Cassandra Deans

RADIANCE PREGNANCY CARE CENTER
The Gift of Life

story by JENNIFER BROWN CARPENTER            photos by JENNY PHILLIPS

We live in a culture where people often feel as if they are nothing more than a name on a screen. We search for meaning, purpose, to feel valued, and important. In this culture of hustle and checking off boxes, Radiance Pregnancy Care Center is doing things differently. Executive Director Cassandra Deans says that for Radiance, the most important thing is being a safe space, a refuge, for those who are feeling lost.

Cassandra was born in Alma, Georgia, joining a military family. Her family relocated to Virginia when Cassandra was around 9 years old, after spending several years in California. Cassandra’s dad finished his time in the service in the Virginia Beach area.

She started out attending a high school in the area, which is where she met her future husband, Chris Deans, and got married in December 1977. Chris had already joined the Marine Corps at that point. “I did the one thing I had said I would never do: I married a military man,” Cassandra laughs. The Deans family was stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina, in the early 80s. “It was a much smaller town than it is now.” They had two children by then and before leaving Beaufort in 1987, they had their third child. After several years of military moves, they found themselves back in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1996. Chris finished his active-duty career in the Marine Corps in 1998.

There were a couple of things that kept the Deans family in Beaufort after Chris finished his military service. “We prayed about it and just felt that the Lord was giving us the okay to stay in the area.”

Chris and Cassandra were walking through the experience of their daughter being a teen mom. “While it was a ‘crisis’ for us in some ways, we handled it well. It never occurred to us, things like kicking her out of the house or anything like that.” Cassandra was talking to people around the area and asking questions about this type of experience, which is how she was introduced to the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Beaufort. Cassandra and her daughter went to the Center, met the director, and learned about the volunteer opportunities — one of which was a “counseling room,” where they were able to sit and have conversations with women who may be considering terminating a pregnancy. “Back then, that thought intimidated me beyond anything. I said, “Okay Lord, I want to help, but I’m not going in that room.” Cassandra didn’t know what she would say or how she would interact in that situation. “I wanted to be involved but wanted to do things in my own way.” Cassandra felt a calling in her life to help women and to minister to them, so she began to volunteer. She would work on a Saturday and sometimes a girl or woman would show up, so Cassandra and the other volunteer would just sit and pray together. As more time went by, Cassandra was asked to sit on the board toward the end of the 90s. She served on the board for 2-3 years, helping with fundraisers that were needed to keep the Center open and running effectively. The Center continued to grow and change during this time.

In 2008, to process the life change, Cassandra took 10 months away from the Center after her father passed away. In the fall 2008, Cassandra came back to the pregnancy care center, and the director asked Cassandra if she was interested in a paid position, functioning as the Client Services Director. Cassandra took the job, which was a learning experience. “I was involved in the daily operations, which is where I grew a lot. Guess what? All of a sudden, I found myself in the room, talking to the girls.”

Cassandra began to meet these women and connect with them, using the techniques and methods she had been trained on, and providing information and help from the perspective of God’s plan. “We were able to provide the possibility of other options. In that role, I was able to meet and talk with clients, and provide education and information that would help the girl or woman be empowered to be able to make a clear decision.”

While the Center is a pro-life organization, it does not have a stated goal of “talking women out of getting abortions.” It is not a hidden agenda. Instead, their goal is to educate these women, so that they will have both the knowledge and the empowerment to make their own decisions. The girls and women were always very open to conversations, including those around God as the Creator of Life, because of the intentionality behind the person having the conversation with them.

Cassandra was asked to be the Executive Director of the Women’s Center multiple times before she finally accepted the position in the spring 2016. At that time, the name of the Center had been changed to Radiance Women’s Center, and it is currently operating as Radiance Pregnancy Care Center. Cassandra will have been involved with the Center for 30 years next year.

One of the many blessings that the Center has been able to experience is the involvement with churches in the community. Some of the churches that have established strong long-term relationships with the Center include First Scots Presbyterian, St. Helena’s Anglican, Community Bible Church, and Cross Community Church. Church support has grown over the years and given the Center not only the gift of sharing what it is they are providing to the community, but also the gift of support and prayer as they do the work they have been called to. “It is beneficial, crucial work, and it is important for us to share that work.”

The core staff at the Center is made up of Cassandra as Executive Director, Rita Adams as Client Services Director, Julie Bowen as Nurse Manager, Lisa Reedy as Nurse Support, Terry Beach as Administrative Support, and MaryAnn Tkach as Bookkeeper.

The Center is also blessed with a great team of volunteers whose “commitment to serve is a blessing beyond measure.”

The Center is cognizant that the world around them is continuing to change and that to reach the next generation, they must make themselves even more available. This means having a fully functional website that provides tons of information and resources for the viewer as well as a 24/7 nurse support line, and the ability to request an appointment all on your phone or computer. Any girl or woman can come to the Center and receive a free pregnancy test. Along with the compassionate care, the Center also functions as a clinic, offering ultrasounds and some STI testing.

Most importantly, the women who work at the Center are always looking for opportunities to share the Gospel with these girls and women who come in. Through making connections and building relationships, they are provided the opportunity to offer a life change. Through their work, not only are they giving the gift of life to any baby that is not aborted, but they are also providing the gift of life to these girls and women who sometimes may view themselves as worthless, hopeless, or loveless. “We can validate the concerns and fears that they have and that opens doors to create safety and trust. We are a refuge for these women and girls.” The spiritual component is only shared with permission. “If they are not interested in hearing about God, we don’t see that as a closed door. We know we have the opportunity to continue to pray for them.” No appointment or encounter, no matter the outcome, is viewed as a loss because of the work God is doing behind-the-scenes.

The Center is not there to simply provide a free pregnancy test and send you on your way. They provide support through resources, classes, and even a baby boutique. If the girls or women are interested in participating, they can complete courses to earn and redeem points on items in the baby boutique. They can get everything from baby clothes to diapers and wipes to a car seat. Even some dads will participate in these courses and earn points as well. In 2023, the Center implemented a program for fathers, Man2Man. They have men who volunteer to work with these fathers, providing them with the support they need, and are always looking for more volunteers to mentor these dads. The Center also provides post-abortion recovery support, helping women to move forward from that experience in a healing way. “Because of who we are and who we rely on, God, we believe that there is a place of healing and restoration for those who have had an abortion in their past. That is what our post-abortion program offers.”

Cassandra hopes that as time goes on, not only are people more comfortable with conversations surrounding unexpected pregnancy, abortion, and more, but they also become more comfortable with offering alternatives, such as adoption. “We have to become more open to conversations. We have to move past the myths and discomfort. That is how we move forward, that is how we help women and families.”

(To learn more about Radiance Pregnancy Care Center, you can visit www.radiancewomensCenter.com)