Restoration: More Than a Car, More Than a Gift

In 2024, more than 15,000 incidents of domestic violence were reported in Shelby County. Behind each number is a person making impossible choices. Behind each statistic is someone searching for safety.

Two of the communities we serve—Northaven and Southeast Unincorporated Shelby County—are considered hotspots for domestic violence. In these neighborhoods, women impacted by domestic abuse face a crisis that extends far beyond the abuse itself: the devastating impact of being trapped without reliable transportation.

For a woman experiencing domestic abuse, not having a car isn't just an inconvenience—it can have life-threatening consequences. It means depending on an abuser for rides. It means missing work and risking the only income to keep a roof overhead. It means being unable to flee when danger escalates. It means isolation when connection could save your life.

But when a woman has a car, everything changes.

Having reliable transportation helps women feel not only safe but also empowered. It creates stability that ripples through every area of life: getting to and from work, safely transporting children to school, attending court dates for protective orders, accessing counseling appointments, and doing the everyday things many of us take for granted; grocery shopping, doctor visits, and simply being able to leave when you need to leave.

This year, through a partnership with Pinnacle Financial Partners, Carey's Body Shop, and the National Autobody Council's Restored Rides program, we witnessed restoration in its most tangible form: we gifted a restored vehicle to one of our clients.

But here's what makes this story even more profound.

For two years, this woman took advantage of comprehensive support from The Women's Advocacy Center. She received biweekly meals to feed her family. Financial assistance covered rent, utilities, and transportation costs when she needed them most. Biweekly household supplies met everyday needs. Our support group provided community when isolation threatened to discourage her from moving forward. Counseling addressed her mental well-being. One-on-one coaching offered encouragement and guidance as she rebuilt her life piece by piece.

We provided summer camp for her children, giving them the childhood experiences with great memories every kid deserves. We ensured her family had a meal at Thanksgiving. We created opportunities for her to shop for Christmas gifts for her children, restoring the dignity of being able to give, not just receive.

Our investment in this woman and her family was well over $10,000. The impact on her life and the lives of her children? Priceless.

This is what comprehensive care looks like. This is what restoration means. This is what we do every day at The Women’s Advocacy Center.

It's not just about giving someone a car, though that car represents freedom, safety, and independence. It's about taking the journey alongside a woman for as long as it takes. It's about believing in her strength while providing what she needs to thrive. It's about honoring her determination while removing the barriers that make survival feel impossible.

She didn't need someone to save her. She was already showing up for her family, pushing forward despite the odds. She needed partners who would believe in her long enough for her to build something sustainable. Partners who understood that true restoration doesn’t happen overnight. It's a sustained commitment to walking together.

That car sits in her driveway now. But the real restoration? That's happening in the life of a woman who is no longer trapped, no longer isolated, no longer choosing between safety and survival. True restoration is what God is doing in her life and the lives of her children.

She's choosing both. And she's driving herself there. That’s a gift that is priceless.

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The Women's Advocacy Center provides comprehensive, wraparound support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. To learn more about our programs or to partner with us in providing restoration, visit womensadvocacycenter.org.

Because of You: A Season of Gratitude, A Future of Healing

This November, we're pausing to say two words that can't be said enough: thank you.

Because of you—our faithful donors, volunteers, and community partners—survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking are finding safety, rebuilding stability, and discovering hope. This month, we're launching our "Because of You" campaign to celebrate the transformation your generosity has made possible.

Because of You, Lives Are Changing

She got her freedom back. One woman was spending $40 a day just to get to work—a coworker was charging her for rides, and she was losing everything she earned. We helped with Uber rides when we could, but because of donors like you, we were able to give her something that changed everything: a car. Not just transportation—freedom. Today, she's thriving, and her children are building the stable life they deserve.

She got a fresh start. A young mother with a newborn baby was kicked out by her abuser. When she called us, we didn't just listen—we acted. Because of you, we found her an apartment and paid the first month's rent. Today, she and her children have a safe place to call home.

She didn't have to go hungry. When the government shutdown prevented one of our clients from receiving her SNAP benefits, she told us she would fast so her children could eat. Because of you, we stepped in immediately and provided what she needed. No mother should have to make that choice—and because of your support, she didn't have to.

These aren't just stories. They're the tangible result of your compassion, your prayers, and your partnership with The Women's Advocacy Center.

Because of You, We're Growing Stronger

This year has been transformative for TWAC:

• We welcomed Abigail Glass to our team, strengthening our advocacy services

• We opened a brick-and-mortar office in North Shelby County with Girls, Inc.

• Our leadership completed specialized training in strangulation and suicide prevention

• We've touched the lives of more than 80 women and children

  
  

Every milestone represents expanded capacity to serve survivors when they need us most. And every achievement is possible because partners like you believe in dignity, restoration, and the power of walking together.

The Need Is Urgent

While we celebrate transformation, we can't ignore the growing crisis. Federal cuts to SNAP benefits and economic pressures have left many of the women we serve struggling to meet basic needs. The holidays are coming, and families rebuilding their lives shouldn't have to choose between safety and stability.

That's why we're raising $40,000 this season to sustain our programs into 2026.

How You Can Help

Your gift today will directly support:

• Emergency housing assistance so women escaping abuse have a safe place to land

• Food security programs, including biweekly meals and grocery gift cards

• Transportation support so survivors can get to work, court, and safety

• Legal advocacy to help women navigate protective orders and complex systems

• Gospel-centered care that addresses trauma and restores hope

  
  

Three Ways to Give Hope This Season:

1. Support Our Thanksgiving Drive Help us provide $100 grocery gift cards to 29 families and 39 children for Thanksgiving meals. Every contribution ensures no plate is empty and no heart feels forgotten.

2. Sponsor a Family for the Holidays For $200, you can provide a complete holiday experience—meals, gifts, and new traditions—for a mother and her children rebuilding their lives.

3. Become a Monthly Donor Recurring gifts provide consistent, year-round support that allows us to say "yes" when a woman reaches out in crisis. Even $25/month makes a profound difference.

Sponsor a Family | Shop Our Amazon Wishlist | Support Thanksgiving Drive

A Season of Gratitude, A Future of Healing

This Thanksgiving season, we're grateful for every person who makes this work possible. You are the reason survivors find safety. You are the reason children sleep peacefully in stable homes. You are the reason hope continues.

Because of you, a woman who was paying $40 a day for rides now has her own car. Because of you, a new mother and her baby have a roof over their heads. Because of you, children don't go to bed hungry.

Because of you, hope starts here.

Thank you for believing in a future where every woman and child can feel safe, supported, and free. Thank you for walking alongside survivors, not just in their darkest moments, but also in their celebrations, too.

When Safety Becomes a Luxury: Two Stories, One Crisis

What Victim Services Should Look Like

Sybill left on a Tuesday morning while he was at work. Her hands shook as she packed two small bags—one for her, one for her daughter. She'd made the call three days earlier to The Women's Advocacy Center, and they told her they could help. They would be waiting at a place where she and her daughter could be safe.

When she arrived, a caseworker met her at the door. Not with judgment, but with a warm smile, some toiletries, supplies, and safe shelter for up to ten days. Over the following weeks, Sybill found more than safe housing. She found a community. TWAC helped her file a protective order. A legal advocate walked her through each step and even sat beside her in court. A job counselor updated her resume and connected her with employers who understood her situation. Her daughter attended on-site childcare while Sarah met with other ladies in a support group where she began to rebuild her sense of self-worth.

Within three months, Sybill had secured stable employment. TWAC helped her transition into subsidized housing by paying the first month’s rent and a security deposit. They provided furniture donations and paid for counseling services. Sybill wasn't just surviving anymore—she was building a new life. Her daughter stopped having nightmares and started sleeping through the night again.

This is what comprehensive support looks like. This is what happens when resources exist to catch women and children when they take the courageous leap toward safety.

What It Actually Looks Like Now

Sybill left on a Tuesday morning while he was at work. Her hands shook as she packed two small bags—one for her, one for her daughter. She'd made the call three days earlier to The Women's Advocacy Center. Sadly, the organization was at capacity.

She tried calling four shelters. All full. The domestic violence hotline gave her numbers for shelters two counties away, but she had no idea how she would go that far and keep her job. She couldn't miss work—she'd lose the only income keeping her and her daughter afloat.

That first night, they slept in her car in a grocery store parking lot. She was so scared that she knew she could not live like this with her daughter. The second night, Sybill went back. She told him she was sorry. That she'd been stressed and that it wouldn't happen again.

He believed her because it served him to believe her. The violence didn't stop—it never does. But now Sybill knew he was right – there was nowhere for her to go. She’d seen the reality: the system that should catch her is broken. The safety net that should be there has holes too wide for a woman and child to avoid falling through.

Sybill stays because staying is the only option that keeps a roof over her daughter's head. She stays because survival sometimes means choosing a known danger over the unknown dangers of homelessness. She stays because we, as a society, have decided that protecting survivors is somehow negotiable.

The Reality We Can't Ignore

These aren't hypothetical scenarios. Every day, women like Sybill are making impossible choices because federal funding cuts have gutted the services designed to protect them and their children. The Women's Advocacy Center puts survivors on a waiting list not because we want to, but because we no longer have the resources to say yes to every woman in need.

Read our white paper to understand the full scope of this crisis and the devastating impact on our community's most vulnerable residents. Then, please donate today. Your contribution isn't just charity, it's a lifeline. It's the difference between Sybill’s first story and her second. It's the difference between safety and survival.

Because every woman deserves to live safely and without fear.