Celebrating the Light of Hope and Possibility

 

On Sunday December 21, 2008 the founders of Favorite Things for a CAUSE, Francene Marie and Kym Gordon Moore delivered some generous gifts from donors and a message of inspiration to the female residents of The Doves Nest. The theme of their message was “The Light of Hope and Possibility.”

 

As everyone reflected on the challenges that they, along with so many other people faced this year, hope is the unseen evidence that lets you know there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. To symbolize this renewal of faith, each lady was given a candle and asked to think about and name something that seems like it is impossible for them to overcome at that very moment. They didn’t have to share it with the group, but had to think about that “one” situation they were struggling with.

After a few moments the ladies lit their candles, stood in a circle and were instructed to let go of whatever that particular situation was, that seemed like it was impossible to overcome (whether it was financial, an addiction, a health related issue, a person who may be a hindrance to their growth and development or anything that looked impossible to overcome). They stood in this circle and prayed silently. The light from their candles emitted great energy and a spiritual renewal. They were told to reflect on the scripture from Matthew 19:26 (NIV):

            Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Light gives energy and life. Light promotes growth and development. This is evident when we observe the growth process of green plants. Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants utilize the energy of sunlight to manufacture carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll. It is a metabolic pathway that converts light energy into chemical energy.

We want to thank the following donors who contributed to making this a celebratory time of thanksgiving for the residents of The Doves Nest:

• Aklilu Tadesse, from Desire’s Beauty Supply in Charlotte, NC, for donating a generous assortment of fashionable casual shoes.
• Becky McWilliams, from the Mereditih Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa, who donated copies of the January, 2009 issue of Ladies Home Journal for each resident.
• Marie Richards from Wal-Mart on Pineville-Matthews Rd. in Charlotte, NC for donating a gift card to the facility.
• Martha Bostian, Community Development Specialist from Food Lion, LLC for donating an assortment of toiletries and hair products for the women.
• Several donors who wish to remain anonymous, donated assorted cosmetic items, note cards and tote bags for each resident.
• Francene Marie donated an oversized fruit basket and a copy of her CD “Speaking In Public Places” for each resident.

So, as we embrace this holiday season and reflect on those challenges that nearly tried to destroy us, we ignite the light to celebrate life, hope and possibility.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  - John 8:12 (NIV)

From our home to yours, we wish you a safe holiday season and a very prosperous New Year, no matter what this current recession suggests!

Francene Marie Morris (www.francenemarie.com) and Kym Gordon Moore (www.kymgmoore.com)

Their Favorite Things

 

The Charlotte Observer                                                           Sunday August 17, 2008

 

Kym Gordon Moore of Moore 2 It Productions (top, from left), Mint Museum of Art docent Gwen Bland, Doves Nest facility manager Shante’ Caesar, Dove’s Nest volunteer coordinator Cerita Lindo and Mint Museum of Art tour coordinator Chris Lalley

Residents from The Dove’s Nest were part of the Favorite Things for a CAUSE program on Aug. 8, 2008, at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC. Sponsored by Moore 2 It Productions, the event gave women in recovery from The Dove’s Nest, a division of the Charlotte Rescue Mission, a day of culture and education at the museum. Favorite Things for a CAUSE, whose founders are Francene Marie Morris and Kym Gordon Moore was inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s “Favorite Things” shows. The Dove’s Nest program provides a free, long term residential Christian recovery program for women overcoming their addiction to drugs and alcohol. It houses 12 women overcoming addictions as they receive a free 90-day Christian residential program. The goal is to return each person to the community as a viable contributor to society. (Courtesy of Francene Marie www.francenemarie.com) 

In order to make this field trip more eventful, each resident was given a composition book and pen wrapped in pink and green ribbon, to record information about the exhibits they viewed and any memorable thoughts and emotions they wanted to record, that occurred during their tour. Afterwards, Kym treated the women to lunch in the park where everyone had an opportunity to fellowship and talk about the lessons they learned from their docent-led tour, along with anything else they wanted to share. The idea was to have fun and enjoy the experience. 

After the tour, Kym sponsored a writing contest for all of the women to participate in, if they chose to. The contest was designed for the women to submit an essay, poetry, memoir or any personal form of expression in 300 words or less. ”All of the entries were so vivid, emotional and powerful,” says Kym. ”You could feel the depth of each contestant’s experience, as many of them connected their experience at the museum with their recovery process. It was extremely difficult to choose a winner, because they all were unique, timeless, spiritual and priceless.” A first, second and third place winner was chosen. The others were honorable mentions. Each participant received a certificate of award and a gift basket respective of her award placement.

“This was as much of a learning experience for me as it was for the ladies,” Kym continued. “I am so grateful to the Tour Coordinator of the Mint Museum of Art, Chris Lalley, and her two docents (Gwen and Sydney) for making this possible. I also thank Shante’ Caesar Anderson, Cerita Lindo and the rest of the Dove’s Nest staff for the excitement they brought to the table by giving their permission to schedule this tour and by making sure that the residents were transported safely to and from the museum. This is truly one of those experiences that will always leave an indelible mark on your heart.”

The Charlotte Rescue Mission –
http://www.charlotterescuemission.org
(Get involved!)
The Mint Museum of Art – www.mintmuseum.org (Give the gift of membership)

Moore 2 It Productions Creative Marketing Solutions –
http://www.moore2itproductions.com

 

Favorite Things for a CAUSE is Born!

Kym Gordon Moore, Betty McJunkin (Staff), Francene Marie, Shante Ceaser (Facility Manager) and Debra Bryant (Local Singer)

CHARLOTTE, NC - Two area small business women, inspired by the popular and highly acclaimed Oprah Winfrey Favorite Things Show, did a mock version called “Favorite Things for a CAUSE” at The Dove’s Nest on Sunday December 16, 2007. The Dove’s Nest, a subsidiary of the Charlotte Rescue Mission, is a program that provides a loving, highly-structured Christian environment to help women understand and deal with the core issues of their alcohol and/or drug addiction. Their acronym for “CAUSE” is Creating Awareness by Understanding Setbacks through Edification. They wanted to use this opportunity to not only share some of their favorite things with these ladies, but to encourage them to persevere in their journey and never give up hope, despite the trials and tribulations they may be facing right now. These gifts are not expressions of pity, but are symbols of love and support.

Sketching out some preliminary ideas over lunch two weeks before the event, Francene Marie Morris and Kym Gordon Moore had to implement their start to show-time plans expeditiously. First, they began building an alliance and knew that in order to make a major impact with their mission, they needed to incorporate other resources that would make this program successful. Adopting the importance of creating alliances advocated by Martin Luther King, Jr., there are five major advantages to make this mission successful: 

1. The banding together of individuals creates energy, enthusiasm and courage.
2. In contrast to individuals working alone, people gain more power and strength in formal organizations.
3. Major social change is best achieved in groups.
4. Alliances effectively expand contacts and networks of communication.
5. Alliances allow more results to be achieved.

“We are so grateful to everyone who generously gave to make Favorite Things for a CAUSE a major hit with residents from The Dove’s Nest,” echoes Francene Marie and Kym. “We want to personally thank the following individuals and businesses for their philanthropic support and contributions,” they continued.

• O, The Oprah Magazine, HEARST Magazines
• Donna Reinhardt, Elizabeth Arden Fragrance Executive
• Debra Kennedy, Former Mrs. North Carolina
• Laurie Horne, Belk Cosmetics Treatment Buyer
• Debra Bryant, Soloist and Fashion Fair Cosmetics Beauty Specialist
• Maria Howard, Certified Fragrance Specialist
• Susannah Dellinger, Laura Mercier Cosmetics Account Executive
• Mandy Johnson, Coty Prestige Fragrances Business Sales Manager
• Brandy Rose, Belk Northlake Mall Area Sales Manager
• Ready 4 Media, Charlotte, NC
• Moore 2 It Productions, Indian Trail, NC
• Reza Bassami and Ameneh Pirhayati – Athens Pizza, Stallings, NC
• Aklilu Tadesse – Desire’s Beauty Supply, Charlotte, NC
• Beatrice Thompson, V101.9 – FM Personality
• Rev. Tony Marciano, Executive Director for The Charlotte Rescue Mission
• Shante Ceaser, Facility Manager for The Dove’s Nest   

The residents and staff members were emotionally elated from the various donations of fragrances, hair products, makeup, body products and tote bags they received. Tearful emotions came when local songstress Debra Bryant began singing some inspirational, soul stirring songs, as they ate delectable slices of pizza donated by Athens Pizza and Hummingbird cake baked especially for them by Bea Thompson, radio personality from V101.9 FM.

One of our biggest surprises came from a generous contribution of gift issues of O, The Oprah Magazine, who Publisher, Jill Seelig was responsible for spearheading the execution of getting the January, 2008 issue of the magazine delivered for the staff and residents in time for the holidays.

Francene Marie Morris, Delita Chavis-Rea (Aftercare/Family Counselor), Kym Gordon Moore and Linda Currie (Admissions Counselor/Assistant Program Director)

2007 posed to be an extremely challenging year for many people in practically every sector of life, whether it was health related issues, financial burdens, tragedy, job insecurity or a family crisis. Although Favorite Things for a CAUSE fell during the time of the year when goodwill is at its height, Francene Marie and Kym urges everyone, regardless of your demographics, socioeconomic and ethnic derivations, to become proactive in the application of “paying it forward” year round. They plan to make this an annual event at various times of the year. Small steps can create giant leaps!

To learn more about The Dove’s Nest and The Charlotte Rescue Mission, visit their website at
http://www.charlotterescuemission.org/
. Or you can reach them at 704-332-3999. To learn more about Favorite Things for a CAUSE, you can email francenemarie@yahoo.com or info@moore2itproductions.com.

www.moore2itproductions.com

www.francenemarie.com

www.kymgmoore.com