True Light Family Resource Center & Emancipation Station is proud to announce a celebration of the completion of a series, Journey to FREEDOM -Workshop/Seminars at Emancipation Station Women's Center 719 E. 31 St. Corners of 31st & Charlotte - July 9, 2011 starting promptly @ 1:00PM - Music- Song- Poetry- Dance- Delicious Food- Prizes
Fashion Makeover Grand Prize Winner of the 'I Am ALL That' Essay Contestant!, Kameela Patterson, and the 2nd & 3rd Place winners will be honored and Kameela’s makeover will be the “Big Reveal”, in addition to surprise guests and performances on the agenda.
Rev. Alice Piggee-Wallack, of
Emancipation Station…Women Working Towards Freedom and
Shane Evan's of Dream Studio welcome Kansas City’s legendary jazz & blues artist, Ms. Mary Moore aboard Emancipation Stations, ‘Freedom Ship’!
Moore has launched an exciting, new visionary initiative to transform the lives of women & families in the Kansas City Community via Write Back to the Table - Journey to Freedom-Workshop/ Seminars! The homeless women's center, Emancipation Station is where Mary has started this new program that is making impact.
Moore has come aboard Emancipation Station with the vital piece to help women find their voice, reclaim their lives and live their dreams, through writing and journaling.
The program was developed out of Mary's own experience to find her voice. It is based on proven methodology from numerous writers, Julia Cameron, Henriette Anne Klauser, and many notable authors who have inspired millions down the spiritual path to personal freedom through journaling.
Write: BACK to the TABLE! Journey to Freedom, is a ten week curriculum presented in a format that enlightens and guides the women through the process of self examination and discovery, to help them recognize their own path to becoming homeless, while developing a forward plan - begin the healing process- get up and move forward in a positive direction and never look back.
Moore started the first ten (10) weeks session by serving the women a home cooked meal out of her own kitchen. She established the luncheon tradition as a part of the program. They are served a nutritious lunch. Lunch is followed by an interactive workshop/seminar using the no-nonsense curriculum she developed. It is resonating with the women and inspiring them to re-examine their own lives, and begin the 'Journey to Freedom'. They are being fed both physically, and spiritually. "They are hungry for both" say's Mary.
The program began in February 2011 year and now is hosting this celebration in honor of the winners of an essay contest. The process helps them to recognize how they got to where they are, to see what they now need to decide, and the 'how to' in planning a new way forward. "It is a
new journey of self discovery for the women.", says Mary. Many of the women have little or no structure in their lives, so in an effort to keep the women motivated to write, Mary hit upon the idea of offering a fashion makeover and other prizes to women. The motivation has thus far worked and the women keep coming to Write BACK to the TABLE!
Mary also uses her original thought-provoking & provocative poetry- songs and reflections to, generate enthusiasm among the women. "Lecturing can get boring, and you lose them", Mary say's, "plus they will be inspired to write their own creation's from their voices." Notebooks, pens and pencils are provided free of charge. Mary continues, "We have been blessed with whatever supplies we've needed one week at a time... Literally! The help seems to come just in time. This is a faith walk and so far we have been able to have enough food and supplies for the numbers”.
Celebrated Author/ Illustrator Shane Evan's has been and is the ‘angel’ in the Freedom House Community. He provided the first batch of supplies out of his own Dream Studio, located next door on 31St St. Together, he and Mary are helping Pastor Alice launch the Freedom Ship. Another 'angel’, by the name of Shari Blue of Overland Park, Ks. provided the first forty new books and also volunteered to help Mary, by cooking and serving many hot nutritious meals.
Pastor Alice, Director of True Light Family Resource Center, has been providing women and families in crisis a safe haven for many years, and have helped women by providing a safe place for them to come off the street's when they have no place to go when leaving night time shelters for the day or when the available amount of time for temporary housing has expired..
The first Freedom House is currently being rehabbed to house women, and provides tools, recourses, and support, to help get them back on their feet, and into society. The vision is to acquire houses in the 'urban core' that have been vacated, rehab them and provide a home for every woman in need.
Our cities are inhabited by many women who have lost their sense of dignity. There are numerous reasons they have found themselves alone in the dark in the middle of the night with nowhere to go. After living this way for awhile – wandering the streets, sleeping in crowded shelters or abandoned buildings, feeling none of the luxuries of life but many of the burdens – they begin to see themselves as unworthy of the things most of consider essential to life.
In the fall of 2007 a group of women came together at TrueLight Family Resource Center with a common concern for these boken women. Out of these meetings was birthed a new program of TrueLight, named Emancipation Station….Women Working Towards Freedom.
Women’s shelters offer a place to sleep, but most require the women to leave during the day. Emancipation Station offers a safe place for women to receive support, education, counseling, recreation, and rest. We exist to remind women that they are beautiful, that they are valuable, and that with the help of others they can rise above the situation they are in.
Weekly activities and classes have included Self-Esteem Building, Bible Study, Creative Writing, Budgeting, Joh Search, Computer Skills, Knitting, Crocheting and Sewing, Nutrition and Cooking, Exercise, Music and Physical Care. Women also come together daily to work together to prepare lunch daily and have served fantastic Thanksgiving Dinners!
True Light Family Resource Center (TLFRC) is a faith-based not-for-profit community organization serving the needs of children, youth and families in Kansas City metropolitan area. TLFRC builds community by helping rebuild lives of families, children and youth. The agency works to empower children, youth, and families including the homeless, marginalized, working poor and disenfranchised so that they can become active participants in their own improvement and break the cycle of poverty and dependence. Helping rebuild community by rebuilding lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually, affords the opportunity to bring hope to the folks who are marginalized, and help those least equipped to navigate social service systems become equipped and empowered. A number of methods are used to build relationship whenever it is possible, which enables us to listen and speak into the lives of those we serve.
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