Pregnancy Options Center’s banquet supports lifechanging mission

Cindy Gladden, Correspondent
Posted 10/19/21

The Pregnancy Options Center (POC) of Warren County held its annual fundraiser Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) facility near Warrenton. The POC was founded in 2018 as a …

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Pregnancy Options Center’s banquet supports lifechanging mission

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The Pregnancy Options Center (POC) of Warren County held its annual fundraiser Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) facility near Warrenton. The POC was founded in 2018 as a resource for women experiencing crisis pregnancies.

Robin Olsen, of Wright City, is serving as the organization’s interim executive director. She has served in children’s ministries for more than 20 years as the director of Good News Clubs for CEF.

“We are here to offer help, hope and healing,” said Olsen. “The proceeds from the banquet help keep our doors open to the community. It is our desire to come alongside those in need and help in anyway we can.”

The center offers pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and various resources to its clients. All its services are free and confidential. Coaches are provided to help clients understand their options and provide guidance along the way.

The POC has served nearly 200 clients since its inception. There have been more than 1,500 client visits. More than 100 pregnancy tests have been given and nearly 60 ultrasounds performed.

During the banquet, volunteer Holly Chowning introduced a couple whose lives were changed in a profound way through the POC. Bobby and Jessica Shaw came to the center hoping to find an answer to a difficult decision they needed to make.

Although Jessica was the one impacted by an unexpected pregnancy, Bobby was the one who told their story and how drastically his life was changed through the experience.

“I was homeless,” he said. “We had a two-year old daughter at the time. We lived in Idaho. I hadn’t spoken to my dad in eight years, but he helped us move to Missouri and help get me a job. Emma is my little girl. I didn’t want her to grow up without a parent.”

Shaw said he worked long, hot hours and didn’t contribute much to the family once he got home.

Shaw tells how their relationship became troubled. Jessica had reached a breaking point. She became pregnant and Shaw didn’t believe the child was his. The couple began making plans to end the pregnancy.

They walked through the doors of the POC looking for help. Both received coaching and through the process they discovered the baby was in fact Bobby’s.

“This was a reality check — honestly,” said Shaw. “I was about to murder my family, my flesh and blood.”

Baby Chloe was born and Shaw decided he was going to be with her every step.

“I got to catch my daughter in my hands. She looked like a carbon copy of me,” said Shaw. “It was the confirmation I needed.”

“This is why we do what we do,” said Olsen. “They were in a crisis situation and we loved them through it.”

POC coaches help their clients through their pregnancies and offer education courses for parenting. The center offers an Earn As You Learn Program where clients can accumulate vouchers for baby products.

The POC also offers referrals to its clients for services it does not provide, such as medical care, housing, education, jobs and other needs.

Its hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Friday by appointment; and closed Saturday and Sunday. Its website is pregnancyoptionscenter.org. The office number is 636-377-4443. The 24/7 hotline is 636-235-1477. The center is located at 102 S. East St. in Warrenton.

Pregnancy Options Center

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