Broken into Beautiful works to reduce stigma and connect those struggling with addiction and trauma to resources, community, and recovery. Over the next year they will be sustaining and growing their weekly support meetings in order to grow a vast network of support, continuing and expanding their wood working empowerment program in partnership with Wave Pool, and continuing to support the community by being a presence and aid to the community garden, the farmers market, and trash pick up in Camp Washington as they reduce stigma related to addiction and continue to advocate for mental health care.
Broken into Beautiful was founded by Loretta Davis who, after going through her own tribulations, wanted to start an organization to help others bounce back from their trauma as well. Facing many trials in her own life, in 2018 Loretta Davis decided to start that organization to guide others and give back to her community. After lots of hard work, from the ground up she has built a safe place for her community. Over the past four years the program has grown to serve over 100 participants per year, with many other indirectly impacted as attendees at public story sharing and service events from the group. Many of the women in the group have grown into mentor roles, and now co-lead the group in writing their own spiritual autobiographies, working in Wave Pool's wood shop, serving lunch to the community, and assisting with the community garden in the food-scarce neighborhood of Camp Washington. In partnership with several other organizations we have led the creation of a manual for overcoming fear and shame through personal storytelling, and are now working to give back to our community in all ways possible. We have recorded our stories into video form for wide dissemination, and these now play on the Good Sam Hospital's TV station for inspiration and support of those there. Broken into Beautiful also created a teen support program, and are looking to expand this offering to be more regular and to empower these group to take the lead on many of our community engagement activities.
Broken into Beautiful is partnered with the Washington United Church of Christ and Wave Pool to create Owning Your Own Voice.
Owning Your Own Voice is a community-based storytelling project designed to increase resiliency, build community, and combat stigma one story at a time. Your story matters and together our stories have the power to generates courage, hope, healing, and change. Our past and present does not define our future.
We can begin to heal trauma and pain in ways that shape our futures, on our own terms, through the act of storytelling and sharing. Working collectively with community organizations, Owning Your Own Voice seeks to connect people with one another and available resources to provide a community of care and resiliency.
The project was funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
