Many of you commented that this past Family Gathering felt like a graduation for the moms we have journeyed with these past few years. Founded in 2007, the organization has focused its time and resources in the lives of “first generation” Oak Project families. As the organization moves into 2010, the community at large will begin to see the successes attained by this “first generation” and the emergence of the “second generation.”
We’re transitioning.
Transition of any sort, even if it’s a good transition, can be the hardest stuff of life. When the Father brings us change, we can embrace it as an upgrade. Sometimes it comes to us; sometimes we have to choose it. Either way, it’s full of emotion and anticipation.
The resolution to accept and even pursue change is the one thing I admire most about the mothers here at The Oak Project. We came to them with the love, service, friendship, and resources, which if embraced, could really alter their lives. Because they chose to accept it, they have experienced some crucial upgrade….and they still are.
The season of leading someone to the waters of friendship, laughter, giving, receiving, and embracing opportunity is a delicate risk of your heart. The suffering of letting someone go who will not receive your love is heart-wrenching. However, the sweetness of seeing someone drink, and drink deeply is what we live for. Nothing is sweeter than hearing one of our seven-year-old boys say, “It feels good to finally live in a place where I don’t hear gunshots outside every night.” His whole life and future has been dramatically changed because his mother has decided to make better choices, to upgrade.
His mother deliberately left the inner-city almost a year ago. She and her family live in a house now. I always thought someone would do anything to get out of there, but I learned it is a decision one must come to through a lot of thought and intention. It is a decision to move away from what you’ve always known into the unknown.
We met her homeless, addicted, hardened by life and trying to figure out how to feed her four kids and be a good mom. Cycles of violence, abandonment, and rejection greeted her as a child and these cycles continued until she was 28 and we had the honor of meeting her. In the past three years, we have loved her through every season she’s encountered. She found permission to dream and is watching her desires come to fruition. She has become free of drug abuse, held a job for over a year now, gotten her driver’s license, received a car and made an intentional decision to move out of the inner city. Even as I write this letter to you, she is expecting an upgrade. She’s taking her G.E.D. and enrolling at Chattanooga State. She would tell you that the greatest thing she’s learned in the past three years is that she is worth loving and that she has found life-long friends. Now, she’s ready to share what she’s received.
We will continue daily with these “first generation” moms. We will be entering into deeper teachings with them, leadership training and slowly letting go in some areas of their lives where sustainability has been attained. Our first priority will be that they continue to grow as great leaders of their homes and then as we pioneer this new season, we will strategically place them as examples and encouragers to the “second generation” of Oak Project families.
All the while, we will be praying for, preparing for, and seeking a second generation of new moms. We will continue to meet single mothers through different agencies and we will also visit the projects often, meeting families and finding women who we feel can be future leaders in their communities.
We will meet them soon. They may be homeless, addicted, on the verge of losing their kids, or just severely broken down by life; but when we find the ones the Father has for us, we will love them relentlessly and we will once again watch beauty come from ashes and grief turn into amazement.
Here is where you come in. Pray for us and with us in this new endeavor and consider us for your year-end giving and your give plan for 2010. Currently, it takes $10,000 a month for The Oak Project to run efficiently. That breaks down to $600 per family to receive our services. These services include mentoring, transportation, counseling, job interview training, crisis-intervention, school supplies, community building, extra-curricular activities for the children, tutoring and much more. Basically, we provide mothers with the life skills and encouragement necessary for them to choose and succeed in an upgrade.
Perhaps, you can support a family for a half-month, a month, six months or for a year. We welcome your generosity. We will take your seed, plant it, and continue to nurture the growth of these oaks as we truly believe they will change the course of history in Chattanooga’s inner-city community.
Thank you for all of your past and future help.
Kelly Chambley
Executive Director
*This organization does not discriminate against any parties or peoples. There are no programmatic qualifications or written requirements. The organization primarily strives to bridge the gap in the social service system by providing support to single mother families and their children who are working to climb out of the chronic grip of homelessness, drug addiction and domestic violence. By creating an environment for support and community, the organization strives to break the seemingly impossible cycle of poverty and poor life choices that place people in hopelessness. The organization walks through life consistently with at-risk families until they are able to make discernible changes. Those who are willing and able to commit to making life changes are welcome and invited to participate. Participants are in different stages of growth and change. The target group consists of single mothers, fatherless children, disadvantaged and low income at-risk families.