Dazz Orangeburg celebrating 10 years in the community

The Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, a North Charleston-based nonprofit organization offering medical services and health resources to men and women facing an unplanned pregnancy, opened Dazz Orangeburg, its second center in the state, in 2014.

Orangeburg County native Faye Sweatman Hill is a former chief executive officer of the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center who felt the need to expand the services in Orangeburg.

She is grateful that the center located at 923 Chestnut St. is continuing its care mission.

“It’s so exciting. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I’m just so very thankful that the vision really did come to pass,” Hill said.

“When we went up there, we didn’t know how things would go, but thankfully the community-wide support has been great. Everyone just embraced DAZZ and how we’re able to help young families. It’s just very encouraging,” she said.

The center includes a parenting classroom, two counseling rooms, a testing area, an ultrasound room, administrative offices and a Baby Boutique featuring free baby items, including clothes, bibs, baby wash and toiletries.

Free pregnancy testing, STI/STD testing, limited obstetrical ultrasounds and parenting classes are among the services offered.

Nursing consultations, medical referrals and pregnancy options counseling are also provided free of charge.

“We also offer free baby items to the community one time a month. All of this is made possible due to the community that we have because those are donations from them. That’s how we’re able to provide them,” said Daphne Goodwin, RN, Dazz Orangeburg site coordinator.

Goodwin started as a volunteer with the agency in 2015.

“The Lord calls you here. It’s a blessing to be a part of this ministry and the community impact that it has, too, for those who are in need,” she said.

An Earn While You Learn program involves young men and women who come in for parenting classes and earn “Baby Bucks,” which are used to purchase baby items such as diapers, formula, clothes and strollers.

Basic baby care, including how to change diapers and check temperatures, is taught in the parenting classes.

“At the end of the class, a free car seat is provided to them, as well. The classes are held one day a week for six weeks. They learn how to care for their baby from birth to age 2,” Goodwin said.

The center’s staff includes a site director, an outreach coordinator, two registered nurses and a client relations coordinator. Volunteer client advocates and a volunteer nurse who comes in on Thursdays are also part of the center’s staff.

Jane Junquet, whose duties include, but are not limited to, serving as coordinator of the Baby Boutique, has been with the center since retiring.

“I’ve been working here since 2017. I taught in the school districts here in Orangeburg for 33 years. I believe in the mission of DAZZ for not just what the nurses do, which is great, but a lot of these girls need support after they have their babies,” Junquet said.

“It’s a way that we can support them by coming once a month and receiving free items for the babies. I think that’s very important,” she said.

Gail Fogle, Dazz Orangeburg’s outreach coordinator, also began volunteering at the center after her retirement.

“My church has supported it over the years, but … I started off as a volunteer helping Ms. Jane back in the Baby Boutique, and I did the counseling from that standpoint. You have to go through training. … Those are hard questions that you are asking and talking with young ladies about. So it takes the Holy Spirit to be with you, but they have really good training to prepare you,” Fogle said.

She continued, “We want to make sure that whatever we do upholds the standards of DAZZ. They have the education, and then they have the support. It’s been a blessing just to have this and to come and serve.”

The center has served more than 10,000 clients since its 2014 opening. More than 2,000 women have received pregnancy testing and counseling services, while more than 1,500 parenting classes were held for clients enrolled in the center’s parenting education program. 

DAZZ is a nonprofit organization which does not receive federal or state funds. Donations from individuals and groups are welcome. Churches and businesses are among the entities from which donations have been received.

A Walk for Life event is among the fundraising events which help the organization stay financially afloat.

Hill said the keys to the center’s longevity have included prayer, a lot of legwork and the community’s commitment to the center’s service mission.

“We just spend a lot of time praying that we can not only be an important asset to the community and have support from the community, but, most importantly, that we can be there to help the young women, the young men and the children,” she said.

Hill continued, “Nowadays, people need help, and we want to welcome them with open arms in a safe, comfortable and non-judgmental atmosphere that they can come and get the help they need.”

“One person in particular who was an amazing help to us to get the word out was the late Dr. Richard Porter at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Baptist Association. He was a personal supporter of the organization, and he just really encouraged people to get involved to help us, and then we have other churches,” she said.

Hill said unity among staff, donors and the community has also contributed to the center’s overall success.

“We just encourage unity. … There’s so much division. I believe you can just get so much more done when you’re unified. Division can bring you down and bring a lack of support. It’s a blessing that we have ecumenical support all across the faith community, from all faith backgrounds and races,” she said. “I’m very glad that we’ve been able to do that for 10 years in Orangeburg.”

For more information on the center or to set up an appointment, call 803-937-3010 or schedule a confidential appointment online at https://dazzorangeburg.com/appointments/.