Reformers Unanimous, FBT 9a Ice Skating, Florence Center
Reformers Unanimous, FBT 9a
Unanimous, FBT 9a Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, Florence Center 2:30p
Unanimous, FBT 9a
St. Anthony Open House, 12p-2p
Reformers Unanimous, FBT 9a Glorious: The True Story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the Worst Singer in the World, Flo Little Theatre Kids Jamboree, Florence Center *Due to COVID-19, some event
Trivia, Seminar Brewing
Trivia, Seminar Brewing Reformers
Hannah Skipper Foundation’s Can Food Drive begins
King’s Academy Open House, 6:30pm Trivia, Seminar Brewing Reformers
Luther King, Jr. Day
Trivia, Seminar Brewing
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
WrittenbyCookieCawthon,ExecutiveDirector,TenaciousGrace
Five Sparrows is a free, comprehensive two-year recovery residence for formerly incarcerated women who are survivors of abuse, addiction, poverty, and prostitution.
After establishing a 501c3 status, we began to raise money for the vision of Five Sparrows in 2016. By 2020 - thanks to the generosity of many faithful donors, we were able to purchase a charming, 2300 square foot home with an oasis of a backyard.
We can lock arms with five residents at a time for a period of two years of intense healing and growth. Many of our ladies bring decades of complex trauma and abuse to their stay, and there is no shortcut through the pain they have carried a lifetime. It takes a long time to unlearn unhealthy survival skills when they are no longer needed. Building trust is a fragile marathon, and rest is vital. Time is our partner.
Four gorgeous souls live in the house today. When making admissions decisions, we pray a lot. We ask God for discernment as we look for the women with the greatest obstacles and the strongest willingness to do the hard work.
These ladies are the bravest, strongest, most resilient women I’ve ever met. They have survived a hell many of them had no part in creating. I was recently asked if addiction is the root of the incarceration of women. It is not. Pain is. Substance
abuse is the coping mechanism that keeps them from being swallowed up by it.
Obviously, this is a beautiful endeavor only possible as a collaborative e ort - empowered, equipped, and assembled by God Himself. The Tenacious Grace board believes in this work and supports us with their wisdom and expertise. Our donor base is the instrument of divine provision that keeps these expensive o erings free to the ladies we serve. Our community partners (i.e., HopeHealth, Poynor Adult Education, FDTC, Equine Intervention, FCSO, many area churches, and the strong Florence recovery community) provide the services that are helping our residents build their new lives.
I am blessed to journey beside the warriors in the house and the heroes on the Tenacious Grace team. These days my job as the Executive Director is to raise the money to help these women do what God gifted them to do: Lindsay Haselden, Creative Director; Danielle Rhodes, Operations Director; Rachel Desta, Five Sparrows Program Director; and Casea David, Five Sparrows Residential Manager. They are the boots on the ground, in lockstep as we keep our hearts open and our souls sensitive to the Lord’s leading.
Because we ourselves are beneficiaries of a grace that won’t quit, we are honored to be extensions of His love in dark places.
If you would like to follow our story, you can check out tenaciousgrace.cc and/or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If you would like to purchase items for the house, you can find our registries at tenaciousgrace.cc/fivesparrows. Please attend our annual fundraising event - The Grace Bash - on February 10. Email us at howdy@tenaciousgrace.cc.
Pictured L to R: Casea David, Cookie Cawthon, Rachel Desta, Danielle Rhodes, and Lindsey Haseldon Women facing away from the camera are residents of Five Sparrows
PET SITTING
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