The Ryan Foundation recently donated $1,119,646.20 to Essential pregnancy Services in July of 2022.
This donation is in line with the mission of the Ryan Foundation as it will support providing essential healthcare services to women in need. Eileen Ryan was a benefactor of the organization during her life, personally donating $1 million in 2013. The Ryan Foundation has also donated nearly $100,000 to EPS since 2002.
In 1973 after the Roe v. Wade decision, a small group of Omaha women led by Diane Quinn gathered to launch Emergency Pregnancy Services (EPS). Its goal: to offer women practical alternatives to abortion. They sold raffle tickets and held bake sales to raise funds. They secured 501(c)3 status. They found a tiny office and installed a hotline. They formed partnerships with aid organizations of all kinds. They recruited volunteers to handle calls 24/7 from their homes — 400 women seeking help that first year. Those women received free pregnancy tests, a friendly ear, and often referrals to our collaborating agencies. Shortly after
EPS’ founding, a supportive group of women, including Eileen Ryan and Joanie Hautzinger, collaborated to volunteer at EPS and founded the EPS fund-raising auxiliary. In the half-century since, much has changed. The organization renamed EPS Essential Pregnancy Services, Inc., has adapted to meet those changes and is on the verge of another big adaptation. From the beginning, EPS has worked on the principle of upholding the dignity of all persons, born and unborn, through compassionate care for women. EPS helps women facing the most difficult circumstances of their lives — helps them to understand their pregnancies, the medical science behind pregnancy and the life of the unborn, and all options and assistance available. In short, EPS empowers women to make truly informed decisions for themselves and their babies.
Today EPS, now with approximately 265 volunteers and 27 paid staff, is a network of three centers – in Benson, Maple Village, and Bellevue. EPS helps women who often have been receiving, not support, but hostility from the people closest to them. EPS supplies life essentials in a respectful, compassionate, and nonjudgmental atmosphere.
The donation will be given to support three initiatives of Essential Pregnancy Services which will help them expand their mission. $822,910.20 is being donated to fund construction and renovation of their building at 93rd and Bedford. $146,736.00 is being donated for the organization to pay for two years of rent at their 93rd and Bedford building. This will give the organization time to execute their strategic plan to expand their Health and Wellness offerings. $150,000 is being donated for the organization to conduct a new media marketing campaign. The media marketing campaign budget will go towards funding the following initiatives: $22,170 will be utilized for renovation of the organization’s website, $63,700 will be used for billboard advertising, $36,330 will be used for Google advertising and georeferencing, and $27,800 will be used for additional social media marketing and new advertising venues through the contracted use of a professional marketing firm.
For more info about EPS, please visit their website.