Certified Steward of Children

I am so excited!  I just completed the Stewards of Children certification course! What is that you ask?  Well, now I am well informed on all of the best practices of protecting children!  This comprehensive course is about 3 hours long and covers 7 Steps that outline the Darkness to Light core principles for preventing, recognizing, and reacting responsibly to child sexual abuse and form the framework for the adult training program.  The 7 steps are as followed:

1. Learn The Facts
2. Minimize Opportunity
3. Talk About It
4. Stay Alert
5. Make A Plan
6. Act on Suspicions
7. Get Involved

To join the movement of ending child sexual abuse, go to www.d2l.org/

Holding Harts Versus Holding Hearts

Several of my close friends are asking, "Why did you spell Holding Harts with an "A" versus "EA"?  I knew if these questions were coming up that many others would probably have the same question.  There are several reasons.  Firstly, Holding Harts, to me  means that we need to lift each other up, nurture each other and hold each other's hearts.  The vision of the image I had fit perfectly between the H and the R.  The other reason being the most meaningful is "A" stands for the anonymous people who have not talked about what happened to them.  The others that have not begun to heal because they are keeping their pain locked on the inside for one reason or another.  Like I mentioned earlier 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18.  This is a statistic based on people who have come forward.  The true numbers are yet to be discovered.   Just think about all of the people who are out there hurting.  True healing starts when you are able to release.  My thoughts are that Holding Harts will empower those who are hurting to have voice so they can begin to feel better. "A" is for anonymous and also for the person I am doing this for! 

The Heath Evans Foundation

OK, so I have been following the work of the Heath Evans Foundation for several years now.  I have to say, I am astonished by the passion exerted by this group!  This is an organization that you know really cares about its mission and helping others heal.  To read their heartfelt story and learn more about their efforts, click on the HEF photo and/or keep up with the HH Blog - future posts to come!

Darkness To Light

Darkness to Light means many things to a person who has been sexually abused.  For one thing, this is where healing begins.  Although it can be scary, it takes talking about what happened to really begin to mend a broken and abused heart. Darkness to Light is an organization  that believes this and works hard to help others heal!  In addition, D2L empowers  people to prevent child sexual abuse with its various programs. In the Greater New Orleans area, D2L is offered by a multitude of outlets. For a listing of locations and to learn more about Darkness to Light please click on the D2L photo above.

Relentless Drive

The passion in my heart affected me greatly - I was relentless! For one full month, I spent hours every day looking for just the right canvas (shirts).  They had to be fun, colorful, fashion forward, and soft, very soft!  I knew what I was looking for and I wasn't going to give up until I found them.  I must have looked at the shirts I finally ordered for a couple of weeks until my George said, "Just get them, they are great!"  I guess I needed a little nudge.  The day they came in, it was like Christmas, I was so excited and extremely pleased with the quality.

HH Development

Lucky for me, the love of my life, my George, loves to go to the country.  This is where we spend a lot of our time.  After the day I was inspired, Monday, November 21st, 2011, my George and I spent most weekends and one full week there.  This was great because it gave me time to develop my vision further.  Our time there was peaceful, so I was able to really dig deep.  During this time I sketched, painted, designed, wrote and took a Stewards of Children certification course - I will fill you in about the course in a later post. 

An Inspirational Trip

On a trip to Park City, Utah I was inspired! Walking in and out of shops on Main Street, we walked into a little store filled with love. I met a wonderful lady named Annie and little did I know that speaking with her would lead me on a new and exciting path!  After walking out of her store, I knew in my heart that I had to do something to aid in fighting childhood sexual abuse.     Shortly after leaving Main Street we were off to the Salt Lake City Airport to head back home to New Orleans.  The entire plane ride home my mind was running rapid with ideas! I had  visions of hands holding hearts with bright colors & purple and blue protective hands.  The images were very similar but also very different.  I kept thinking I need to help people find their voice!

Penn State Case Opens The Door

In the childhood sexual abuse case against former Assistant Penn State Coach, Jerry Sandusky, myself like many others have had a hard time taking in allegations.  Every time I hear updates on the case, tears flow to my eyes! This terrible tragedy has affected our nation tremendously.  The one good thing that has resulted in light of the crime is that it has given others the strength to speak up, children are becoming aware of what to look for, families are being educated on how to avoid these situations and parents are learning how to respond.

Childhood Sexual Abuse

I have always wanted to be an advocate of fighting childhood sexual abuse.  This issue is a common thread in all communities and affects not only the child but the community as a whole.  Before a child turns 18 years old, one in six boys and one in four girls will experience some form of sexual abuse.  The majority of the time the offender is a family friend or someone the child trusts. In my family alone I know of more than one person who was affected by  sexual abuse.  This is what drives me, this is why I am so concerned because I know how bad it hurts people - its why I began Holding Harts.

A Passion for Helping Others

My passion for helping others consumes me.  I love my  work at Projects With Purpose.  Every day we search for organizations who have the resources to give back to our New Orleans community, communities nationwide and even globally.  I wake up every morning happy to go to work because I know I will have the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life.  Our team at Projects With Purpose have played a part in  rebuilding communities, revitalizing schools, backpack programs to end child hunger, clothing drives to benefit low socio-economic women trying to get back into the workforce and much much more.