St. Timothy Church in Chantilly raised $15,579 at a recent “baby bottle fundraiser” to help A Best Choice Mobile Ultrasound and Pregnancy Resource Center purchase a new van. The fundraiser was organized by St. Timothy Knights of Columbus Council 7369, which collected more than $10,000 for the organization in 2019.
Grand Knight Brian Tumulty said Knights began passing out baby bottles to fill with donations at Mass Jan. 22, the day after the March for Life in Washington. Bottles containing a leaflet describing the Woodbridge-based nonprofit also were distributed at Sunday Masses for the rest of January and in early February.
Angela Clark, the organization’s executive director, said $150,000 has now been raised for a new van, and she hopes a suitable vehicle can be obtained in the next few months. A Best Choice received a new 3-D ultrasound machine in 2020 through a fundraising drive led by the Knights of Columbus in Mount Vernon, which raised about $25,000.
The current van, a 2000 Ford Conquest, is more than 20 years old and has experienced recurring maintenance problems and safety issues, Clark said.
The Chantilly Knights’ fundraiser was headed by Dick Wadden, the council’s pro-life chairman, assisted by Knights Bill Cormier, Tom Herbert, Simon Lobo, Chuck Hawk and others, said Tumulty. The donations included more than $1,800 in coins collected in the baby bottles; the rest was given in cash and checks.
A Best Choice estimates its services have helped save 131 babies (including five sets of twins) from abortion in the past four years. Clark attributes the organization’s success to its ability to meet pregnant women where they are. “Most of the women find us online or are referred to us by other pregnancy resource centers that do not administer ultrasound,” she said.
