On Our Way!

It’s beautiful watching growth. Growing is a beautiful process in itself and the pain that can come along with leaving old things behind is very real. In the next twelve months, the Leah’s Place project should find its footing and begin serving mothers and children. We are now officially a fully incorporated 501c3 and are recognized as a full fledged legal entity. It’s an exciting time. It’s a time of great anticipation but also a time of trepidation. As a New York establishment, we are subject to laws put forth by New York State. At this time, our state is potentially facing a tremendous legal change. The 2024 Equal Rights Amendment Proposal or Prop 1 goes on the ballot November 5th. I’ve watched with real fear as the ballot measure was struck and then replaced, praying that it wouldn’t even be presented to the public. While I am glad that we New Yorkers get a say in this being adopted into law, my concern is that we are uninformed about this law and the provisions it makes. I urge people to READ it. Read it and consider. Consider a world where New Yorkers have reproductive autonomy regardless of their age. You are reading this correctly. New York wants to give children reproductive autonomy and freedom to make reproductive health choices. Children. In addition to this comes the freedom and right to gender expression. If someone expressing as a woman wants care from the Leah’s Place team, can we turn them down due to them being a natal male if this Amendment passes? We frankly don’t know. So we stand now on a precipice between life and death for the Leah’s Place organization and mission, wondering what we may have to leave behind as we move forward.

Joy

Joy has become the theme for 2023 here at Leah’s Place. Monumental joy abounds as our request for incorporation as a legal nonprofit in the state of New York has officially been filed! Not long ago I was concerned as to how our legal fees would ever be satisfied, and now I’m standing on the other side of that mountain, just amazed at the generosity of our community and the response on the behalf of people everywhere to affirm the need for safe spaces for women and children and support them. Joy continues to surprise me in the places I least expect this year. Joy also happens to be the name of my sister who was a sex worker when she died last November, leaving behind a son in elementary school. The need for women to be able to walk safely away from lives of exploitation and abuse with their children and rise to the challenges of motherhood is evident in the tragic losses that unfold daily in places not far from our homes, and sometimes even inside of them. I have really felt my sister’s spirit on this project, reaching back to let me know that preserving mothers matters more than most people realize-until it’s too late. Thank you for stopping by to learn more about the development of this project from a concept to a working entity. It’s our joy to share this mission!

Growing

The greatest imaginable gift is watching life breathed into a project meant to restore. The words Thank You hardly seem worthy of capturing the gratitude I have for those who have joined forces with us here at Leah’s Place to get this project to come to life. Seeds that were planted years ago are beginning to show the signs of new growth and the first earmarks of life are present within this endeavor. It is an amazing excitement beyond measure to be a part of the movement to make a safe space for mothers whose children are born most vulnerable to violence and exploitation. Our connection with the legal team that we have chosen to establish us as a legally supported entity is a celebratory experience in itself. I look around at new flowers and plants in bloom all around outside and can see new life and new growth blossoming alongside the Leah’s Place mission as we prepare ourselves for the fruit that the organization will produce in the days to come. Thank you to all who have planted seeds!

Joy

It is with great joy that I announce the continued growth of our safe housing project! Our legal team will soon be breaking ground on our non profit licensure which will open funding doors for us by way of grants from funding sources both national and local. We are also gearing up for our first official fundraising event for Leah’s Place. Emails will start this week regarding the collection of event specific items as well as venue and ticket sales. Please check our facebook link for all fundraiser updates and information. Thank you!!!

Happy New Year From Leah’s Place

Happy New Year 2023! The holiday season at Leah’s Place brought many blessings! Our largest donation to date was gifted over the holiday season of 2022 and our newest lifelong animal resident joined the Leah’s Place animal sanctuary as well. Leah’s Place warmly welcomes Schroedinger the cat! He’s a big boy that has been in contact with the local animal shelter that neutered and released him as a part of their feral response and he has come to us needing a place to live outdoors that offers to meet his nutritional and healthcare needs. He is a joy to have and marks the second and final lifelong animal sanctuary placement that Leah’s Place offers. Our sanctuary placement status is offered to animals that our local rescue organizations are unable to care for or for animals at risk for euthanasia, and require a lifetime commitment. These placement slots are limited for that reason as we at Leah’s Place are committed to providing outstanding care to our animal residents. We will only commit to providing for animals that we know we can give a beautiful quality of life.

Cold Weather

This is Jess here, just thinking about the incoming winter season now that the weather is beginning to shift. The weather will be driving people indoors in the region where I live and trying to keep a home warm for the winter is different this year for lots of people, lots of families, and lots of children. As costs of living continue to rise beyond what people can manage on a month to month basis with their hourly wages, please consider what effect this has on the youngest and most vulnerable members of society. For those visiting the Leah’s Place blog that are struggling to get through the winter: please know that you are not alone. If you believe in the power of prayer, I ask that you pray over this project. If we can provide a healthy start for young families threatened by violence and exploitation, the world will be just a little warmer. Thank you for stopping by!

How I know that Leah’s Place is needed

On September 24th I was graced with an opportunity to speak and offer my perspective and experiences with the Redefined Church Women’s Group. The video taken during this event is live now on the Leah’s Place Facebook Page. Following the event, I had three disclosures of abuse and exploitation from the women that invited me in to speak. Victims of abuse and exploitation are shamed into keeping their stories in the dark, made to believe they are alone in their pain. The Numbers page on our site that just went live already needs to be updated. There are so many women and children living part or all of their lives in secret, just trying to survive and seem normal in a world that is so full of people just like us. Thank you Redefined Women for shining light into the darkness, for sharing your space and your strength and offering up comfort to our program participants yet to come! The group raffled off a beautiful, handcrafted quilt to help cover the cost of food for the event, and the winner graciously donated this beautiful piece to bring beauty and softness to the Leah’s Place Comfort Home.

For more information on the Redefined Church, check out their Facebook Page and YouTube Channel

Welcome to the Blog Space for Leah’s Place!

Today marks the beginning of progress updates for our growing project. I am so hopeful that the work that we have begun will change outcomes for whole families into the future. I am boundlessly grateful to all involved in making this incredible hope a goal that we can reach. A better world is possible even for those born into the bleakest situations, and Leah’s Place is getting ready to make that possibility a reality!