POLLYWOOD | CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
Celebrating Courage and Recovery Sen. Boxer discusses her relationship with N Street Village and her daughter’s film, “How I Got Over.” BY S E N ATO R B A R B A R A B OX E R
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was in bloom, now have blossomed like a flower in spring.” That is how Pertrina Thomas describes her life at N Street Village, a community of empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women here in Washington, D.C. On March 24, Pertrina and two other courageous survivors of substance abuse and other life traumas will be honored at the N Street Village Annual Gala. Women who come to N Street Village are among the most vulnerable people in Washington. They face a host of daunting challenges like homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental illness, and chronic health problems. The organization offers them a safe place, a supportive community of peers and providers, and the chance to overcome the problems of the past and create a different tomorrow. I first got to know the women of N Street Village when my daughter, Nicole Boxer, made a film about them called “How I Got Over.” It tells the story of how 15 of these courageous women crafted an original play, based on their harrowing life stories, which they performed before a sell-out crowd at the Kennedy Center in 2012. As my daughter worked on the film, I saw how Pertrina Thomas and her N Street Village sisters – with the help of theatrical professionals from the Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts – turned their traumatic experiences into a powerful work of art. Through their honest interactions with each other, I saw how they found strength and redemption through the arts, and how telling their stories helped them free themselves from the demons of their past. Most of all, I realized how their future depended on having a safe place to live and work together toward recovery. That place is N Street Village, and that is what makes this organization so special. By giving
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and one at another organization – and she has reconnected with her family. She also serves as a senior mentor to the N Street Village community, offering support and leadership to other women in need. I cannot tell you the feeling of pride and admiration I had for Pertrina and the other women of N Street Village when they took the stage together after the premiere of “How I Got Over,” and received a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd for how far they all had come. At its gala on March 24, N Street Village will honor Per tr ina Thomas, Rachel Sen. Barbara Boxer; Panay, and Dorothy Young (Courtesy photo) with its Steinbruck Award, women a safe haven given each year to the women and a community, N whose leadership, persistence, Street Village helps its and determination reflect the Nicole Boxer (courtesy photo) residents feel connected spirit of N Street Village and its and empowered. And visionary co-founders, Erna and by providing comprehensive services that John Steinbruck. address both emergency and long-term needs, N Street Village helps each woman reach her Sen. Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, will be honored with the N Street Village 2015 Founder’s full potential. Pertrina Thomas came to N Street Village Award for her commitment to providing opportunities straight from jail in March 2012. Though she for those at the margins of society. had a history of substance abuse, she had been clean and sober for four months. But she still had a number of physical health problems, and the severe sexual trauma she experienced as a teenager left her suffering from depression. She was admitted into the organization’s Recovery Housing program, from which she graduated in 2014. Today, Pertrina lives in what’ called the Permanent Supportive Housing program; she has her own bedroom and shares a living space with one other woman. As she continues to work on her goals of health Pertrina Thomas, Rachel Panay and Dorothy Young. and sobriety, she maintains two volunteer (Photo by Jenny Lehman Photography) administrative roles – one at N Street Village
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