Our history

Decisions, Choices & Options began as the result of a crisis pregnancy in 2002. The young woman chose adoption, because she knew that at 15 she was not ready to be a mother. However, she later abandoned that plan, due to negative comments from her fellow classmates regarding adoption.

When it came to the attention of DCO founder, Joi Wasill, that high school students thought adoption was a "bad thing", she knew that correct information needed to be presented.

The presentation started with one high school in 2002 and was well-received by both students and teachers.

In 2006, an 18-year-old who had been one of the pregnant teens who had heard the presentation joined the speaking team as a presenter. Her story is compelling, she is an excellent communicator and has instant rapport with the teens.

DCO has grown steadily since then. In 2010, we presented in over 50  high schools to 7,000 students all over the state of Tennessee.  In addition to TN,   DCO is now a part of the Health, Wellness and Family Life curriculum in schools in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri,  North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio. Decisions, Choices & Options has spoken to over 40,000 teens since 2002.