Her Place October Newsletter

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, Her Place transitional home for women has been a collaboration between two non-profit organizations: Truck of Love, Inc. and Her Place, Inc. Truck of Love purchased the property in Rock Hill, remodeled the buildings, and has been maintaining the property. Her Place has been responsible for the day-to-day details involving residents, classes, food, field trips, and medical appointments.

The time has come for Truck of Love to cease operations. By the end of 2025 all Truck of Love assets will be transferred to Her Place transitional home for women. Your support has enabled Her Place to thrive. If you haven’t already done so, please go to the herplacesc.org website and you will see information about who we are and what we do. There is a PayPal link if you choose to use it. We can also receive donations by check at Her Place, PO Box 11405, Rock Hill, SC 29731.

Thank you is completely inadequate to encompass the gratitude we feel for each of you. You have embraced the idea of Her Place, a two-year transitional home for women who have nowhere else to go, who are determined to change their lives, and who want to actively work toward their goals. So many of you have helped with your sweat equity as we demolished the house and rebuilt it. Others have donated lots of money to create this home. And your prayers are making it all work.

Today, a little over two years since we opened, we can say we have had more than 115 applications for residency, we interviewed many women, we accepted 14, three have graduated into their own apartments, and we currently have four women in residence and are interviewing for two more spaces.

Bringing a dream to fruition is a journey. We dreamt of a community of women helping each other. Today, we can see that happening as they encourage each other. Tomorrow may be different. Eventually we will get to a place where the tradition of the Her Place values will be strong enough to counter the pull of the streets, the drugs, and the family dysfunction. Today the women support the resident who is getting her GED, the resident who has just completed the drug program at Keystone, the woman who attends NA meetings, the woman whose anxiety is debilitating, the woman who cannot find a way to love herself, the woman who battles many health problems, the woman who cannot express her needs, or the woman whose grief is overwhelming. They cheer the woman who scores in bowling, encourage the woman who is graduating, or praise the woman who tries a new recipe for dinner. They are learning to adjust to each other’s differences and have come to see the things they have in common. They are learning to listen without judgement, to accept that others may not share their beliefs, and that each person has her own unique life experience.

Thank you for trusting us to create this home for women who want to change the trajectory of their lives. Keep us in your prayers as we keep each of you in ours.

God bless you all,

Sue Fullerton & Regeana Phillips

Co-Founders Her Place

One of the goals when Her Place began was to have work the women could do on campus, In January we began our candle making enterprise. The women have had job training that has covered resume writing, dressing appropriately, job interviews, and training in all aspects of making candles from choosing the soy wax, cotton wick, fragrance, container, and top. They have learned how to produce a product they are proud of. We have begun selling them locally. The women are compensated with $15.00 an hour that is put into a savings account for them. The pride they have in producing a great product is palpable.

The women who want to will accompany us as we sell them at fairs and community events.

Eventually we will have online sales, but not yet. We are beginning with tiny steps to build the business. There is a small group of volunteers who act as an advisory task force to guide us into the future of this venture.

We recently visited the local farmer’s exchange and chose plants for our fall/winter garden. Each resident is responsible for choosing an appropriate plant, planting it, keeping it alive, and using it in our kitchen. As with everything we do, some love it and some – well – it’s a learning experience. In the summer we harvested cucumbers, watermelons, squash, sweet potatoes, peppers, beets, and herbs.

One of the goals of Her Place is to give the women a variety of experiences that address what we call the “Wellness Wheel”. These events address their vocational, intellectual, emotional, relational, cultural, spiritual, financial, environmental, and physical needs. Thus, we have been bowling, we have memberships at the local YMCA; we make sure the women see doctors, dentists, eye doctors, audiologists, and counselors; there are trips to the library, and classes in yoga. We do sessions on nutrition, crafts, anger management, the Her Place 11 Steps (our version of the AA 12 Steps), communication, conflict resolution, budgeting, and others. Our to do list includes miniature golf, a beach trip, going to the SC State Fair, and a retreat.

One of our current residents sits in meetings and often writes poetry that expresses her feelings about our discussion topic. We have asked her if we can publish one of her poems and she eagerly agreed. I asked her for an introductory statement about the intention of the poem she said,

“Rock bottom doesn’t call before showing up. Admitting that you are powerless over any addiction is an open invitation that you will show up for life-on-life terms. We’ve all been different routes and wrong turns, but the road less traveled is narrow, not wide. This narrow road won’t be easy, but it’s up to you to seek His face, every time, everywhere, and in everything.”

"I Declare War"

The requirements were souls

Everyone got drafted

Some were sent overseas

Many stayed at home

Others lost their jobs

The remaining, were sleeping in the streets

We all cried out to the Lord

Affected by a war we couldn't see

Our faith was on the front line

Trust stepping over landmines

It was the Great Depression all over again

Our salvation was experiencing bankruptcy

Different beliefs were destroyed beyond repair

Families were robbed of their love, peace, and joy

Anything that was of good measure was slaughtered

Minds were racing

Hearts were heavy

Souls were lost

That's when we found You

We recognized that we were not alone

We realized that You will never forsake us

We acknowledged that we were loved

We receive joy for all our long sufferings

We praise You in the fire, when shots ring out

Full responsibility for the ones who need gentle and humble guidance

We signed a peace treaty with our enemies and prayed for them

We give You all the Honor and the Glory

From the pits of our stomachs we shout AMEN

Poem by resident of Her Place

Thank you for all that you have done and do for Her Place!