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Gracehaven Wins Liberator Award
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| From left to right: Jennifer Stokes (Gracehaven), Theresa Flores (SOAP), Chris Schumacher (Volunteer of the Year) and Brooke Pollard (Gracehaven). |
We are so humbled and excited to accept this year's Liberator Award.
The Liberator Awards
were created by
S.O.A.P.
to unite people from around the state who are working for the same cause: fighting human trafficking. They were also created with the hopes of highlighting the work of amazing individuals and groups.
And as a special bonus, Gracehaven volunteer Chris Schumacher received the Volunteer of the Year award. Thank you Chris for your work in fighting human trafficking!
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"No Adults Have Ever Worked So Hard to Meet My Needs"
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 "Angela" is 15-years-old and unfortunately has seen the dark side of trafficking for years. Many of the women in her family have been or are being trafficked. As a result she'd learned not to trust anyone. When Rebekkah began working with Angela she saw that Angela needed to learn how to trust others. So she met with Angela month after month, talking about her life and helping her acquire important items like bus passes, a bed, a school uniform and a winter coat. After several months Angela eventually began to open up. She even said that
Gracehaven workers are like family to her because "no adults have worked so hard to care for and meet my needs." She also said she wanted to learn how to have friendships with healthy people. Gracehaven referred her to YFC's City Life program where she is learning what it means to be loved by God and His people. And we're so excited to share that Angela has accepted Christ and was baptized in her grandmother's church. Thank you for helping teens like Angela experience true love and friendship in Christ.
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A Special Christmas Season
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 The girls enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season thanks to the generous donations of gifts and outings from so many people. We want to especially thank the following people for this special time:
Chris and Tara Schumacher and The Schumacher Group
Terri Wolf and the women at the Ohio Health Transfer Center
Katie Cooper, Meg O'Rourke and everyone at Vista Church
Kristian Overmyer
Grace McDaniel
Crosspoint Church
Rock 4 Tots
Soroptimist of Mt. Vernon
Carolyn Miller and Pastor Newhaus
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Giving Back
The girls are giving back to the community by volunteering. One girl volunteers one day a week at the local soup kitchen. Other girls go to a senior facility and play games and call bingo with residents. They enjoy these opportunities very much!
We Could Use...
Towels, washcloths, face wash, Over the Counter medications (nyquil, dayquil, pepto bismol, tylenol), cough drops, chapstick, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent.
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Ever Considered Being a Host Family?
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We are often asked, "What happens to the girls when they leave Gracehaven? Where do they go?" We usually answer
"back home", or "foster care." Back home typi
cally isn't the most hopeful because they are going back to an environment that has the same old friends, family hardships, substance abuse, etc. Girls are only at Gracehaven for about six months before they graduate the program, but healing and restoration take more time and services.
Gracehaven is in need of families who can provide a host home for the girls. Host homes are for girls who are 18 who don't want to go back home or have no home to go to. An ideal host home would have people who can love and guide an 18 year old trying to find her way in the world while still dealing with trauma issues. Host parents don't get any financial help, but hopefully the girl will get a job and could help with rent or food.
If you are interested in more information on being a host family, please contact us at i
[email protected]
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Gracehaven's Prevention Education staff has been busy providing trainings for groups of all ages. Recently they trained more than 50 CASA (Court Assisted Special Advocates) volunteers. These CASA personnel will help girls who are involved with Empowerment Court. By equipping them with the tools to recognize the signs of sex trafficking they will be better prepared to help the girls in their recovery.
If you or your group would like to learn more about how to recognize and help victims of human trafficking, contact Jennifer Stokes at [email protected].
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 PRAY
- Managing a house of teenage girls can be exciting as well as challenging. Please pray for the girls, and the staff, to create a healthy and positive living experience.
SHARE - Tell others about Gracehaven and the plight of these special young ladies.
GIVE - We always need funds to help facilitate our many outreaches. Please consider a gift today to help victims of human trafficking.
CLICK HERE
VOLUNTEER - If you have a heart for the mission and want to use your talents to help, please contact us. CLICK HERE
SEE THE STORY - Come to a one-hour presentation on Gracehaven and other key parts of YFC's Social Impact outreach.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
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Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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