Fresh Start for Women, Inc. held its first annual Volunteer Appreciation Barbecue on Sunday April 30, 2006. It was hosted by the founders of the organization, Mrs. Janice G. Pettigrew and her husband Mr. Oscar Pettigrew, Jr., in their Ellenwood home. More than a dozen volunteers and their families were invited to a gathering of delicious food prepared and served by the founders. Not only were the volunteers able to enjoy some great food and renew acquaintances, they were also treated to massages provided by Mr. Jerill Riddles, a Georgia Medical Institute graduate in massage therapy.
In its 2-year existence Fresh Start for Women, Inc. has been able to affect the lives of more than 40 women, thanks in large part to the dedication and hard work of its volunteers. Volunteers have provided services such as manicures, pedicures, facials, printing services, graphics, cooking, photography and session facilitators, just to name a few. “Their willingness to serve makes my job easier,” said Mrs. Pettigrew, “It allows me to concentrate on helping women to become empowered and renewed as they transition from victim to victor. Women that attend the Fresh Start retreats are given the tools needed to begin the process of healing by accepting the past, realizing their present and focusing on their future. It is our desire that women learn not to be defined by the events of the past but to use them as a springboard to move forward to a brighter tomorrow.”
It is with that purpose in mind that Mr. Oscar Pettigrew, Jr., an ordained minister and counselor, serves on the advisory board of the organization and also provides his services for after care to the women who go through the Fresh Start program. Mr. Pettigrew has a unique prospective when it comes to domestic violence since he grew up the only male child with seven sisters. His first hand knowledge of the trauma that domestic violence can make on a woman’s life places him in a rare category, a man who really cares. “Having come from a broken home due to domestic violence, the exposure taught me to be sensitive to this particular epidemic and its affects on women, children and the community”, explained Mr. Pettigrew. In her own road to healing, Mrs. Pettigrew acknowledges just how instrumental his support was during the process. Together they are a team striving to instill a sense of peace and hope in the lives of the women that come to them.
Many of the volunteers honored on Sunday have gone through the Fresh Start program and afterwards wanted to do their part to help other women. Thus Fresh Start has developed a core group of volunteers to call upon. Volunteering is just another way of continuing the healing process. As long as domestic violence remains the problem that it is in our society, organizations like Fresh Start for Women, Inc. are needed and where else to find willing volunteers than from the ranks of those that have benefited. “Saying thank you to them in this way is the least we could do,” said Mrs. Pettigrew.
