When Marie’s abusive relationship landed her in the hospital, she thought her chance for a happy life was over. She felt trapped in a relationship that controlled every aspect of her life, and the bruises on her body and broken ribs were a daily reminder. It was up to Marie to decide how to move forward. She could choose to remain captive to her relationship or work toward a life filled with hope.
Women who come to Stepping Stones are often at the same crossroads as Marie, but fear can overwhelm them. But when they walk through the door at Stepping Stones, our advocates strive to fill them with hope – hope that they can be free from victimization and that they can succeed through hard, life-changing work. Hope is a building block of resilience – the ability to bounce back when facing stressful, difficult situations. When faced with a crisis, hope is central to moving forward because it shifts focus from the present to the future. Through problem solving and taking action, women are choosing resilience and hope. Hope that something better is on the other side of pain. Hope that they will see the end of this trial. Hope that hard work will pay off.
With the help of our advocates, women in our programs develop skills, create goals, and build hope-filled futures free from abuse. It is about more than just resources – it is about the hard work that it takes to build resilience, to take positive steps forward, and shift from hopeless to hopeful.
Marie chose HOPE. Through her hard work and advocate support, she is living a life of hope. If you or someone you know is ready to choose hope, our advocates are always available: 928.445.HOPE (4673).
Poem from a shelter child: “A chance of ‘hope’ for my family”
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