The lyrics of the iconic love song, “Lookin’ for Love,” made famous in the early 1980s by country music singer, Johnny Lee, might appropriately describe the scenarios Joanne R. Thomas and her staff encounter each day in their work with women in crisis pregnancy situations.

For Thomas, one of the most unnerving aspects about working for Options for Women Pregnancy Center, Cherry Hill, where she is director, is knowing that the majority of women coming to the agency in need of assistance have, in one way or another, been abused in their lives.

“You can’t imagine it,” Thomas said, then added that what she finds even more disheartening is meeting women who are from some cultures where “it’s almost as though, it’s a given that they will be abused.”

“That shocks me,” she said. “They don’t’ realize how hurt they have been by that. They don’t realize that their lifestyle is a reflection of how they feel about themselves. These women were looking for love in all the wrong places and that’s because they have never learned to love themselves.”

But Thomas takes pride and heart in knowing that for almost 26 years, Options has continuously remained faithful to serving clients compassionately without judgment and works to equip the women with the tools they need to be good mothers. Thomas said that most of the clients seeking assistance are in their 20s and unmarried, though the agency has seen some as young as 14 as well as those who are in their 30s and 40s, both married and unmarried.

“You can look at pro-life from a lot of different ways; you can approach it from a lot of different perspectives,” said Thomas, who was honored for her work in the fall by the Diocese of Camden, where the agency is located. She was presented with a St. Luke Award by Bishop Joseph A. Galante during the diocese’s annual White Mass for Healthcare Workers that was sponsored by the Diocese of Camden and the South Jersey Catholic Medical Association. The St. Luke Award recognizes individuals who exemplify the tradition of Catholic health care in southern New Jersey.

Called by God
Working in a women’s crisis pregnancy center was not something Thomas, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, had ever set out to do.

As a matter of fact, Thomas said that if you ask her or any of the staff about what “drew us here to Options, we all say that God called and we answered.”

“This is an amazing place to work. It seems like every member of the staff was hand selected by God for whatever their position is,” she said.

She recalled her college days at Adelphi University, Long Island, N.Y., where she had majored in English and had thoughts of becoming a high school English teacher.

But she followed another path and pursued studies in law, graduating from Rutgers-Camden School of Law in 1983. Her law career spanned from working in a private practice law firm for six years, to working as a staff attorney for the State Supreme Court to opening up her own law practice in Moorestown, though she took time off – about 10 years – to raise her family.

Of her legal experience, Thomas said she “ran the gamut” in handling civil work cases, except for divorce.

When she had her office in Moorestown, she limited her practice to real estate and land use issues.

Thomas’ first acquaintance with Options was in the 1990s during the time she lived in Audubon and the agency was then located in nearby Haddon Heights. She had stopped by Options to donate some baby items, and during conversation with the director at the time, she was asked to consider joining the agency’s board of directors. Thomas served on the board for 10 years before she made the prayerful decision to accept the position as director in 2005.

“It is not absolutely necessary to have an attorney running this organization,” Thomas said, but she admitted her law background comes in handy when she’s dealing with the finer points of writing grants as well as writing articles and business letters.

Options for Women Today
At some point, Options, which will mark its 26th anniversary this year, moved from Audobon to its current location on Kings Highway in Cherry Hill. Inside, visitors will find a warm, comforting environment that includes a waiting room, a play area with a toy chest, examination room and other rooms for counseling sessions as well as the work area for the business staff.

The Options’ staff of eight is comprised of Thomas, who is the only full time employee, and part-timers including a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, ultrasound technician, counseling coordinator, bookkeeper and other business staff.

The agency relies heavily on the army of some 30 faithful volunteers, including Dr. Gerald V. Burke, who serves as the agency’s medical director, and those who conduct parenting and breastfeeding classes, organize the donations of maternity clothes that are distributed to any women who might be in need, and prepare gift baskets containing all new, donated clothing and items that are given to newborns.

Then there’s another 100 volunteers who step up to help throughout the year, such as with the various fundraisers.

Options, Thomas said, is supported entirely by grants and private donations, plus the income it receives from the various fundraisers – the spring banquet, the Walk for Life which is held in October, Respect Life Month, and the “Baby Bottle Drives” that are sponsored by local Knights of Columbus councils in parishes. The “Baby Bottle Drives” are usually held near Jan. 22, the date of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, though some may opt to hold the drives on Mother’s Day weekend in May.

Thomas said that Options is endorsed by the Camden Diocese and receives support and references from churches of various faith traditions.

Parishes in the Trenton Diocese that have supported Options morally and monetarily are Our Lady of Good Counsel, Moorestown, which held a “Baby Bottle Drive” earlier this month; St. Mary of the Lakes, Medford, and St. John Neumann, Mount Laurel, which chooses to host a collection of baby items at Christmas.

Parishioners of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, have participated in the Walk for Life.

Options’ Offerings
Describing how Options operates, Thomas said at the first meeting, the client usually meets with a counselor to talk about the circumstances surrounding them and their baby. It’s also determined when the woman should schedule her next visit at which time an ultrasound would be performed.

The agency also provides testing and treatment for STDs, post abortion counseling, referrals for community service (medical financial, employment, housing, adoption), and parenting classes (baby basics/health and safety, breastfeeding and infant CPR, budgeting, fatherhood mentoring, “Building the Bond with Your Baby” and family life).

Of their work, Thomas said she and her staff draw great strength from Scripture as they carry on their work in ministering to women in crisis pregnancies. One particular meaningful passage is Psalms 139: 14-16: “I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.”

The mission of Options, Thomas said, “is not primarily to evangelize, but it is to share the love of Christ with people and to help them to realize God’s endless grace,” she said.

“For me, the mission of Options for Women is to love women enough and help them learn that they can love themselves.”

Options for Women Pregnancy Center is located at 1500 North Kings Highway, Suite 110, Cherry Hill. For more information, call 856-795-0048 or visit: www.optionsnj.org.