Dr. Alan Keyes

ALPENA ­– Former U.S. Ambassador Dr. Alan Keyes will be the guest speaker at the Fourth Annual Night of Light banquet on Thursday.

The event, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the APlex, is the main annual fundraiser for Options Pregnancy Center in Alpena.

Tickets are $50 per person, or $90 per couple, available at Olivet Book & Gift, Neiman’s Family Market, Wolverine State Credit Union, Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union, or from OPC board members.

“Dr. Keyes is a strong Catholic family man who spent 11 years with the U.S. State Department,” a press release from OPC noted. “He served in the U.S. Foreign Service and on the staff of the National Security Council before becoming Ronald Reagan’s Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations” from 1985 to 1988.

“Dr. Keyes is passionate about preserving the freedoms we have all been granted by the Constitution and will encourage all who come to hear his message,” the press release noted.

Keyes is a nationally renowned TV and radio host, author and speaker.

“He is also a champion for pregnancy resource centers and speaks all over the country on their behalf,” OPC Director Emily Potter said of Keyes.

The event features a catered meal by JJ’s Catering. There will also be a meet and greet with Keyes prior to the banquet, from 5 to 6 p.m., for a donation of $500 per person. Yes, $500, which includes the cost of dinner.

“It’s not every day that you get to have someone of this caliber come to Alpena,” Potter said. “He’s just absolutely inspiring, so we’re really excited that he’s coming to share some time with us.”

She said donors who planned to give a larger donation this year will attend the meet and greet to learn from Keyes.

“He’s been all over the world, serving in so many different capacities,” Potter said of Keyes.

She hopes this fundraiser will help the center expand its services.

OPC started in 1991 as a hotline for women and men experiencing unexpected pregnancies and related issues, Potter explained.

“As time went on, our board just found that there was a need for a free-standing facility,” she said.

Options is currently located at 526 W. Chisholm St. Potter said proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward planning for a new, bigger location, and adding an ultrasound machine and clinical staff to operate it.

“We are working towards getting an ultrasound,” Potter said. “And that is for several reasons. One is so we can keep our services relevant and contemporary. We want to make sure that as needs pop up, we’re here to help supply those needs.”

She said it would help offer confidentiality and privacy for clients.

“We are a judgment-free zone,” Potter noted. “We want to make sure that whoever comes in here is well-informed and educated by the time they leave.”

She said men are welcome to come to Options and receive services there.

“We also offer post-abortive support and counseling for women and men,” Potter added.

“We want to continue to keep growing, and in order to do that, we have to have the community’s help,” Potter said. “We don’t receive any government funding, so we are all self-funded by donors and grants. We do fundraisers several times a year, and this is our biggest fundraiser of the year.”

For more information, call OPC at 989-354-6089, or visit their website at www. optionspregnancycenter.org.