Women in Recovery Education, home grown Wasted Evangelism in Action

Our congregation is a community church set within The Hill section of New Haven, Connecticut. Last Saturday my wife and I joined The Hill's annual reunion gathering, for a day of music, Hill fellowship, highlighting local entrepreneurs, and community strengthening. Our CPC in The Hill church (booth) spot shared space with another non-profit ministry that exemplified Wasted Evangelism in Action. Olivia Davis harnessed her traumatic life experiences, relied on her faith, and created a non-profit that seeks to help women who have had similar experiences: Women in Recovery Education, or W.I.R.E.--mostly from her own pocket (and a small grant from a local community foundation).

Why W.I.R.E.?  To lead, to show the way, to direct.  W.I.R.E. began in 2006 with one woman's search for help. She had experienced many traumatic situations as a child, a young woman, and even as an adult. Her spiritual up-bringing kept her strong and searching a way to recovery for herself--and then for other women facing similar trauma.

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"We must find ourselves, our talents and develop them to its fulness. In addition, use it to help others and us."

Women and girls in distress need help to impact their immediate problem, assistance effective enough to make a real difference in their lives. They must be provided with information that is useful and understood. In addition, they need a foundation to stand on. As a child, Olivia experienced many traumatic situations that continued into adulthood. She found that she was always struggling to move on. It was her spiritual background that kept her motivated, strong, and eager to learn. She learned about gender specific support groups, but also discovered many existing gaps in services for women. She realized that the information provided for many women was valuable, but was sometimes also used against them. As a drug counselor intern herself for those in the recovery process, she fought for and facilitated support groups for women.  

The hope of W.I.R.E. is to strengthen the well-being of individual's struggling with depression and begin to help them build the character to sustain their continued healing and personal growth. W.I.R.E. provides education and emotional support to women. The mission of WIRE is to combat social decline and delinquency among women and girls who have been afflicted by a traumatic situation, and the stigma that is associated with it. Olivia's vision for W.I.R.E is to energize the attitudes of distress women with needed information and resources, compassionate understanding, and positive direction so they have hope to improve their quality of life.

Along with workshops and presentations, Olivia also provides:

• Basic Life Skills
  
• Building Self-Esteem
  
• Stress Release and Wellness 
  
• Leadership
  
• Building Relationships
  
• Guest Speakers-women issues
  
• Budgeting/Financial Literacy
  

What makes this Wasted Evangelism in Action is Olivia's presence in The Hill. She is local, seeking to apply her vision to help heal and empower women who have experienced life altering trauma. She partners with other area agencies, churches, and non-profits to broaden her outreach and to provide venues for her sessions and workshops. She can be reached at [email protected] or through her W.I.R.E. Facebook page.


*Some of this material has been adapted from the WIRE Facebook page and brochure

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