Birthright director loves role of supporting moms

By Bev Davis
Register-Herald senior editor

May 10, 2008 08:54 pm

— Marcia Evans always had one goal — to be a wife and mother.
“I wanted to stay at home because my mother had to work. I found it very rewarding,” said the mother of three sons and one daughter.
Her passion for the sanctity of life led Evans into a whole new way of supporting motherhood. A member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Beckley, she visited its library one day and found a book on the founding of Birthright.
Some time later, she saw an announcement in the church bulletin that caught her eye.
“They were having a meeting for anyone who might be interested in starting a Birthright in Beckley,” Evans said. “I went to an organizational meeting and came away feeling it was something I needed to be involved in.”
Evans appreciates the sound organizational structure of the agency and was part of every phase of getting together a board, following all the steps of setting up a charter and finding a location for the center.
“There is a lot of organization involved, and I’m really glad for that,” Evans said. “I know of other centers that have started without all of these directives, and they have failed.”
The focus of Birthright is on mothers-to-be.
“We don’t do private adoptions or focus on those types of things. Our caregiving for the moms helps them to make a loving choice for their babies,” she said.
In 1984, Birthright of Beckley opened in a former law office over the old G.C. Murphy store. After five years, the center moved to a location next door to is present location. The agency was located on the upper floor of the Pioneer Medical Supply building.
In 1998, Birthright finally had a home in its present location at 400 N. Vance Drive.
After working in several facets of Birthright, Evans became its director about 12 years ago.
The hours and the amount of volunteer help enabled her to be home with her own children when she needed to be.
Her job and that of volunteers is not easy, by any means.
“We’re not here to tell clients what to do. Our job is to provide them with loving support and offer them information about all the life options from which they can choose. We are dealing with moms facing a crisis pregnancy. Many of them are frightened. Some are angry. Some are indifferent about the whole thing. It’s hard to be able to connect with them in such a short amount of time and to know what kind of an approach will help us to serve them best,” Evans said.
Over the years, she’s learned to be more accepting and to better understand the kinds of circumstances that bring moms to Birthright.
“These women and girls come from all kinds of different backgrounds. Many of the girls have families that aren’t supportive. A lot of them just don’t know which way to turn,” Evans said. “Everybody deserves to be loved, regardless of what kind of situation brought them to us.”
Birthright volunteers provide a voice for the unborn, Evans said.
“Every baby is unique. There have never been two exactly alike in the history of the world. Each has special gifts. We encourage life for each one, because there is no other life just like that one.”
She has often shared the anguish of moms who regret having had an abortion.
“Their grief is very real. They can remember the exact date of the abortion. They can remember what the child’s birthday would have been. I have seen people whose whole lives have been destroyed by that decision. There can be such devastating effects of an abortion. They don’t need judgment and condemnation. They need someone loving and gentle,” Evans said.
In addition to going to bat for moms and the unborn, Evans also volunteers time to a nursing home.
“Life is precious at both ends of the spectrum — from the unborn baby to the elderly. Every life has something unique to offer,” Evans said.
— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com

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