Pregnancy Center offers assistance

    Many single women and couples will experience the surprise – pleasant or not- of pregnancy this year. And that scare could be magnified if the pregnancy is unplanned.
    Birth controls may fail, condoms will break and accidents will happen.
     Crossroads Pregnancy Center offers counseling and help. Formerly known as the Oconee Pregnancy Center, it was founded over fifteen years ago and recently got a make-over with a new location, a brand-new building and a new name. The Christian not-for-profit organization offers guidance and consultation for women and couples that are at a “crossroad” in their life.
    “We like to think of Crossroads Pregnancy Center as a place of hope,” Pam Alford, client services manager said. “Many young women come in here scared and confused and we are here basically to show them that we’re here for them and that they are not alone and share with them the ministry of Jesus.”
    Judy Butler, director of Crossroads Pregnancy Center, has been with the organization since it was established. She was asked to be the center’s director and has been through the four moves and changes it has endured since its founding.
    “We are so excited to get a place specifically built for our purposes where we can comfortably accommodate our clients,” Butler said. “We’re really hoping to reach out to more people now with our new location and improved services.”
    Butler and Alford, and the network of counselors and health professionals, hope to offer an alternative to unwanted pregnancies and offer counseling and help them explore other options other than abortion.
    Crossroads Pregnancy Center is true to their Christian roots and believes that life begins at conception. The center’s funding comes mostly from generous donations of like-minded individuals and churches around Milledgeville.
    They offer a range of classes, counseling and other outreach programs to help women and couples who are pregnant or think they maybe pregnant.
    Services offered include pregnancy tests and an ultra-sound all free of charge. Maternity and baby supplies are also available to assist financially needy clients and single mothers through the “Earn While You Learn” incentive program. This program offers a variety of classes for expectant mothers and parents from parenting classes, childbirth education classes, and classes to help explain the changes undergoing the body physically and emotionally during the pregnancy. Each class is tailored to the clients needs and clients get “Mommy Dollars” as they go through the program. They can then redeem these “dollars” in the center’s Stork’s Nest Store.
    “We have a lot of goods to help new and expectant mothers,” Butler said. “These were donated and are free to anyone who join the ‘Earn While You Learn’ program.”
    The center also offers post-abortion recovery assistance. While abortion may seem like the easiest  way to deal with unplanned pregnancies, it can cause physical, emotional and spiritual damage to many women even years after the procedure.
    “We are not here to judge you,” Alford said. “But in my experience, I’ve talked to women who still suffer from the emotional hardship years after the procedure, and we’re here to help you get through that with the help of people who have been through the same exact thing in a confidential and secure environment.”
    A variety of counselors are on-hand to assist with recovery and to give advice. They vary from college students themselves to 80-year old counselors to  better accommodate the needs of the clients.
    “We have to have a range of age for counselors,” Butler said. “Some women are comfortable talking to a peer if they are younger, and some are more comfortable to see someone who looks like thier grandma. Either way we feel like the Lord matches these people for us and he guides the clients and the counselors into helping each other.”
    Indeed, the center offers a very cozy and homey environment.
    Joy Dunnam, a junior nursing major at GCSU, has been working at the center since age 18. She also serves as a counselor and a client assistant.
    “There are a lot of girls out there that are confused and scared,” Dunnam said. “We are here to share what their options are. We are not here to intimidate them and we are not condemning them. It is their body, their baby, and their decision ultimately.We just want to help then choose an option that they can live with.”
    Through ministry they hope to reach more students on campus more than ever that will include discussion groups, Bible studies, and workshops to campus.
    Anna Bryson, a sophomore mass communication major, is a volunteer and a member of the center’s college outreach program.
    “We hope to have workshops and bring in medical professionals such as a gynecologist to speak to the students sometime,” Bryson said. “Education is an important part of the program and hopefully that will help bring about awareness to the pregnancy center and the options and alternatives they offer there.”
    These programs include the “Abstinence in Action” program which is already established in the center.
    And while the pro-life stance and the christian ministry promoted might intimidate many who seek help, the center maintains non-judgmental atmosphere.
    “The Christian way is to be non-judgmental,” Dunnam said. “Here in the center, we believe that Jesus forgives and that his love is unconditional regardless of where they’ve been.”
    For more information about services and a way to volunteer visit Crossroads Pregnancy Center located at 451 S. Wayne Street or call (478) 452-7376. All consultations and services offered are free and confidential.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 18 2008. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry