Issue 4 by The Alabama Business Source Magazine

Chaymeriyia Moncrief

Founder

Contributing Writers

on Profit organization make a great impact on our lives. They seek out to help those in need in many ways. Weather it’s fighting against hunger, fighting diseases, ending abuse or simply gaining awareness.

It is our duty to support and help build these organizations that will make our communities and world a better place to be. Supporting non-profits only because certain faces are representing them shouldn’t be the reason we contribute & show our undivided support. We should contribute because we can truly relate, because we to want to see a change and difference & to let these individuals know that we appreciate them doing something to inspire and impact us as a whole when no one else would. Lets stand together and continue to uplift our nonprofits organizations and help them build solid foundations in the communities they love and serve.

T’sharin Moncrief Family Sunshine Center Brenda Collins Janece Hall Betty Henry Ad Design & Layout www.chaymeriyiamoncrief.com Advertising tabsmagazine@gmail.com 334-424-6537 Office 540 South Perry St. | Suite 3 Montgomery, AL 36104

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The Alabama Business Source Magazine

NON-PROFIT ENTREPRENEUR

STARTING A NON-PROFIT BUSINESS

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN STARTING A NON-PROFIT

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTION BEFORE STARTING A NON PROFIT

6 MYTHS OF NON-PROFITS

THINGS PEOPLE BELIEVE ABOUT NON-PROFITS

THE INNOVATE

INNOVATED MARKETING FOR NON-PROFITS

THE NON-PROFITS WOMEN OF REFINED GOLD, INC THE FAMILY SUNSHINE CENTER

Lofty goals or not, successful nonprofits employ business basics just like their forprofit counterparts. If the idea of creating a nonprofit appeals to you, consider these pointers to launch one successfully. The business of charity: Behind every successful nonprofit is a well-thought-out business plan. First, make sure there isn't already a nonprofit with a similar program in your region. Efficiency is crucial. Before launching their urban, college prep boarding school, The SEED School, in Washington, DC, co-founders Eric Adler, 42, and Rajiv Vinnakota, 35, applied their experience from major management-consulting firms to concoct numerous financial plans, which they then bounced off experts. Even then, the pair had to regroup when expenses outstripped their forecast

Operating in the nude: Another difference between for-profits and nonprofits is that nonprofits' tax forms are public records. Small, privately held businesses can keep operating details secret, but anyone can read a nonprofit's tax form, known as Form 990, online, learning salaries, revenue, expenditures and more. "Get prepared to get naked because of those 990s," says Mark Grimes, a nonprofits consultant in Portland, Oregon. "You better be real comfortable with people knowing how much you make."

A former private-school teacher, Adler was frustrated with the way scholarship students from tough neighborhoods often floundered. His idea: board students, providing a safe, quiet place to study and mentors to keep students focused on college.

Getting paid: Salaries in the nonprofit sector vary widely. But with many nonprofit heads overseeing large and complex organizations, salaries can be quite substantial. A 2005 Chronicle of Philanthropy study of more than 200 large nonprofit groups found the median salary for nonprofit CEOs was nearly $320,000.

Started in 1998, SEED has since seen two similar concepts on the East Coast fail. Key to SEED's success is a model that requires only modest ongoing fundraising-about $400,000 of its nearly $11 million annual budget. Most of their finances come from state and federal charter-school funds.

At nonprofit startups, salaries tend to be lower. Because of her dedication to the cause, May chose not to take a salary. Rohr takes a salary she says is "one -fourth of what I used to make."

Buoyed by graduation rates substantially higher than the district average, the pair hopes to open two more schools in the area within three years. Social entrepreneurs: Instead of relying on fundraising, some nonprofit entrepreneurs create a nonprofit business that generates the needed revenue. Though this model has been around for years, it's blossomed in the past seven years into a major movement nonprofit managers call "social entrepreneurialism." A prime example is Athena Partners, a Seattle-based, nonprofit bottled-water company founded by former marketing executive Trish May. After surviving a bout of breast cancer, she spent six years investigating how to help fund a cure. Her answer: bottled water adorned with the pink breast cancer-awareness ribbon. Founded in 2003, Athena has since made a deal with food-distribution giant Sysco that will take Athena nationwide next year. Sales this year were $1 million, and May projects $2.5 million for 2007. May, 52, says being a nonprofit allowed Athena to tap volunteers who'd been touched by cancer, and it brought free advertising. For instance, Alaska Airlines provided the necessary funds to put giant pictures of Athena's bottle on the Athena delivery trucks. Nonprofit status also opened many doors in the highly competitive world of bottled-water retailing. When May landed Safeway as her first big account, the grocery chain waived the promotional fees Athena would otherwise have paid for shelf space. Other chains followed suit. "Companies want to partner with you because they want to do the right thing," she says. "They also appreciate the business value of aligning with a cause."

SEED founders Adler and Vinnakota worked for free for the first 18 months, living off savings while they got their school off the ground, but they eventually drew salaries that started around $45,000 and rose each year. Recently, the SEED board upped their salaries to $150,000 apiece to reflect their blistering workloads and the growing size of the organization. Soul satisfied: At the end of the day, nonprofit entrepreneurs say they're hooked on the satisfaction that comes from knowing their efforts improve the world. "I loved my [previous] job," says May. "But here, I'm helping affect lives, and [hoping] to save lives, ultimately. It's just so rewarding." Paperwork ABCs Ensure your organization is recognized as a nonprofit by the IRS and conforms to state laws 1.

Apply to IRS for non-profit status

Convene a Board

Write By-Laws

AND LASTLY: Good Luck, you are now a Non-profit Entrepreneur

If you do decide to start a nonprofit, you will not be alone. The number of U.S. nonprofits has grown at twice the rate of for-profit organizations. There are an estimated 1.6 million nonprofits in the US, and it is quite likely that someone already has your idea. So, before you go ahead, try answering these questions: Am I cut out for this? Starting a nonprofit is very much like starting a business. However, you'll have to find donors and maybe even investors who are interested in making a difference, rather than a profit. However, nonprofits are expected to be run as well as businesses. You will need a business plan plus produce measurable results. You will, just like a business owner, have to put in long hours, probably without pay, until you can get the new enterprise up and going. Some people who start NPOs have to keep their paying jobs during the startup period, and some organizations are even completely run by volunteers. You will need not only passion for your cause but a big dose of entrepreneurial spirit. Do you have the skills to start a nonprofit? Running any organization requires good management and administrative skills, and a nonprofit is no exception. You might be driven by your passion for a cause, but that will be no substitute for skill and experience. You can augment your own skill set by bringing together supporters who have the experience and skills you may lack. Those early supporters could become your board members or your first staff members. Can you inspire others? You'll need to convince donors to support your endeavor, and inspire staff to work hard under sometimes difficult circumstances. When the Chronicle of Philanthropy asked readers about the qualities that people who work in nonprofits need, the top ones were passion, creativity, persistence, vision, and the ability to collaborate. Do you have these qualities?

o I have an original idea for a new nonprofit?

With so many nonprofits already in existence, it is likely that there is one, or even a few, that have already claimed your idea. Do your research and locate other NPOs that are similar to the one you propose. If there are organizations out there that have the same mission and they do a good job, it is going to be very difficult for you to attract donors, foundation grants, or any other support. You may be passionate about your cause, but the nonprofit "market" will not bear much redundancy. Is a new nonprofit necessary? You don't have to start a new NPO to make a difference. There are alternatives to founding your own nonprofit. You might be able to work with an existing organization to establish a new focus for that NPO. You might, also, work out your passion by volunteering with an existing organization. You could even establish a for-profit enterprise that serves a social good. Perform a needs assessment to make sure that your organization is really needed. Will my organization fit the legal qualifications for a nonprofit? If you are thinking of establishing a nonprofit just because you don't want to pay taxes on your business enterprise, forget it. To qualify as a 501(c)(3) charity, your organization must serve the community. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit cannot be operated for anyone's private benefit, support or oppose apolitical party or candidates for office, or have as its mission the achievement of something that is only possible by passing some kind of legislation.

o I have a clearly stated mission?

Your new organization must have a clear and easily understood mission statement. Too often founders of nonprofits have a vague mission such as "help humanity." But a great and truly usable mission statement needs to answer these questions: Why? What is the purpose? What change will happen? What? What are the services that will be provided? Whom? Who will be helped, who will receive the services? Who? Who will do the helping, provide the services? Where? What will be the geographic service area? How? How will the services be delivered? What methods will be used? Can I identify individuals who will support my new organization? Many founders of nonprofits have only the vaguest idea about how they will finance their new organization. Startup funds are hard to come by for a nonprofit. You might have to pony up out of your own pocket, and you will certainly need to depend on the largess of individuals who also believe in your cause. Do you know who they are?

ave I thought about forming a partnership with an already existing nonprofit?

If you've done your research, you already know there may be other nonprofit organizations that are working on your social issue in your area. Now ask yourself: are none of those organizations adequately addressing that issue? Is the need really going unmet? Be honest in this assessment. Don't reject the efforts of others just because they might not be addressing that cause in the same way that you would, or if they are doing it in a slightly different way. Confront the possibility that it might be better to join forces with another group. Maybe you could serve your cause better by becoming a staff member, a board member, a volunteer, or a donor to another organization. You could even bring your proposed project to the attention of that organization to see if yours can be incorporated into its activities. If you have done your research and are convinced that your idea needs to find its life in a new nonprofit, go ahead. But, make sure you are prepared for the tough road ahead, have the energy for the first steps, and the passion to get you over the hard spots.

erfect Management. Some of the organizations we studied are not exemplary models of generally accepted management principles. Although adequate management is necessary, it is not sufficient for creating significant social impact.

rand-Name Awareness. A handful of groups we studied are household names, but a few hardly focus on marketing at all. For some, traditional mass marketing is a critical part of their impact strategy; for others, it’s unimportant.

extbook Mission Statements. All of these nonprofits look to compelling missions, visions, and shared values. But only a few of these groups spend time fine-tuning their mission statement on paper; most of them are too busy living it.

Breakthrough New Idea. Although some groups come up with radical innovations, others take old ideas and tweak them until they achieve success.

igh Ratings on Conventional Metrics. When we looked at traditional measures of nonprofit efficiency, many of these groups didn’t score well, because they don’t adhere to misleading metrics such as overhead ratios.

arge Budgets. We discovered that size doesn’t correlate with impact. Some of these nonprofits have made a big impact with large budgets; others have achieved similar impact with much smaller budgets. As we dismissed the conventional wisdom about what makes high-impact nonprofits successful, we realized we had discovered a new way of understanding this sector – and what enables the best nonprofits to create lasting social change.

. Define your target market, research similar organizations and associations.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

. Determine the desired outcome of your marketing efforts.

. Using the information gathered in Step 1 and 2 develop brochures and marketing materials that describe the benefits, services, donation opportunities, and values of your organization.

. Develop a social media marketing strategy. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can provide you with ways to reach out to those interested in your organization in a low cost and effective way. Social media works great when it comes to reaching

those who are passionate about causes that individuals hold dear to their hearts.

. Develop and maintain a professional internet marketing presence by creating a web site. You can use a web site as a great resource to display useful information, news, monthly newsletters, events, create community, share alternatives to donating mon-

ey, and showcase the benefits of your organization. . Research and maintain your prospect and customer databases. Do not let these resources be wasted. Use them for special mailings, follow-up telephone calls, event invitations, alliance development, research profiling, and market segmentation. . Show and advertise the results and objectives that your organization achieves. You fill find that it is effective to showcase those that are receiving benefits, inversions, activities, and projects.

. Always actively search for alliances with other organizations, commerce, government, advertising media, and business. This step alone often brings the most benefit to nonprofit organizations.

Marketing is an unfamiliar concept for many nonprofit organizations. It's important that these organizations understand that marketing is more than just the old sense of making a sale or obtaining a donation. Marketing is a way to satisfying the consumer and donor needs, but where does the nonprofit organization start? To the left are eight steps that will get you started in brainstorming marketing ideas that could make a significant difference in the bottom-line of your organization.

Issue 5 will be The Alabama Business Source Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tax Edition & will feature Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sharin Moncrief, owner of That Amazing Tax Service. Learn from Moncrief: How to find the right accountant, knowing what to look for in tax mistake, understanding IRS & being safe from IRS auditing. In this issue you will find great articles & interviews on Business Tax, Personal Tax, Accounting & much more to have your personal finances & business tax ready. _____________

Stay Tuned and get your issue to find out more from these great Alabama Accountants & awesome articles to get you & your business tax safe. Issue 5 releases Dec. 30, 2014. Want to advertise in this specific issue. Visit us online at www.albusinesssource.com to view our Media Kit or email advertising@albusinesssource.com

Craig J. Boykin is a renowned speaker, author, community activist, mentor, father and Husband. It is a message he has learned from his own life and one he is helping others apply to their lives. He is one of the nation's leading authorities in understanding and stimulating human potential, utilizing a powerful delivery and newly emerging insights to teach, inspire and channel people to new levels of achievement. Craig travels the country presenting his seminars, “Make Life Count” and “Make College Count” Craig published his first book in 2013 entitled, “My Life, Your Inspiration” He also has three other published books (I AM, College Success 2.0, and Masterminds of Mentoring) and has been featured on TBN, won various awards, and his story has been shared in may inspirational and motivational magazines. Boykin is one of the most sought after speakers in America speaking at programs, events, graduations and conferences across America.

ACKGROUND & HOW IT SHAPED BOYKIN TODAY. Boykin endured numerous hardships which he credits for his passion for helping those who are less fortunate with great humility and candor. In reviewing the events of his life, he realized that his beginning started long before his birth. His mother was a product of a broken home, she didn’t have a relationship with her biological father. As a homeless, high school dropout, physically and emotionally abused, she gave birth to her first child, Boykin at age 16. Jobless, uneducated and a single parent with three kids, she reluctantly turned to the public welfare system for help. It is likely that the pressures of being a single parent began to close in on Boykin’s mother. She began drinking and using drugs on a daily basis. Her relationships with men throughout Boykin’s childhood were very toxic. In elementary school, his grades began to fall, he began to act out and get suspended from school for fighting. His teachers and counselors became very concerned with Craig’s actions and decided to have him “tested.” He was ultimately diagnosed with a learning disability and placed in special education classes. Due to his difficulties in school he repeated the third and fifth grade.

Consequently, by the time he was in the tenth grade he was two years older than most of his classmates and he still did not hold the necessary skills to write a five sentence paragraph. Overwhelmed, he ultimately dropped out of high school, thus continuing the cycle of high school dropouts in his family. Craig’s mother, father, brother and sister all dropped out of high school. Confused about life, he began engaging in dangerous activities that led him to land in jail. Having hit rock bottom, he realized that change was needed. He decided to enroll in the Job Corps career program which allowed him to earn both his G.E.D. and a diploma in Retail Sales from Carl D. Perkins Job Corps in Prestonsburg, KY. Immediately upon graduating from Job Corps, Boykin enlisted in the U.S. Army, it was in the military that Craig developed integrity and discipline. During his military service he suffered an injury and was medically discharged after 2 years. He then decided to further his education. G.E.D TO PH.D After dropping out of school in the 10th Grade Boykin decided to pursue an education. Despite being encouraged to attend a community college, Craig enrolled in one of the most challenging four year universities in his home town. In spite of the educational challenges he faced with a G.E.D, learning disability, and the pressure of failing, three years later, Craig graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University Montgomery. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Theology and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, both from Faulkner University. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Adult Education. WHATS A ROLE MODEL TO BOYKIN A role model is someone whose behavior is imitated by others. Of course, there are good role models and bad role models. There is even the counterintuitive anti-role model who behaves so badly that s/he serves as a good example of what NOT to do. Given all the negative messages children are getting about body image and self-worth, we all hope that children have good, strong role models. These role models should possess the kind of qualities that make our sons and daughters want to be (and become) better people. While it may seem like a great deal of pressure to be a positive role model; nobody is expecting you to be superhuman. We certainly wouldn’t expect that behavior from the children who are looking to us for answers and guidance—nor would we want them to expect that kind of flawless behavior from themselves or others. You can only do your best. Good role models earn multiple chances from the children who believe in them and know they can do anything if they simply put their mind to it. YOUR ROLE MODEL

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My Grandmother (Alice L. Wright)” LIFE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED FROM HER “She loved me unconditional, regardless of the ignorant things I did as a misguided child. She never gave up on me. She always told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be in life.”

BOYKIN’S MISSION & PURPOSE IN LIFE Is to provide hope to individuals who feel that their current situation is hopeless. He is one of the nation's leading authorities in understanding and stimulating human potential, utilizing a powerful delivery and newly emerging insights to teach, inspire and channel people to new levels of achievement. He has devoted his life to creating lasting change for those who desire it; Boykin has risen to national stage by delivering his inspirational message which tells people how to shake off mediocrity and live up to their greatness. YOUR MAP TO CHANGE

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Frist, understand that life is about managing speed bumps so that they don’t become STOP signs.

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Ask yourself “How bad do I want it?” Do you want it bad enough to stay up to 4am working on it? Can you turn down going to the club to say I have to write a paper for college, therefore I can’t go?

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Can you “Eliminate Excuses” it doesn’t matter what your past looks like, you have the power to overcome all imaginable excuses.

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You have to “Feed Your Dreams” what you feed will grow, and whatever you starve will die. If you want your dreams to come true, you have to feed them at all cost.

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You only live once so Make Life Count!

WHERE DOES OUR GENERATION NEED CHANGE MOST No value in education, they want everything to happen overnight. QUITTING & GIVING UP

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“I think people quit to avoid feeling like a failure. Yes I have failed often, but I refuse to quit. Failing is what pushes me and others into a place of success. My biggest motivation is that I refuse to lose or be a statistic.” ADVICE

In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity, I believes that difficult situations present an opportunity for someone to grow into something great. Life is a journey for all of us, from birth through the stages of life until death we are faced with a series of experiences some wonderful and joyful, others challenging and difficult. As I looked back over my life I can see that it is fairly typical of this pattern, I’m also aware that the harder places have afforded real opportunities for change. God promises to be with us in the difficult places, but does not promise to lift us out of them, I knows that difficulties can cause us to grow and change and ultimately be for our good. I advises individuals to remember that you and you alone must decide to act. This moment is your golden opportunity to break away from the limitations of your past, and to live and act with a positive resolve. You must stop worrying about what has happened in the past, the opportunities you have let slip away, or the hurt that others may have imposed on you, for there is nothing you can do now to undo what has already happened. But you do have the power, at this very moment, to change your life for the better. Any day you wish; you can discipline yourself to change it all.”

WHAT IS THE STORY OF THE FAMILY SUNSHINE CENTER? WHO BROUGHT IT TO LIFE? Two separate efforts converged in Montgomery. One resulted from a groundswell of response to a movie Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night, about a child abuse victim. Members of the Junior League, Jewish Women, Montgomery County Department of Human Resources, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and others responded to plan services for abused children under the Child Abuse and Neglect Board of Directors. Some of the people involved were Ellen Brooks, Shan Russell, Estelle Popkins, Mary Prim and others. A separate group of people, two of which were survivors of dating and/or domestic violence when no services existed, focused on the issue of domestic violence. I have been told that the Lighthouse Counseling Center, which had the Council against Rape, began getting calls from women who were abused, who had nowhere to flee. The calls were so frequent that it was determined a shelter for battered women was needed. Shelters were beginning to be established in England and some in the United States. Alabama State University held a conference on domestic violence and from that conference grew the shelter in Florence, Mobile, Montgomery, and Birmingham. The Lighthouse did not want to provide the service but they helped bring together Montgomery citizens to help establish a secret shelter. Some of the people involved were Carolyn Thomas, Anita Armstrong Morgan Drummond, Ray Petty, Rita Sable, Carol Honaker and others. Then District Attorney Jimmy Evan’s Office applied for a federal Law Enforcement Planning agency discretionary grant. When it was awarded he offered to subcontract to provide a domestic violence shelter and counseling center for abused children. But, he was unwilling to subcontract with two organizations. The two boards merged to form the Montgomery Area Family Violence Program, Inc. in January 1981. Karen Sellers was hired as Executive Director of the shelter in June of that year and Sue O’Neill served as Director of the child abuse center which became known as the Sunshine Center. Later, the two director positions were merged into one when Sue O’Neill’s military husband was transferred. YOUR MISSION & WHAT YOU WANT TO BRING TO MONTGOMERY. To end family violence and sexual assault To foster hope and healing To offer immediate response and a safe haven in crisis To provide advocacy, counseling and support for family violence and sexual assault victims To empower them to lead safe, violence-free lives To promote community awareness through education and training We try to be a safe haven in crisis by providing a 24 hour hotline, safe shelter, counseling and advocacy to domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and any case of violence involving family or dating victims. One of our strengths organizationally is that we are available 24 hours per day to provide crisis services. Someone in danger can enter shelter anytime day or night if their life is in danger. We serve the seven counties: Autauga, Butler, Chilton, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes, and Montgomery. This is almost 10% of the square miles in Alabama and 10% of the population.

OUR ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES One of the advantages is a fact already stated, that we operate 24 hours a day providing crisis services. One of the disadvantages is that because we serve such a large geographic area it is sometimes difficult to get victims to shelter, though law enforcement is very responsive in the outlying counties to get victims which they feel are in extreme danger to the doors of our safe haven. There are several challenges. When you look at the incidence of family violence, where one in 4 women and one in nine men will experience abuse within their life, the potential magnitude of victims in our seven-county area is very large. Even though the Family Sunshine Center staff is travelling out to the counties every week and even though we have been very successful competing for government grants to have a wide variety of services available, it often stretches our capacity to provide services.

A secondary challenge is that government and foundation grants are generally only one year. In some cases, if you are funded one year the grantor requires you to sit out a year. This makes it difficult to sustain services. Since 2008 shelters throughout Alabama have had government supported crisis and shelter services funding reductions. The Family Sunshine Center has been fortunate that local philanthropists have increased their funding to help offset the reductions, but it takes a lot of local donations to replace major amounts of government dollars. The hardest challenge by far that the dedicated staff face is when someone in our seven counties dies from family violence. If they have never called us we ask why because we spend so much time trying to get the message out to victims that services are available. If they are already a program participant, you ask yourself what more you could have said or done so that the person would still be alive.

ORKING AS A TEAM TO ACCOMPLSH GOALS & YOUR MISSION

One of the strengths of the family sunshine center is that we have staff passionate about our mission and a board dedicated to saving lives and reducing the trauma of victims. Every 3-5 years the Board and staff develop a strategic plan that keeps us focused on what we need to focus on next. The Board sets the vision and the staff strategize and work towards achieving it. The management team meets periodically together and with a subcommittee of the Board to regularly review our progress and accomplishments. We also ask program participants to grade our efforts, through focus groups, exit surveys and customer satisfaction surveys. The Program Committee of the Board of Directors reviews these reports annually to see what is working and what needs to be tweaked. Finally, the Management staff are very mission focused. If a new opportunity comes along we ask does this fit with our mission. Is it measureable? Is there a documented need for the service? Can us achievable given the staff expertise and resources available. This process led us a management staff to add counseling for sexual assault victims to our mission. Often however, the team decides the initiative would divert resources from our core services of crisis counseling and shelter and with the volume of victims needing us have to pass on the opportunity. MOST REWARDING MOMENTS Without a doubt, April 1, 1994 when we moved the shelter from a Victorian house built in the early 1900’s, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and all the other limitations of an old house, to a modern, highly secure modern facility that doubled bed space. The need for more space was identified in 1988 and a very brave grassroots board, which had never conducted a capital campaign, voted to double bed space. It took 6 years, but a Dream Team spearheaded by Diane Williams and consisting of Ray Petty, Winnie Stakely, Louis Cardinal and Alice Reynolds led the campaign to success. By the time we moved, we had turned away more women and children than we had ever sheltered in that old Victorian house. From a personal perspective, there are many rewarding moments that staff experience personally. It is very common to be out in the community and someone approaches us and says, “I had to go to the Family sunshine Center and you saved my life.” There is nothing more gratifying than knowing we succeeded at our mission.

UTURE GOALS We are nearing the completion of our most recently adopted strategic plan so it is time for the Board and staff to begin reviewing our progress and what the current community needs are. We have had amazing success at competing for federal victim service and research grants and limited success at national Foundation projects that have allowed us to develop knowledge and expertise in other types of treatment modalities that we can use in our work with child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Most notably, 2 years ago we were awarded a 4 year grant to provide trauma informed care to children who witnessed a family member being murdered or abused by another family member or who are themselves abused.

My vision for the family sunshine center is that we can become a regional center of best practices that are proven to break the cycle of family violence and sexual assault. We are currently in the process, as a part of the project, of training 48 licensed therapist in trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy. This approach has been proven to reduce trauma not only with children, but adults as well. I hope that we will be able to build upon the base we have established. But, to do so we have got to be able to access more mainstream reoccurring resources in order to sustain this and other achievements. FINAL WORDS Because of the prevalence of family violence and sexual assault to women, children and men we all know someone who has been or is a victim. Many of your readers are or have been abused. The public does not like to acknowledge terrorism in the home and it is easier to deny it exists or believe that the victim needs to keep a stiff upper lip. If someone you know tells you they are a victim, please believe them and tell them that help is available. There are so many more resources ready and willing to provide assistance than there were even 30 years ago. They can call the 24 hour crisis line, 1-800- 650-6522. That will take them to the Alabama shelter serving the county from which the call is made. Taking action may save a life.

omen of Refined Gold is a non-profit organization found by Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sharin Moncrief in June of 2013. She began the organization to help sexually and physically abused women. Her goal is to open a transitional home to provide shelter for these women and children coming out of abusive and broken homes. What encouraged you to start women of refined Gold? And what is itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose?

WORG: For 10 year I endured physical and verbal abuse. After all those years I finally mustered up the courage and left with my three children. It had been a long journey afterwards, however I overcame. During those years of going through such abuse, I wanted to give back and reach out to women going through the same experience, especially those with children. I want to have workshops that will educate women on being empowered, building selfesteem and assisting them in finding resources that are available for them and their families. What are some goals of your organization that you seek to be productive in Alabama? WORG: Our first goal is to seek men and women to help build our foundation, which are the board members, because they are the foundation to a successful non-profit. Secondly, I look forward to building networks, having fundraisers to reach out to communities on behalf of the organization and finally starting the transitional home for Women of Refined Gold. What is WORGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission & vision as a organization? The mission for WORG youth girls and women is to improve quality of life and strengthening community leadership one female at a time by training youth girls and women with self-development tools, group support to strive for better and living out the WORG values: Personal Responsibility, Awareness, Respect and Leadership. Our vision of this program is to foster positive relationships of sisterhood through interactive workshops, group counseling, community service and extracurricular outlets that promote the development of positive social, ethical and spiritual decision making skills.

What has been the hardest part of building your non-profit? The hardest part is finding people who share the same passion and commitment for the mission and vision of organization. It’s even harder finding individuals who are willing to donate if you haven’t been established for very long. What are some things you have done as far as fundraisers and events that have been a impact for the organization?

We have done fundraisers such as Krispy Kreme, Spa Day, and sold raffle tickets. We have had events such as “Come As you are to get to where you want to be”, and “Removing the Mask, Silence No More”. For 2015 we will be participating in Bagging for Tips, WORG Family Fun Night and also we are recipients for River Region Alternative Gift Fair.

hat kind of programs and necessities are you offering the Alabama community?

WORG, will be offering a Empowerment Youth Mentoring Program to offer youth girls ages 11-17 social/life skills, workshops, community service, and extracurricular activities. In the past we have offered a 8 week summer program, and offered various workshops such as Etiquette and Self-Image. We want the girls to always understand their self-image.

How is WORG looking to extend the organizations services to the community? In what ways are you working toward the organizations growth? WORG would like to collaborate with similar organizations to offer our services, we would like to be mobile as well with our services. For those who are not able to get to us we will find ways to come to them.

Any encouraging words?

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It doesn’t matter what you encounter in life, but what matters is how you handle it. You can’t change at times the hand you may be dealt but you can change the outcome. Don’t’ be afraid of the process to get you to progress”.