GIVERS
ROOM to BLOOM A new nonprofit provides space, time and tools to help women recover by JESSIE AMMONS RUMBLEY
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n a townhouse in downtown Raleigh, four roommates fill their days. They practice yoga, they exercise together, they meditate and they cook nourishing meals. They learn new skills, from how to balance a personal budget to art therapy. This is their healing rhythm, one they’ll sink into for two years. “We’re building these women a solid foundation,” says Melinda Taylor, founder of BLOOMHERE, an empowering women’s recovery organization. “They’re creating a sisterhood for life here.” BLOOMHERE’s roommates are all
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photography by TYLER CUNNINGHAM
local single women, ages 18 to 45, who have survived abuse, addiction, prostitution, trafficking or incarceration. Under BLOOMHERE’S restorative wing, they receive two full years of medical, dental, and mental health care, as well as housing and “whole person healing,” like the aforementioned art therapy, meditation and yoga. “It’s not sterile,” Taylor says. “It’s home. Women are living here, learning life skills, doing all the things they need to do to heal in a beautiful way.” Besides the hard personal work, BLOOMHERE’s residents earn a living— not minimum wage—working for the
nonprofit’s business, blending essential oils. Together with other at-risk women in the community, they make and package signature BLOOMHERE body oils which are sold online and locally. That revenue helps fund the program’s operations, creating a sustainable cycle for both the women and the organization. “Giving these women an opportunity to be part of the mission is unique,” says Maggie Kane, founder of pay-what-you can restaurant A Place at the Table. “Everyone wants to be a part of something. For the women of BLOOMHERE, they get to be supported and contribute to
