A ribboncutting ceremony was held April 10 for We Care Pregnancy Clinic at its new location at 1221 Currency Court in Rochelle.

We Care Pregnancy Clinic offers free services including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting education classes where people can earn material goods like diapers, and more. Insurance is not required. The organization also does outreach programming for high school and college students.

We Care Pregnancy Clinic Executive Director Erin Andrews said her organization has a location in DeKalb and opened its Rochelle office after seeing a need for services.

“I’m very humbled to see everyone here today and the community support,” Andrews said. “We want to be part of this community because we know there’s a need. We’ve seen the gap in DeKalb between the services that are offered and people that don’t have insurance and things like that. We know we can fill that gap in a lot of different ways. All of our services and programs are free. We don’t ask for insurance. That allows us to service people who maybe don’t want to be seen or known or don’t have insurance and have that financial need.”

The ribboncutting event was hosted by the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and the city of Rochelle. Chamber Executive Director Tricia Herrera welcomed We Care Pregnancy Clinic to Rochelle.

“We love to spread the word about the work of all the businesses and organizations in our community,” Herrera said. “Thank you for the services you provide and your hard work.”

Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows spoke on behalf of the city and said seeing businesses open and expand in Rochelle gives him a “gratifying” feeling. He offered the support of the city, chamber and the Rochelle Area Community Foundation.

Bearrows cited the upcoming planned closure of the Ogle County Health Department Rochelle office, with that organization merging all services at its Oregon location. The OCHD does provide pregnancy-related services.

“Timing is everything,” Bearrows said. “[The closure] is extremely disappointing for our local people that need help. You may not provide all of the services that office does, but you’ll provide a bridge to what local people need. And that’s important. I thank you for what you’re doing. I know there are people who will really utilize this and it’s much-needed in our community. Welcome to Rochelle.”

Andrews said We Care Pregnancy Clinic is currently open two days a week. It has a staff of five along with volunteers. The clinic’s goal is to be open five days a week in the future as it builds up clients and volunteers.

“We do a wide range of prevention and intervention,” Andrews said. “We’re super grateful to be able to be here. We want to service this community as much as we possibly can. We’re here to love on the women and families that come in and make an impact on the students we talk to. We want women to know that they can be successful in parenting and in the decisions and choices they make as young adults.”