Jump Starting 2008!!

Fresh Start for Women, Inc., is proud to announce it's upcoming schedule for 2008. There are some exciting events in the works so continue to check the calaendar as well as the news and events section throughout the coming year!

We will get started right away by again partnering with Safe Haven Trasitional to offer women 6 weeks of workshops & seminars. They are:

• Setting & Achieving Goals
• Money Management & Budgeting
• Money Management & Credit
• Forgiveness & Rediscovering Self
• Developing Healthy Relationships
• Creating a Roadmap to the Future

This will culminate in week seven with a graduation and presentation ceremony.

Fresh Start for Women has expanded its "You are a Precious Jewel" program. In 2008 it will be a 12-week program and will be conducted at the Neighborhood Gallery located at 2960 Alston Drive, Atlanta, Georgia. Please be on the lookout for registration requrements and applications.

In 2006 the “You are a Precious Jewel” program was initiated to address the needs and concerns of our teen girls. It was presented as an all day workshop in a safe and supportive environment to discuss issues such as peer pressure, abstinence and the importance of education and goal setting. Recent events involving teen girls in violent and abusive relationships (some which have resulted in death) prompted FSFW to revamp and extend this workshop. The disturbing trend of teen violence emphasizes the importance of reaching our young women before it’s too late.

Our objective will be to provide a supportive environment in which teens feel comfortable in discussing the issue of domestic violence, abuse and its affects on teens. Through this program teens will develop their own newsletter targeting their peers which will provide a venue for others to have their voices heard as well as provide useful information about support services. FSFW will teach teens how to use the arts (drama, poetry, dance and music) as a means of expressing their concerns in a positive manner. This exciting and improved program will begin on Saturday February 23, 2008.

Persons interested in volunteering their time please contact Janice Pettigrew at 404..543.1017 or email at volunteer@freshstartforwomen.org.

Graduation Day

The day had finally arrived! After 6 months of classes and seminars the participants of the Fresh Start program received their certificates of completion. This was the first time that the program was delivered to the same group of women over a 6 month period. Many thanks to the staff of Safe Haven for allowing Fresh Start for Women to provide services to their clients.

June 23, 2007 brought to a close a program in which the staff and volunteers of Fresh Start for Women offered the following:

January: Goal Setting
February & March: Money Management/Credit Bylaws – Parts 1 & 2
April: Developing Healthy Relationships
May: Self-Examination (Renew Thyself – Forgiveness)
June: Positive Affirmations (Empowerment)

The day was filled with tears of joy and yet a bit of sadness as a bond that had been developed was coming to an end. As the women were awarded their certificates each was invited to share the most important lessons learned during their time with FSFW. There were a number of responses the most poignant one coming from a young lady exclaiming, “I’ve learned that I’m important that women are important.”

Final words of encouragement were delivered by Mrs. Pettigrew in which she encouraged each to continue on their road to healing. Said Mrs. Pettigrew, “remember you are not defined by the incidents of the past, use them instead to spring forward to a brighter future.” In celebration the women were treated to lunch at a local restaurant.

Fresh Start for Women will do a follow-up visit in late August or early September to measure the progress of the women from the program. In the interim FSFW will evaluate the effectiveness of the program and make changes as recommended for the next offering.

FSFW Conducts Abstinence Workshop at Destiny Family Summer Youth Academy

On Thursday June 21, 2007 FSFW conducted a very informative workshop for young girls ages 12 through 15. The purpose was to discuss the aspect of relationships in a faith-based manner by exploring and taking a look at abstinence. Family Destiny Services founder and director Ms. Kathryn Jones recruited Mrs. Pettigrew to expand upon the FSFW Precious Jewel Workshop to help advocate, “No Sex Before Marriage”, for the youth academy.

Mrs. Pettigrew facilitated an open forum in which the young ladies were put in teams and given the assignment to come up with their idea of the consequences of sex before marriage. The first team drew a thought provoking picture of a young lady telling a young man she’s pregnant and showing the young man running away from the situation. Very poignantly in the corner was a picture of a little baby with the caption, “who’s going to take care of me?” The second team put their creativity to work by producing an original poem about the pitfalls of sex before marriage.

Mrs. Pettigrew congratulated each team on a job well done. From this a very lively discussion ensued using biblical principals when appropriate to help each teen make a decision for themselves regarding the issue of sex before marriage. Some expressed a belief that it was okay citing instances of family history or friends/acquaintances that had children early. Others used these same examples as reasons not to engage in sex before marriage. It was just this type of discussion hoped for in an atmosphere that was positive and encouraging.

In a rap session joined by the young men of the academy Mrs. Pettigrew shared a painful experience of gang-rape during her early high school years. This experience Mrs. Pettigrew explained had a profound affect on many of her future choices and decisions and she hoped that by her sharing it would instill in both groups of teens the importance of just how valuable they are, mind, body and spirit. The day was a long one in which the young men and ladies were challenged to rethink their assumptions and decisions.

Ms. Jones closed out the day's activities with a team building exercise in which all had to learn to listen and trust one another. FSFW was honored to be a part of Destiny Family Summer Youth Academy and look forward to future participation.

Rick DellaRatta & Jazz for Peace

On June 16, 2007 Rick DellaRatta & Jazz for Peace performed a benefit concert for FSFW at Cafe 290. This was the first of what will be an annual event to raise funds so that FSFW can continue its work in the community. Rick DellaRatta is an international jazz pianist, vocalist & composer who has won numerous awards. Over the past year Jazz for Peace has played over 400 benefit concerts for numerous nonprofit organizations!

In March 2007 Rick DellaRatta was recognized by The Foundation Center as one of the top musician philanthropists of our time along with Bono (U20, Elton John, Peter Gabriel and Sting.
Rick DellaRatta is now considered by many to be one of the finest Singer/Pianists performing today and one of only a handful of Jazz Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz. Through his life long endeavor to help advance people to their highest potential through the understanding of Jazz as well as spreading peace worldwide through his "Jazz for Peace World Tour", Rick DellaRatta is considered to be an innovator and a visionary.

Those in attendance truly enjoyed the evening as Rick DellaRatta gave the audience a fantastic show!!

"Jazz for Peace", his CD released in April 2004 includes selections from the very first Jazz for Peace Concert on 10/4/2001 which featured Rick along with Jazz Greats - Bassist Eddie Gomez, Drummer Lenny White & Cuban Saxophonist/ Clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera. Live selections from Rick DellaRatta's Recent Sold Out weekend at Birdland in NYC!
Rick's Symphonic Composition "Permutata" recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, England. Studio recording of Rick's signature composition "Jazz for Peace".

Janice Pettigrew, founder and executive director poses with Rick after the show with her husband and co-founder Minister Oscar Pettigrew, Jr.

Fresh Start for Women was honored to have been chosen to have a concert performed for them and look forward to a bigger and better one next year. Watch our calendar of events so that you can be a part of a wonderful cause.

Future Planning with Gusto!!

On June 9, 2007 the women at Safe Haven Transitional currently going through the Fresh Start for Women program were introduced to the second session of a 4-part series dedicated to helping them move from the past & present and into the future. This seminar led by board member Donna Shaw had a little of everything to the delight of the women in attendance. Not only did Ms. Shaw help each to discover new insights about themselves but she also provided useful information on how to re-program their thinking process.

An intregal part of that process was learning to replace negative messages with more positive ones. And yes, there was plenty of opportunities to practice these new words of empowerment before the session was over. Each woman walked away with new found confidence and determination to banish the negative and welcome the positive while putting together a plan for a better and brighter future.

Renew Thyself

Saturday May 19, 2007 had Ms. Bettye Ferguson a long time dedicated volunteer with Fresh Start for Women facilitating the session entitled ‘Renew Thyself’. It was in this session that the heart of the program really took off. After Mrs. Pettigrew for the first time shared her experiences with domestic violence and abuse Ms. Ferguson used a short skit to start off the discussion.

The skit aptly subtitled ‘The Face in the Mirror’ provided the vehicle for Ms. Ferguson to address some of the issues faced by victims of domestic violence such as low self-esteem, dependency and trust. Said Ms. Ferguson, “it’s important to examine and dissect how we get to the point of our being”. She added, “You have to know where you’re coming from in order to chart a course of where you’re going.” As part of the exploration Ms. Ferguson asked each participant to think of their earliest memory of a traumatic experience. From this she was able to help them to see how that event defined other circumstances in their lives.

Finally, Ms. Ferguson used the word FORGIVENESS, to bring home its importance and the role it plays in our every day lives. Each letter represented an important aspect and was backed up with biblical references as well as other useful sources for the participants refer back to.

To sum it up Ms. Ferguson said, "'Renew Thyself' is all about forgiving your past, embracing the present and positioning yourself for the future."

Developing Healthy Relationships

On April 21, 2007 Fresh Start continued its work with the women of Safe Haven Transitional with the ‘Developing Healthy Relationships’ seminar. Once again this powerful seminar was facilitated by Ms. Cathy Williams. This time however more emphasis was placed on the importance of defining the process needed to attain a healthy relationship.

Some of the women in attendance expressed the fear and mistrust they're still dealing with and were reassured by Ms. Williams that those feelings were perfectly natural. In fact the women were told they were not obligated to stay in any relationship that demeans, undermines or causes them fear. “Love yourself, and know its okay to be scared and have doubts", said Ms. Williams .

It was important in this session to encourage the women in attendance that their lives were not ended but just beginning. They were reminded that each step would take courage and there would be moments of doubt and fear. "The good news", said Ms. Williams, "hold onto your faith that a life free from violence is a right and it will continue to propel you forward!" The session closed with Ms. Williams leading them in a chant of: You are powerful, unstoppable, amazing and talented! Each word was repeated several times by the women until their voices resounded with strong conviction and belief.

Graduation day for this group will be June 23, 2007 at which time Fresh Start for Women will be looking for the next group of women to take on a fresh start journey.

You Are a Precious Jewel Workshop

On March 17th Fresh Start for Women was honored to have Mrs. Camille Peay from Columbia, S.C. and author of ‘Brittani Acts of Trust and Betrayal’ as a presenter at this year’s first teen workshop. Mrs. Peay used chapter 5 of the book as the backdrop from which a lively discussion ensued. Chapter 5 deals with a teen that discovers she’s pregnant and later learns that one of her friends is also pregnant by the same guy. Talk a bout drama! The group of girls had a lot to say on the subject both regarding the girls and the young man in the story.

This encouraged the girls to be very open and honest about such teen issues as trust and friendship as well as the need to fit in. Mrs. Peay offered sound advice and words of wisdom about the character of an individual and how to maintain integrity while maneuvering through the maze of adolescence and teen pressures. When asked how do they go about choosing friends, one young lady responded, “I decide based on whether we have things in common and if I’m comfortable trusting a person.’ It was obvious that the issues faced by teens today are much more complex than 20 years ago.

Even so as Mrs. Peay and Mrs. Pettigrew reminded the teens that they are precious jewels and deserve to be loved and respected but that it must first start with them. A frank discussion regarding pre-marital sex and its consequences brought the point home by reminding the girls the importance of getting an education and being all that they can be. Mixed in was an issue that has been in the news a lot when it comes to teen girls… violence. Mrs. Peay played a video of some very graphic instances of violence and asked for comments as to why it happens. The answers ranged from anger to peer pressure to low self-esteem. Mrs. Peay promised a more in-depth discussion on this subject for the September workshop.

After a short break Mrs. Pettigrew shared with the teens her experiences upon first entering high school. This included being brutally honest about an incident in which she found herself at the home of girl she wanted to consider a friend and found herself being gang-raped by the girl’s brother and his friends. Said Mrs. Pettigrew, “I carried that horrible secret with me for many years, as a matter of fact it wasn’t until I was 42 years old that I told my mother.” She went on to explain that the violent introduction to what was suppose to one day be something beautiful colored her relationships with both males and females. “I didn’t trust females and so deprived myself of developing close friendships with other women and I became wary of males”. She told the girls, “I don’t want you to have to suffer needlessly so please choose your friends carefully and love yourself above all else. Being a part of the in-crowd is not necessarily a good thing.” After the session there were questions by individual girls that Mrs. Pettigrew was happy to answer.

Closing out the workshop Mrs. Pettigrew invited the girls to join her in a circle as they discussed positive affirmations. What is it and what does it mean for each of the girls. Even Mrs. Peay and a couple of parents in attendance joined in and discovered some wonderful truths about themselves. Thanking the girls for their attendance and honesty Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Peay invited the girls to return in September. Together Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Peay made a dynamic team both with the ultimate goal of seeing girls reach their highest potential with their self-esteem in tack.

Money Management and Credit Bylaws

Newest board member Star Shealey and first time volunteer Nara Monkam worked well together as they shared a wealth of knowledge about budgeting, setting financial goals and understanding credit to women of Safe Haven.

The money management seminar on February 17 was the second in a series of seminars and workshops to be conducted for Safe Haven clients. Nara Monkam took the floor first by explaining exactly what a budget is and why it’s important. There were many heads nodding as she talked about the importance of making sure ‘you manage your money instead of money your managing you’. For the next 30 days each woman committed to keeping a financial journal in which every single purchase would be tracked as well as how it was paid for. Said Nara, you’ll be surprised about the spending patterns that are revealed”. The next step she said would be to then analyze the information and make adjustments. Interestingly many of the women couldn’t wait to give it a try. This session was very interactive as many had questions and asked for advice on how to deal with individual issues.

After a 10 minute break Star Shealey took the floor and discussed the importance of credit and how credit scores or FICO is determined. Many were shocked to learn that it’s possible to own a home even if their income was a mere $8.00 and hour. Ms. Shealey also shared the many programs available to aide in obtaining the goal of home ownership. Ms. Shealey shared that even if there are blemishes in their credit it’ll take work and dedication but owning a home is still a real possibility y. Between developing a budget plan and working it and getting any credit issues under control it became obvious a follow up to the money management seminar was required. Plans are in the works to follow-up within the next 3 weeks.

As has become an integral part of each seminar founder and executive director Janice Pettigrew invited the women to take a stroll with her on a journey as she soothingly spoke into them words of encouragement and anticipation for the futures awaiting them.

Starting the Year in High Gear!

On January 27, 2007 Fresh Start for Women kicked off the 2007 year with its goal setting seminar. Appropriately titled, “Out with the Old/In with the New – Goal Setting 2007”. Mrs. Janice Pettigrew and Mrs. Laquita Heard-Nortey facilitated this lively and informative seminar.

The seminar was held at the Flat Shoals Public Library in Dekalb County from 10:30am until 12:30pm. Topics discussed included, Think Outside the Box, Getting to Know Self,and 10 Tips to Achieve any Goal just to name a few. Mrs. Pettigrew began by making the distinction between New Year’s resolutions and setting goals. Understanding the difference she explained would be tremendously beneficial as each person began to review the past year and set goals for 2007.

Mrs. Heard-Nortey pointed everyone in the right direction by providing helpful tools as well as a fun yet informative test to help each person know self. “Understanding who you are and what drives you will lead you to discover your passion”, said Mrs. Heard-Nortey. Next, Mrs. Pettigrew took attendees through the 10 steps that would enable each one to achieve any goal. Some of those tips included: Writing the goal down, analyzing current position, identify investments and sacrifices, identify obstacles and risks as well as setting a deadline and having a support team. Throughout the seminar both Mrs. Heard-Nortey and Mrs. Pettigrew used personal experiences to support the information provided.

The final step for the day was one in which Mrs. Pettigrew invited all to stand, close their eyes and listen to the sound of her voice. For the next four minutes she took them on a journey in which she encouraged then to feel the sun beating down through the trees, to smell the flowers and other exotic plants along the way. Slowly she carried them through the thick brush while the chirping of birds could be heard overhead; mixed into the surroundings were the faint sounds of a gorgeous waterfall and the joyous laughter of children at play. Before reaching their final destination there were slips, a few falls and stumbles but the soothing sound of her voice encouraged the listener to keep going. Finally!! Just ahead were huge branches blocking the view ant it was at that time that Mrs. Pettigrew prompted the listeners to reach out their hands, brush the branches aside, step forward and open their eyes, with passion in her voice she exclaimed, “welcome to your future!”

This was truly the way to jump start a new year of empowering women as they renew their lives. The next seminar is scheduled for February 17, 2007 and will take on the topic of money mangement and budgeting. Please visit the events calendar for more details.