By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—Sav-A-Life Shelby will hold the organization’s annual banquet on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena beginning at 7 p.m.

“We all get together for a night of fellowship,” Sav-A-Life Shelby Executive Director Kay Sanford said. “We bring in a speaker every year who has a different take on life.”

The theme of this year’s banquet is “Beauty From Ashes,” and the keynote speaker will be Sol Pitchon and his mother Germaine Pitchon, a Holocaust survivor. They will share Germaine Pitchon’s experience as a prisoner of the experimental unit at Auschwitz, Sanford said.

“Life is a gift and (Sol) wants to put his experience of being a miracle toward another child,” Sanford said, noting Sol Pitchon’s life “is a miracle.”

Admission to the Sept. 23 banquet is free, although registration for the event is required. To register for the event, visit Savalifeshelby.org/events. Any donations collected throughout the night will benefit Sav-A-Life Shelby’s Pregnancy Resource Center.

“Anyone and everyone is invited to come,” Sanford said. “We really are excited about our speaker this year.”

Sav-A-Life Shelby is a mission-based organization that offers assistance to women facing unplanned pregnancies. Founded in 1984, the organization helps an average of 1,000 women each year from Shelby County and neighboring counties, Sanford said.

“We are the only pregnancy center in Shelby County,” Sanford said. “We do have clients that come from other counties.”

Sav-A-Life Shelby operates the Pregnancy Resource Center, located at 3516 Pelham Parkway, and provides a number of free services to women and expectant mothers, including free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and classes.

The Pregnancy Resource Center also houses a “Baby Boutique” which assists with material needs such as diapers, clothing and car seats.

Through Sav-A-Life Shelby’s “Earn While You Learn” program, expectant mothers and a support person can attend parenting and prenatal classes to earn “mommy bucks” which are redeemable at the Baby Boutique.

The organization is largely volunteer run with around 40 volunteers fulfilling a variety of roles from peer counselors and receptionists to organizing the Baby Boutique, Sanford said.

For more information about Sav-A-Life Shelby, visit Savalifeshelby.org.