1935: Under the leadership of Mabel Blagden, a personal friend of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, the Birth Control League is formed.
1937: Birth Control League changes its name to the Maternal Health Center and opens its first clinic in Asbury Park. Manned by lay volunteers and health professionals, clinics are held on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. Clinic fees – for those who can pay – are $1 and a volunteer sells homemade cookies for 25 cents at each session as a fundraiser.
1938-1944: Unable to conduct doctor-manned clinics during the war, volunteers continue to offer supplies and make client referrals.
1945: The Education for Marriage Program, a counseling service for couples about to be married, is created.
1961: A new name is chosen: Planned Parenthood of Monmouth County (PPMC).
1965: PPMC and the First Unitarian Church of Monmouth County begin sponsoring “Safe Saturday” clinics – a grassroots approach to educating poor women about family planning.
1969: PPMC secures government funding to establish a clinic in Freehold.
