The Montana Human Rights Network is criticizing a Kalispell pregnancy counseling service for accepting funds from white supremacists, but the head of the agency said it has not received any donations of that nature.
On Dec. 16, April Gaede posted an entry on “White Pride” Web site Stormfront.org urging readers to donate to Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Kalispell.
“Since our local population is over 95 percent White you are pretty much guaranteed to be helping to save White babies,” she wrote. “Ps. be sure and let them know that your donation comes from a Stormfront supporter!”
Gaede, who lives in Kalispell, recently made national headlines for a different posting on Stormfront.org where she offered her services as a matchmaker for “White Nationalists” seeking relationships with those holding similar views. She also appeared on radio host and Fox News personality Alan Colmes’ radio show Jan. 28 to discuss her matchmaking efforts.
In a Jan. 25 report, Travis McAdam, executive director of the Montana Human Rights Network, called any money Hope Pregnancy Ministries receives as a result of Gaede’s posting, “tainted.”
“We are calling on Hope Pregnancy Ministries to publicly condemn the views of Gaede and her allies and to donate all monies collected from them to the Montana Indian Education Association,” McAdam said.
But Michelle Reimer, executive director of Hope Pregnancy Ministries, said she was aware of the Human Rights Network’s report, but has not received any donations like those described by McAdam.
“Hope Pregnancy Ministries does not discriminate in providing services based on race, creed, color, national origin, age or marital status of its clients,” Reimer said. “Furthermore, we have no record of any donations made by April Gaede or any member of Stormfront.”
Gaede was added to Hope Pregnancy Ministries’ mailing list in Aug. 2008, according to Reimer, who said the Ministries do not conduct background checks on people receiving their mailings, nor does it have any way of knowing the recipients’ political beliefs.
“Ms. Gaede would have received mailings from HPM such as quarterly newsletters and a Christmas card, but to our knowledge has no personal relationship or even personal contact with anyone at Hope Pregnancy Ministries,” Reimer added. “After learning of April Gaede’s personal convictions regarding race, and with the knowledge that those ideals directly conflict with our beliefs, she has been removed from our mailing list.”
According to the Ministries’ Web site, it was started in 1999 as part of the Easthaven Baptist Church as a resource offering “mothers an alternative to abortion.” The Ministries grew in staff and space until 2003, when it became an independent nonprofit. Within the Hope Pregnancy Ministries, the Resource Center offers education and other help for pregnant women through regular visits with a “Godly Christian mentor,” according to its Web site. The Clear Choice Clinic, also part of the Ministries, offers free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds to women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy.