Posted: 6/24/05
Beauty of second chances modeled
By Sarah Farris
Special to the Baptist Standard
WACO–Supporters of Mission Waco's proposed House of Dignity want to offer a second chance to women whose lives have been ruined by addiction and substance abuse.
A recent fashion show gave the recovery ministry a fund-raising boost, and it illustrated the beauty in “second chances.”
| Danielle Dorrell models an outfit from the Clothesline, a second-hand store operated by Mission Waco. |
At the first of what Mission Waco leaders hope will be an annual event, models sported fashions they selected from Mission Waco's second-hand clothes store, The Clothesline. The outfits included a woman's formal dress purchased for less than $20, and a blouse by Ann Taylor bought for under $10.
About 130 people paid $15 each to attend the fiesta-themed event, catered by a local Mexican restaurant. Several of the outfits were auctioned, fetching prices ranging from $50 to $250.
Mission Waco plans to use The Clothesline to help fund House of Dignity, a seven-bed recovery facility for women with drug and alcohol addictions. The program will be modeled after Manna House, Mission Waco's men's recovery facility. Manna House leaders base their approach on treating the mind, body and family of the addicted individual.
“One out of 30 (recovering addicts) stays clean and sober,” said House of Dignity recovery program Director Pam Stelk.
Manna House's success rate is six times greater than the national average, an accomplishment the organization at-tributes directly to dependence upon God.
Program organizers believe House of Dignity will meet a need in Waco, noting there are 60 intensive residential treatment slots a-vailable locally for men but only 27 for women. Mi-ssion Waco lea-ders point out female alcoholics have death rates 50 percent to 75 percent higher than males.
Stelk also noted women respond better in treatment programs with a small number of participants.
“Women's top issues to deal with are shame, their children and codependency,” she said. About 70 percent of women in treatment for alcohol or drug abuse were victims of abuse as children, Mission Waco reports.
“Dignity-less women were abused as children. Then as women, they victimize themselves,” Stelk said.
House of Dignity's ultimate purpose is to move the women in the program from “degradation to dignity–to help women see themselves as God sees them and to help them be the women he made them to be,” she said.
Mission Waco, a nondenominational organization, works with area churches to fulfill its mission of aiding the poor and marginalized.
“Churches in the South seem to be a stopping point for people in need,” said Ruth Cassidy, benevolence coordinator at First Baptist Church of Waco.
Churches often are the first place people will go once they are released from prison, she noted. Others come for financial assistance, tangible support or just to find someone to listen to them. Local congregations and Mission Waco work together, with Mission Waco referring people to churches and churches referring people to Mission Waco.
“Because of our partnerships, they do what they're good at, so we can do what we're good at,” Cassidy said.
Mission Waco reports the recovery facility has received a $50,000 matching grant for the project. The program will open once it has raised $25,000 and will need to raise an additional $25,000 before the end of the program's first year of operation, Stelk said.
To learn more about Mission Waco, House of Dignity and The Clothesline, visit www.missionwaco.org or call (254) 753-4900.
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