Editor's note: This article has been edited to reflect a requested clarification. The words "well-funded" were deleted from a paragraph on the status of the Jefferson County Public Health Department.

Linda Martin remembers feeling upbeat and hopeful when a 30-minute television piece she’d made for the Michigan Abortion Referendum Committee was shown ahead of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Another documentary she made for a hospital on family planning had also been picked up and shown by Planned Parenthood.

That was more than 40 years ago.

“Here we are, all these years later, and we’re still fighting for the right to make our own decisions,” Martin said.

Martin is a leader of Port Townsend’s Advocates for Better Healthcare, which is hosting a centennial celebration and fundraiser for Planned Parenthood this Saturday, Oct. 21.

Funds raised would support preventive care, education and family planning for women and families of the Great Northwest, Martin said.

In rural areas, Planned Parenthood may be the only resource for everything from blood pressure checks to family planning, Martin said, and the organization is in crisis. “Women and families are about to lose the only health care they ever had.”

There is no Planned Parenthood in Jefferson County – its health department offers affordable and accessible services that would make another clinic unnecessary, Martin said, but there is a Planned Parenthood clinic in Port Angeles.

The event features a panel of speakers: Jack Slowriver, Planned Parenthood’s area services director; Cheri Van Hoover, health care professional and former Planned Parenthood employee; Susan O’Brien, Jefferson County Public Health family nurse practitioner; and Debbi Steele, coordinator for local Indivisible group Sunrise Huddle, which has more than 400 active volunteers.

Martin noted that there have been rumors circulating that the event is a promotion for Van Hoover, which is not the case, she said. Van Hoover is running for a seat on the Jefferson Healthcare board of commissioners.

The centennial celebration aims to educate the community on health care services for women in the area, and it’s also just a fun event.

“We decided we really wanted to make it a party,” Martin said. It’s a way to have fun despite the current state of the political climate, she said.

There’s music by The Norns, a Scandinavian folk band, and the Midnight Train Blues Band, dancing, and drinks sponsored by Dove House Advocacy Services. There is also cake made by Port Townsend baker Sarah Spaeth and a silent auction.

“We’re trying to make it a community thing,” Martin said.

The event is from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Oscar Erickson Building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes St. in Port Townsend. For tickets and more information, visit plannedparenthoodcentennial.com.

The event is independently produced on behalf of Planned Parenthood and is not a Planned Parenthood–hosted event.

Advocates for Better Healthcare is part of Port Townsend’s Indivisible group.