Tiffany Jones and daughter Clara pick out some finger foods at the refreshment table provided by the North Coast Fallbrook Growth Group.

Volunteer Janny Ligtenberg visits with guests at FPRC's Christmas Open House on Dec. 5. For more information about the center, visit fallbrookprc.com or call (760) 728-4105.

Eva Daza, left, with son Diego and daughter Delilah, chats with Claire Cheely, the FPRC program services director. In 2015, 66 babies were born to women in the center's programs.