By Sarah Whitman
Senior Staff Writer
LAND O’ LAKES — Abortion isn’t just a political debate to Peter Castellani, executive director of Oasis pregnancy care center in Land O’ Lakes.
“When I was a teen a member of my family had an abortion and they were never able to forgive themselves for that decision,” Castellani said. “That really had an impact on me and has ever since.”
Catsellani opened Oasis Oct. 1, 2009 in the Cornerstone Building on Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
The center offers counseling services to women who are pregnant or think they may be pregnant. Following counseling, women are invited to attend pregnancy and parenting classes, participate in Bible studies and revisit their counselors. They are also given coupons to shop in the center’s store, which is stocked with maternity clothes, baby clothes and baby items. All services are free of charge.
“This cause is important because it’s a matter of life and death for babies,” volunteer Nancy Davis said. “It is also a blessing for mothers because, not only can we educate them on options, we can help them through their pregnancies.”
The center has two paid employees, Castellani and his office manager Sarah Schrieber. The hard-working duo are supported by a team of volunteers that includes Davis, who has a Masters in social work from Aurora University in Illinois and a degree in ultrasound technology.
Castellani wants women and girls to know they will find long-term support at Oasis.
“We don’t just see a client one time,” he said. “We encourage them to come back as much as they need, to take classes and be a part of the center.”
Castellani has volunteered within the right-to-life movement for most of his life. He previously served on the board of directors at A Woman’s Place, a pregnancy help center in South Tampa and at the Pregnancy Care Center of Zephyrhills. An unexpected turn of events led him to open Oasis.
After working for IBM for 30 years, he was laid off Jan. 26, 2009. On Jan. 31, 2009 he woke in the middle of night with a vision.
“God woke me up and gave me a vision to open a pregnancy center and call it Oasis,” he said. “I got up the next day, prayed about it, read my Bible and then I got started looking for volunteers.”
To raise funds, Castellani held a meeting with pastors from around the area. Churches like Candlewood Community, Schrieber’s church, and Myrtle Lake Baptist, which partnered with Oasis, were represented. The donations exceeded Castellani’s expectations and he was able to rent the space in Cornerstorne for a low cost.
Since opening, the center has served more than 50 women ages 16 to 35. Some have visited the center for pregnancy testing and general information. Others have needed emotional support. Staff and volunteers offer comfort and guidance to girls with nowhere to turn.
Volunteer Laura Brooks is expecting a baby girl in March, so she knows what it’s like to need a shoulder to lean on. On rough days, she relies on her husband. Unfortunately, she said, not all women have a partner to stand by them.
“There are so many women out there who don’t have a support system and they need someone to be there for them,” she said. “I can’t imagine doing this alone. That’s why I felt a calling to help out.”
Oasis’ official position is right-to-life, meaning the organization does not support abortion. Still, during counseling sessions, women are given all their options and no judgments are made.
“We let them know what the three options are, abortion, adoption and parenting,” Davis said. “We let them know the risks of abortion by sharing research with them. At the end, we ask if we can pray with them.”
“We don’t push anything on anyone,” Castellani added.
The Oasis counseling room has a shelf with brochures on adoption and what it takes to care for a child. There are mom-to-be books and magazines throughout the center. Staff and volunteers also show clients fetal models, which are small scaled-to-size replicas of what a fetus looks like at different stages.
“Most people aren’t educated about fetal development, so they believe the lie that it’s just a clump of tissue,” Davis said. “We show them how at just six weeks, around the time most of the girls come in, a fetus already has begun to take shape.”
Davis hopes to do sonograms at the center in the future, but is still looking for a doctor to volunteer time to read the scans.
“We just need someone to give a half hour a week of their time,” Davis said.
Castellina believes sonograms are important, especially when women are making a decision whether to terminate a pregnancy.
“A lot of times women decide not to abort after they’ve seen their child on a sonogram,” he said. “Once they see the image, it’s not longer just an abstract thought, it’s a living being growing inside them. It’s real.”
To help purchase a sonogram machine, Oasis needs financial donations. Donations are also needed to cover daily costs, hire more staff and bring Davis on as a paid employee.
Castellina isn’t worried about the center’s future.
“When I had my vision, God told me he would provide everything I needed and he did,” Castellina said. “We have been able to help a lot of people. It hasn’t just been women in crisis. We’ve helped families struggling with the cost of raising a child in this economy.”
Oasis also runs a program promoting abstinence amongst young people and unmarried adults because Castellina believes prevention is key to ending teen pregnancy.
“Anyone who has questions or needs help can come to see us,” he said.
Oasis pregnancy care center’s mission statement is, “We will glorify God by being a witness for life, promoting purity, protecting the unborn and offering support to families.”
Oasis is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are not required. For information, call (813) 406-4965 or visit www.OasisPregnancyCenter.org
