Weekly Update - July 10, 2015

It’s been a few weeks since our last office update…mainly because we have just been so busy. Here are a few of our highlights:

Survivors are in and out of the office more than ever now. Several new referrals within the past month including Shelia’s newest “baby”, a cute little 17-year old.

Angela recently trained several of our newest volunteers. They were an energetic and engaging group and we can’t wait to see what they will do!

We did some inter-office moving to make space for two more staff members later this year. We are happy to make room but also really feeling the need for a bigger office space now too.

Our intern Emma and volunteer Jo-Jo are busy now with BeTheJam presentations with youth groups from around the country. Recently they have worked with groups from Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Branded Collective, formerly t-615, continues to work with our survivors making BRANDED bracelets and jewelry here at the office every other week. Our girls are keeping them busy too and cranking out lots of products now!

Our staff also recently enjoyed a lunch out at Maggiano’s to celebrate the end of a [fiscal] year well-done. It was a nice time for us as a staff family to enjoy the company of one another in a peaceful setting.

Additionally, special guests to our office recently included:

  • Emmy Gay of Nothing Bundt Cakes bakery treated our staff to some free samples of their bite-size bundt cakes (ladies you are always appreciated and welcomed here!)
  • Cassie Brown and her family dropped off rescue food kits put together by the youth at Salem Baptist Church VBS
  • Bucky Elliott of the Spring Hill volunteer group dropped off gift cards and crocheted blankets made by this group and church women
  • Miss. Tennessee USA, Sarah Gross, delivered the first check for the ESTN15 sponsored exercise project! We earned $50 for almost 300 miles exercised. That’s awesome for our first month, but we can also do better!

Today, we have the special privilege to have many of our survivors in the office working with art therapist Molly Howell and board members Whitney Akin and Callen Martin to create a mural of art for our upcoming benefit luncheon. They are jamming to music and letting their creative juices flow!

Caitlin Reed