Picture This

Picture this:

13 girls, ranging in ages from 13-17, with blank mirrors, endless amounts of glitter, paint, glue, and gems. Free range to decorate and create whatever is in their heart. Watching this unfold is an incredible sight, seeing them in all of their glory, enjoying being kids and expressing themselves. Now what you don't realize when watching this is that all 13 of these girls have experienced more than most of us can even imagine; victims of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and violence. These are the types of girls Miracle's Outreach focuses on everyday. 

Today we had the opportunity to work all day with this incredible program with an incredible backstory. They are a shelter for girls under 18 who have been in situations of sexual abuse and trafficking and was founded by Michelle and her husband. He owned a barber shop and started out with one girl, no where to go, staying there at night. This progressed into her and a friend and so on, until they decided they needed to do something. After years of hard work, dedication, and compassion, they now have 5 houses to shelter and nurture these girls. 

Our morning started out at one of these locations with plans to garden at one of the five houses and provide help with whatever needed. We ended up cranking out some plants to spice up the outside of the house, since most of the time there are not hands or funds to accomplish that. We ended up finishing quickly, so we offered to help out with something else. They decided to have us go to another house that is getting prepared to be used soon and spruce up the outside as well! We planted flowers and plants outside to make it feel welcoming to whoever comes through the door. In the midst of our day with Miracle's we had a break and took a trip into downtown Tampa to explore and grab some lunch. 

This evening we did a special program with these 13 girls from Miracle's called the Magic Mirror. It is what I described in the first paragraph, and so much more. This program is done with girls to express their true self, despite what their 'inner critic' (something we all have) might tell them what they can/can't do, what they are/are not. It gives them a chance, no matter what age, race, or background they come from, to express themselves and remember who they truly are. There are no mistakes, no mirror's that are not perfect, and definitely no inner critics. Every time these girls look in the mirror, they can see themselves: every thing they love about themselves, what makes them unique, and special. It is to serve as a constant reminder to stay true to yourself and your true colors. We got to learn about their dreams and hopes that they have, which are similar to any other girls their age. To see these girls get to be fun and silly, acting like they should get to, is just incredible. From an outsiders view, it was just a bunch of young girls, having a great time, sharing laughs and pizza. But once you know who they truly are it is much more beautiful. These girls are survivors, inspirations, and are living proof that no matter what happens, we all have to remember our true selves. It was an experience that we will hold in our hearts and remember forever. We might have given these girls a fun night and important lesson, but I believe they impacted us in more ways then they can ever imagine. 

So much love from FL,

BethAnn 

Help. Hope. Healing.

Hello friends and family!

Another beautiful day in Ruskin, Fl!

This morning, we made our way into Tampa to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay for a morning of education and training. When we arrived, we received a tour of their wonderful facilities from one of their four Victim Advocates named Grace. We were able to tour their Sexual Assault Services which included a family waiting area, examination room, counseling room, and on-site closet filled with brand new clothes for victims. Following the tour, we were educated through a PowerPoint given by a second Victim Advocate named Roxana. During her presentation, Roxana gave an overview of the many services provided by the Crisis Center, as well as defining various power-based violence scenarios and how to identify a victim that may be experiencing a crisis. Our second presentation was given by Isabelle, a third Victim Advocate. Isabelle's presentation was actually a miniature training session taken from the Green Dot Bystander Initiative which encompasses further training on being a bystander and how to respond to situations by "distracting, directing, and delegating". During the training, we were given scenario situations and had to critically think through them in order to find the best way to diffuse the situation. The staff at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay was so welcoming and helpful, and we had a successful morning of learning. Following the presentations, we ate a yummy packed lunch at the picnic tables outside the Crisis Center as we enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine! After lunch, we had a short service project to complete for the Crisis Center, which consisted of putting together folders and pamphlet information for volunteers, victims, and secondary victims.

When we arrived back at the Ruskin Campus, we had a few hours to catch some more rays, get some studying in (if necessary), or read a few chapters in a book. We all took advantage of this time to reflect on our morning as we snacked on the patio. Early in the evening, we set out on our second adventure of the day to the Learn to Fish recovery center, which was located in Bradenton. The Learn to Fish recovery center operates around the quote, "give a girl a fish, feed her for a day; teach a girl to fish, feed her for a lifetime". It is a faith-based, non-profit, residential recovery center for women and their children. The center empowers women and supports them in all aspects in order for them to fully recover from a lifetime of abuse and trauma. As usual, the first thing we did was get a tour of their facilities, and met some of the women and their adorable children that were at the home. Over many boxes of Little Caesar's Pizza, we were able to connect and share with the women as we traded stories of our pasts, and what we hoped for in our futures. The women were so encouraging of us and our goals, and we were inspired by their capacity to remain joyful and strong after all they had been through. We got so carried away talking with all of them, that it turned into a later night than we had expected. Overall, we were so grateful to have the chance to talk to the women and hear their stories personally.

We ended our night with a creative reflection time that involved the production of our very first Ruskin ABST scrapbook that we hope will become a tradition for the trips to come!

With love,

Dacey and Rachel

Volunteering at the Spring

Hello friends and family,

Today began with a somewhat lengthy drive to Tampa, eventually arriving at the Spring of Tampa Bay's thrift shore.  The Spring of Tampa Bay provides shelter for abused women and their families as well as outreach services.  The thrift shore is one of the main sources of financial support for the organization, along with funding from United Way, grants, and personal donations.  The thrift store proves to be much more than just a source of money for the Spring, however.  The store provides many necessities for their participants as well, such as furniture, clothes, dishes, and hygiene products.  Many of the donations to the thrift store are given directly to the women and families participating with the organization.  The store also provides as job training for some of the women at the Spring.     

We pulled up to the back dock, cluttered with donations from earlier that morning and populated by employees and volunteers already working hard.  Once inside, we were given a brief tour and introduction to the building (dock, storage, employee area, and store).  Chris, one of the employees in the store, explained to us on the everyday functioning of the store.  Then it was time to get some work done.  Our first task: the restock the racks of the store!  Seems like a pretty easy task, right?  We were astonished to see just how many clothes needed to be stocked!  There were endless moving racks in the storage room full of clothes of all kinds (not really, there were maybe 10 or 11 racks)!  The hard part was not the stocking, but the sorting.  Chris had explained earlier which clothes went on each rack, just like any store would have.  Between the work of our group of nine, we managed to sort through all of the clothes and were onto the next project.  

Our second task: organizing, sorting, and hanging the newly donated clothes!  This proved even more intensive than the first task.  Patricia, a long time volunteer at the dock (where everything is donated and sorted), guided us how to navigate the task.  The group began hanging up clothes that were destined to be on the racks of the store (ironically, they were hung on the exact moving racks that we had just emptied 30 minutes ago).  Once all of the racks were full again, it was time to sort bathing suits. bras, and scarves for the store.  We also, began to clean up in the dock area in order to get the "bad" or unusable clothes bagged up to be picked up by a company.  They receive money for each pound of clothes given to this company, so they are able to make money even if the clothes never see the racks of the actual thrift store.  The clothes are recycled into tactile's to be used and sent to other countries. 

The long process that we went through to sort, organize, and stock the store is a process that the employees and volunteers have to go though everyday in order to keep the store open and functioning properly.  And even though, the day was filled with lots of work and a lot of clothes, it was humbling to see that our group was able to make such a large impact on an organization.  All we did was sort through clothes, but the women at the thrift shop were so thankful for the help!  It was evident that it meant the world to them to receive such help from volunteers.  

After leaving the thrift shop, we were headed to the administrative office of the Spring to learn more about the organization.  We were given a short tour of some of the facilities and were able to sit down and talk with some of the women that work there.  It was very informational for me personally since I am studying Social Work.  It was great to get the opportunity to hear how a non-profit like the Spring works behind the scenes.  It was also very inspirational to learn about all the service, education, and advocacy that the organization provides for the Tampa Bay area.

Then it was back on the road again!  We made it back to the Ruskin campus and got settled back in.  That meant it was time for dinner, or should I say breakfast for dinner!  We fired up the grill and cooked some gluten free pancakes (blueberry and banana added for most), scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon.  It was delicious!

After dinner, we watched a Tedx Talk by a woman named Linda Smith about human trafficking.  It was educational and interesting to hear and lead to a great group discussion and reflection.  

We can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us!

Much love, 

Lydia