BY LANDI RUTLEDGE
FOR THE OBSERVER
On April 27, the 2026 Restoring Hope Gala will be held at the Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center at 6 p.m. with proceeds going to the Women’s Medical Clinic.
Attendees can expect to hear from Rebekah Hagan, a nationally renowned pro-life speaker.
There will be live music, including a live violinist who will play for attendees during the dinner.
During the event, there will be a moment to honor the life of Pastor Jeff Meyers who unexpectedly passed on Dec. 25, 2025. Meyers was the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Opelika and was the master of ceremonies for several years at the annual gala.
Allie Carlisle, administrative director at Women’s Medical Center, shared how this event, which she considers the “largest fundraiser of the year,” directly supports the work of the Women’s Hope Medical Clinic.
“We are fully and completely funded by our donor base of individuals, businesses and local churches, so we’ll have those representatives in all three of those categories at this annual gala,” she said. “We don’t receive any government funding or anything like that. So, all of our funding comes from the type of people who would be there that evening, and everything that we receive that night will go back into providing pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting classes, prenatal care, diapers and wipes for our clients.”
Carlisle said she has seen how the clinic has made a positive impact in the community over the past year.
“I found a statistic recently that 20% of babies in Alabama are born to mothers who receive prenatal care far too late in their pregnancy,” she said. “They consider that to be in the fifth month or later from pregnancy. And so, by us being able to provide that limited prenatal care and getting them connected with prenatal vitamins at their first appointment, we’re kind of bridging that gap for our community and for the state by trying to edge up when they’re receiving their prenatal care.”
Carlisle said while donors are typically the main attendees of the event, local business owners and those interested in getting involved show up too.
Registration for the event has now closed, but those who have already purchased a ticket can find the event at 241 S. College St., in Auburn.
For more information about Women’s Hope or to donate to support its mission, visit womenshope.org.
