survivor spotlight
meet amber
“Our women are worth it. They are worth fighting for.”
Survivor. Sister. Confidant. Friend.
Since participating in Freedom a la Cart’s workforce development program and graduating from CATCH Court in 2016, Amber has completed the Associates of Arts & Human Services at Ohio Christian University through the adult accelerator program, and received the award for Student of the Year after she transferred to Columbus State. Regardless of these accomplishments, Amber has not forgotten how far she’s come.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to give back to the community.”
Now Amber serves as a peer-supporter for both Freedom a la Cart and CATCH Court. She embodies the mission of the restorative justice movement — equipping and supporting others as they pave new lives of freedom. “I love being in the field, and working up close and personal with the women. My favorite part about being a peer supporter is getting down and walking the journey out with my ladies, as someone who knows what it’s like to be where they are.”
Peer-support is one of many supportive services Freedom a la Cart offers to nearly 200 survivors in our Butterfly Continuum of Care program. Peer-support groups at Freedom a la Cart meet weekly to share stories, process struggles, and dream new dreams with one another. Survivors walk alongside one another as sisters in new lives of restoration, and serve as accountability partners in sustaining recovery. Peer-support is survivor driven, recovery focused, and community oriented. What’s more, peer-support has proven to be effective — increasing employment rate, decreasing substance use, and curating healthy trust & boundaries within a woman’s life.
Today, Amber continues on her career path, fortifies her faith in the community, and continues to encourage other women to step into self-sufficiency. She works to educate survivors on not only the value of recovery, but in the value of themselves.
Want to walk alongside survivors like Amber and let them know they are worth fighting for? Donate today to Freedom a la Cart. Every $100 provides 4 hours of peer support services to a survivor in need.