ATLANTA—The Pregnancy Aid Clinic, the only counseling and pregnancy support agency in Georgia that promotes the sanctity of human life as recognized in the teachings of the Catholic Church, invites the community to the Sept. 18 Evening for Life banquet at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Located in Hapeville, Roswell and mobile clinics in the area, the Pregnancy Aid Clinic will host Evening for Life in the theatre’s Egyptian Ballroom from 6-8 p.m. The event includes dinner, music and the opportunity to hear from women who came to the clinic planning to abort and then changed their minds.

Keynote speaker is David Bereit, co-founder of the 40 Days for Life movement.

Bereit, a requested pro-life speaker, has inspired audiences around the world. He is co-author of “40 Days for Life: Discover What God Has Done, Imagine What He Can Do.”

40 Days for Life is a campaign that takes a peaceful approach to showing communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, and for their friends and families. The next 40 Days for Life campaign will launch Sept. 27.

Sponsorships for this black tie evening range from the $1,500 “Angel” level to the $25,000 “Seraphim” level, which includes tables for 20 guests, VIP tickets to pre-party events, a backstage tour, champagne with dinner and the opportunity to speak with Bereit.

Individual tickets are $175 each or $350 for two.

Fundraising from the event is critical to the Pregnancy Aid Clinic, which relies on proceeds to fund work for at-risk women and families. In 2015, St. Ann Church in Marietta hosted the evening, raising more than $140,000. The goal this year is to double that figure.

“This past year has seen tremendous growth at the Pregnancy Aid Clinic,” said Marla Brown, executive director. “Our overall number of lives saved throughout our three clinics was greater in the first six months of this year than the entire year of 2015.”

The clinic’s mobile health unit has doubled the number of pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, counseling and support provided to women and families with no ability to come directly to the clinic locations in Hapeville or Roswell. Women from all over metro Atlanta are learning of the clinic and how it offers effective options and support for unplanned pregnancies.

As more clients come to the clinics, additional medical equipment, parenting class materials and counselors are needed to continue making a difference. An estimated 40,000 babies are aborted in Georgia each year, and Fulton County continues to have the highest number in the state.

The 30-year mission of the Pregnancy Aid Clinic is endorsed by, but financially independent of, the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The clinics offer free pregnancy tests, ultrasound exams, counseling on options in an unplanned pregnancy, parenting classes and a “baby boutique” where clients purchase items with “baby bucks” earned in classes.

The Atlanta region of the Sovereign Order of Malta Federal Association has been a dedicated supporter of the Pregnancy Aid Clinic, including raising funds to acquire and refurbish the mobile clinic vehicle. Numerous Knights of Columbus councils are raising money, including the Knights of Holy Spirit Church, who donated funds to replace the aging ultrasound equipment at the Hapeville clinic.

Brown hopes the number of churches in the archdiocese supporting the clinics through “baby bottle campaigns,” baby showers, women’s guilds and Knights Councils will grow to keep pace with the rising demand for services.

“It is both amazing and sad for us to learn how many Catholics in the Atlanta area have never heard of us,” said Brown. “An ongoing goal for us is to build partnerships with parishes so that they can refer women to us and present opportunities to their parishioners and ministries to support our work.”