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Discover the heartbeat of Juneau's cultural and community landscape with 'Capital Chat.' This series explores the vibrant world of the community, arts, and dynamic cultural and social events happening in Alaska's Capital City. Tune in to 'Capital Chat' for your essential guide to the pulse of our community, where every story is an adventure and every voice matters.
Good morning. It's Angel Montgomery hosting Capital Chat this morning. In the studio, I have Barbara and Rochelle from Geno Pregnancy Resource Center. How's it going this morning, guys?
Speaker 2:Awesome. How are you?
Speaker 1:Doing wonderful. How about you, Rochelle? Doing good. It's super exciting to have you guys in here. Tell me, before we even get started, I know that you guys have some exciting stuff coming up, but maybe for listeners that haven't heard of you guys, can you give me a little synopsis about the Geno Pregnancy Resource and the services that you guys provide?
Speaker 2:Sure. Yeah. We do pregnancy testing for clients. So everything is at no cost to clients. So I'll say that right up front.
Speaker 2:So we do pregnancy testing, we do peer counseling. So we're happy to have the conversations about whatever pregnancies or the result of a pregnancy test. And then we offer educational support with classes on pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, life skills, all kinds of things. Then we do, we have a material support that we offer as well with baby boutique and maternity stores. We have diapers and wipes and clothes and equipment and a vast variety of things.
Speaker 2:So everything that we do is built on this cornerstone program, or not everything, but most of our clients come to this cornerstone program called Earn While You Learn. And so when people come in, they take educational classes or they meet with an advocate, we give them points for that and then they use those points to shop for things in our boutique and maternity store.
Speaker 1:I love it. And where are guys located?
Speaker 2:We're at 9040 Glacier Highway, and that's if anybody's familiar with the old Powell Realty building, and then it was the J and M Auto boutique. So it's kind of kitty corner across from Donna's. So, yeah, it's this cute little building with rock face. It's gorgeous. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay. And tell me, you guys also it's not just Juno. You guys do a lot of outreach, I feel like, to Southeast. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I'll let Rochelle answer that one.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So actually, we have client the bulk of our clients are from Juno, but last year in 2024, we had, oh gosh, eight different clients from four different Southeast communities. And thus far in 2025, we've actually expanded that to seven different Southeast communities with 11 different clients. And so, know, it's everybody that, pretty much everybody in Southeast that has a baby has to come through Juno at And some so, we get to know them a little bit that way but we're also really happy to have our relationships with them be over the phone and over email and whatnot. And we can them their lessons and they can do it and when they wanna shop sometimes they call and they say hey, I need a size two raincoat for my little girl and a box of size five diapers.
Speaker 3:Can you put those on seaplanes for me? And so we do that.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Now the big thing, you guys do have a gala coming up. That's October 3. So kind of right around the corner creeping up on us. Tell us, is this something that you do annually?
Speaker 2:It is. This is actually our fourth annual gala and auction. And it is funny that you say gala because it's always funny to say It's gala, gala, gala. We actually had a little, I guess, competition last year at the thing where we had three buckets where put your money in the bucket that you How you say it? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:So funny, exactly. So this is, it's also an auction and I'm assuming probably a big fundraiser for you guys.
Speaker 2:It is, it's our biggest fundraiser of the year. Yeah, so we have a large silent auction and then we also have a dessert auction and last year we added couple of the higher ticket items that we had as well, like gift certificates for seaplanes or those kinds of different things. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's coming up on October 3. Where is it gonna be held?
Speaker 2:It's at Juno Christian Center over across from Fred Meyer's. We fill the sanctuary and there's tablecloth tables and then we have the beautiful silent auction items. We'll have a little photo booth there. We have drinks there from the grind. We're gonna have coffee, of course, decaf because as it is in the evening, it's gonna be available as well.
Speaker 2:And then Italian sodas and yeah. The live auction is probably the thing that a lot of people enjoy.
Speaker 1:Is there any sneak peek you can give me? I know you said did you say Alaska Seaplanes? That's a pretty big one.
Speaker 2:Right?
Speaker 1:Yeah. That's that's to have something like that in there. I love a good silent auction though and and just like any reason to, you know, get together with people and do some shopping. Mean, like some bidding, like that's that's I'm all about that. How can people get tickets?
Speaker 2:So they can go online to junopregnancyresource.org/events and the tickets are there. Then I'm actually saying too this year, even if you can't go or galas or parties are not your thing, we have some people who really support our cause, but they're like, no. I'm kind of introverted and don't not into it. There's also a place there just to donate towards our cause at that link as well. So yeah.
Speaker 1:Perfect. And that actually brings a a really big point. I'm assuming, you know, that because this is one of your biggest fundraiser that entire year, I wanna encourage folks to go. If they can't, they can still, donate. And I'm assuming that you guys do take donations throughout the year and there's a way people can donate,
Speaker 3:to that as well. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, we do have through the website, people can get on our website at any point and find out some information. They can call us, they can stop in.
Speaker 3:I love giving tours of the center to anybody who wants to come in and hear all about what we do and it can make a difference if you see what's being done as opposed to just hearing about it you know. So donations that way. Some people like to be monthly givers which is such a blessing to us because then we know that stuff is steadily coming in. Other people give to us once a year and there's a click pick give through like the with the PDF and there's there's options, there's ways. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And then so when it comes to the Geno Pregnancy Resource is it Geno Pregnancy Resource Center? Is that how you Correct. I love it. And so you guys have a website, people can keep up to date with that.
Speaker 1:Is there any, like, big hopes that you guys have for the upcoming twenty twenty six year, for you guys, like goals or anything that we can get the word out about?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. So, mean, it's a couple different ways to answer that.
Speaker 1:Loaded question.
Speaker 2:Financial goals, I will say like a big hot button for me is honestly just paying off the property. That's a big button for me because, partly because of the agreement that we have with the previous owners. But also, you know, again, we are one of the few places in Southeast that does what we do. And I just think, boy, if we could pay that off and then put the finances that we spend in other ways right now or towards that that we could filter into other things. So hiring more staff, I'm actually the only paid person there right now.
Speaker 2:Everybody else is volunteer.
Speaker 3:Oh
Speaker 2:wow. So if we could pay other people, that would provide consistency, we could expand in other programs. I'm really wanting to increase the amount of services that we offer to men. So whether that's help being a dad, helping equip them to feel more confident about being dad, giving them education in those ways, Or we also offer support for infertility, miscarriage, post abortion support. Men are involved in all those things and as often ignored in those issues.
Speaker 2:I really want to expand in that. We want to get into offering more education for youth. So there's some different directions we want to go but yeah, we're just kind of tight in terms of our resources to be able to expand in those. And I mean like people resources as well as financial resources to a degree.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Barbara, can I ask, just like listening to you talk, can I ask where your passion stems from and how you got involved with Geno Pregnancy Resource Center?
Speaker 2:Sure. It's interesting. Probably, never would have necessarily imagined myself working at a pregnancy center, but I do have my master's in counseling psychology and I've always been passionate about marriages and families and just that whole unit and how important it is to our society. So that said, I sort of fell into this but it's been a great, great fit. So yeah.
Speaker 1:And when did when did the the center actually open?
Speaker 2:So they were doing their paperwork and incorporating in 2018 and then they opened their doors in 2019. I came on board in '21.
Speaker 1:Okay. So a little bit of time and that's I I think that all those amazing goals truly, you know, and as long as we can really really come together as a community and help support you guys and, you know, I think that it sounds like all those goals really rely on just more funding and and getting the word out. So again, the gala, I'm gonna change it up Either way. Coming up on October 3 and again if you wanna get tickets, where can people get those tickets again?
Speaker 2:Again it's at junopregnancyresource.org/events. So if you just go to our homepage at the bottom of the page, there's a button, there's a donate button which is for regular times and then events is where you wanna get tickets for this and then there's actually a place to add on to your donation in that Okay. Tab as
Speaker 1:And that is, it's all online. Is this something you absolutely need to get those tickets beforehand? You don't wanna show up at the door without one?
Speaker 2:We prefer if people do it there. I mean, do have some people buy at the door, but I will say that seating is limited. And so, yeah, even people that are buying tickets, I would advise you show up on time. But there's an availability last year we started offering people tables as well. So if people buy a table, then they're assured to sit with the people that they want to and they also for sure have a table.
Speaker 2:But otherwise it's open seating and, since we do sell at the door, if we oversell there might be some people standing so yeah.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, okay. And then the table options, are the table options available to purchase online? Absolutely. Okay, Awesome. Was there anything else that we missed?
Speaker 1:Anything you guys wanna highlight, get the word about?
Speaker 2:Just again, I guess I didn't mention this at the gala, but we will have some live music there as well. And we've had the Alaska string band in the past. We've we've shifted just a little bit because of their availability, but it's gonna be similar kind of music. And then we also have appetizers. So we don't full it's not like a a full plated dinner, but we have this, you know, ginormo charcuterie board with some cold appetizers and some hot appetizers as well.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's gonna be a great time.
Speaker 1:You had me at appetizers.
Speaker 2:And it's kinda nice to have a great time, you know, an opportunity to gussy up a little bit so people don't have to dress fancy but a lot of people do. And so it's kind of fun in Juneau to have a few opportunities to do that.
Speaker 1:I hear gala, gala or anything of that nature and I'm dressing up Well, you so much Barbara and Rochelle. Again, contact information if people wanna reach out. Do you guys have a phone number at the resource center? We do. That is (907) 463-6366.
Speaker 1:And if someone did want to, you know, get more involved, whether that be volunteering or actually use your services, do people just walk in or do you prefer them to call? How does that work?
Speaker 2:We prefer them to call or they can email us as well. So we're open Monday, Tuesday, Friday, eleven to three and then Saturday, ten to one. So if they call on a Wednesday, Thursday, it's gonna go to a hotline number. So probably emailing is one of the best ways and that's just junoprc@gmail.com. Or they can contact us through the website as well.
Speaker 2:There's a contact us button.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. Again, don't forget, get your tickets soon. For the gala coming up on October 3, that's Geno Resource Center. Barbara and Rochelle, I hope you guys have a great one.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 3:You
Speaker 1:too. We have more of everything you need to know. KINY coming up right here.