Junior and senior Beta Club members from three Chilton County schools combined to raise money for Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center.

Jemison, Maplesville and Isabella schools raised $625 toward a sonogram that will be used by the center, which endeavors to become a medical facility.

It was the first countywide fundraising effort put on by local students to assist the ministry.

“I feel this is important to help people my age in the community,” Maplesville Beta president Autumn Smith said. “I learned there are people who are willing to reach out to teens who have unplanned pregnancies.”

Jemison Beta member Bo Moore said Care Net provides useful information for all teenagers, especially those facing difficult decisions.

The students assembled at Care Net’s headquarters in Clanton yesterday to put together all the money raised, which was collected in large baby bottles. Those from Isabella were unable to attend due to the loss of a student.

At Jemison and Isabella, boys and girls competed against each other. The boys won at Jemison, topping the girls by $17.79. At Isabella, the girls squeezed by with a margin of $4.75.

“Other schools in the county were interested in participating,” Care Net Executive Director Lynda Beebe said. “The timing just didn’t work out for them.”

Yesterday, each student received a scale model of a 12-week-old pre-born baby, along with information on the development of a baby in the womb.

“It’s really good because it shows them it’s a life — it’s more than just tissue,” Beebe said.

Along with obtaining a sonogram, Care Net’s future goals also include recruiting a doctor and a nursing staff.

“Kids in our community know there is a great need for us to be a medical facility,” Beebe said. “If kids know there is a need, adults need to pay attention.”