An Indianapolis pregnancy help center reopened its doors to serve women at a new location earlier this summer following an almost six-year hiatus after a fire all but destroyed the center.
The 1st Choice for Women Pregnancy Center held its reopening ceremony on June 14. Located at 3727 Kentucky Avenue in Indianapolis, the new center will provide pregnancy help to women in the Decatur Township area on the city’s Southwest side.
Among those in attendance at the reopening ceremony were Decatur Township Trustee Jason Holliday and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
“The 1st Choice for Women Pregnancy Center will serve as a beacon of hope, offering vital care, resources, and full support to mothers in need,” Rokita said.
Shepherding the reopening initiative was the Great Lakes Gabriel Project, a nonprofit that partners with churches around Indianapolis to support pregnant women.
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Offerings at 1st Choice include free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, and several courses focused on life skills.
Linda Kile, former executive director of the Great Lakes Gabriel Project, was excited about the new 1st Choice center.
“These courses empower the women with the tools they need to become resilient, independent women in the community and great moms and examples for their children,” Kile said.
Clients may also “shop” for free baby clothes and essentials in the center’s store.
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A second debut, a long time in the making
This isn’t 1st Choice’s first debut in Indianapolis. Its original clinic was burned down by a fire on November 30, 2019. After it was declared uninhabitable, the Great Lakes Gabriel Project spent two years finding a new building.
They focused their search on the southwest side of Indianapolis, an area that has an abortion center but has been devoid of pregnancy help resources. The journey to find a new building seemed endless until a chance encounter in November 2021.
Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, Kile’s contractor told her of a three-bedroom house that had been put on the market. It was an unconventional choice for a pregnancy center, but the contractor believed it could be renovated to suit 1st Choice’s needs.
After walking through the home, Kile saw where the contractor was coming from. It did seem like a suitable place for 1st Choice, especially because of its detached garage that could be used to store baby essentials. After discussing it with the Great Lakes Gabriel Project board of directors in December, the decision was made to lay a bid on the home.
On January 10, 2022, the building was purchased for $65,000 below the asking price.
“As fast as everything happened and fell into place, I know that this is God’s timing,” Kile told The Criterion soon after.
“For God to say this is the time and this is the place—I’m ecstatic, so crazy happy. I can’t wait to get in there and get started,” she added.
Over the following years, Kile worked hard to turn the home into a welcoming pregnancy medical center. The work was long and arduous, and included everything from tearing out carpets to dealing with rezoning matters.
Now that all of the work is complete, 1st Choice is finally ready to welcome clients. With its new location strategically placing it closer to abortion-bound women, the center is set to make a strong impact on Indianapolis.
More information is available at the website www.goangels.org, or by emailing
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional information and a corrected date.
