This July marks a significant milestone in Rethreaded’s 14-year history, the surpassing of 100 women welcomed into our Survivor Development Program. It is through the support of our community, the resiliency of our staff, and the strength of our survivors that we can boast such an accomplishment for our organization.  

While our mission is to help women restore choice in their lives, it is because of one woman’s choice to extend compassion and empathy that we exist today. Without Kristin Keen’s incredible love and spirit, our community, our city, and world wouldn’t be as bright of a place.  

We sat down with Kristin to reflect on the hard choices, the life-changing successes, and the sparks of hope that she has experienced in her 14 years as Rethreaded’s CEO.

What did the first day of Rethreaded look like? 

So, when Rethreaded launched, it was July 14th. It was like 98 degrees outside. We were at a warehouse, [with] no air conditioning. We had no inventory system, we had all this product, everything was by hand, and we had 500 people show up. It was our record day of sales for the first six years of our company.  

I mean, as I look back, I can’t help but to be in awe of the generosity of Jacksonville. From day one, Jacksonville has generously poured out and taken care of us to ensure that we’re going to move forward. I mean it’s the only reason we can do what we do.

In the 14 years since starting Rethreaded, what small action or program has made the biggest impact?

Hiring Jason Jones. It’s been the single greatest decision I’ve ever made as CEO. Jason is like the rock of Rethreaded. I’m ideas and energy and Jason is the rock and stability. He brought 25 years of professional corporate experience [that] I just didn’t have. There’s been so many decisions, but that’s got to be one of the best ones.

What has been your favorite memory so far?

I had this moment in [my] office; we had just moved here. For some reason we had to have a staff meeting in there. It’s all the managers, and I think I had just come back from sabbatical, or I had gone on sabbatical, somewhere around [that time]. The point was, I was in the room with all these leaders, and it occurred to me that the mission is now in the hands of so many people. It’s now past way beyond myself. And there’s these other people who are just as passionate. 

They were talking about an idea, and I was just sitting in the back crying. No one else knew I was having this moment. It was just this revelation. Here’s this thing that I dreamed about for so long and now we’re in this building with these amazing people, these amazing leaders, these amazing survivor leaders, who are carrying the mission with just as much love, passion, and heart. 

What has attributed to the longevity of the company, besides, the community and generosity?

The longevity of our staff. I mean, Jason’s been here 10 years, [our CFO] Nikki’s been here almost just as long. [Our Director of Holistic Programming] Gloria’s been here eight years. We have this amazing staff. [Our Operations Manager] Renata has been here eight years. It’s like staff taking full ownership of the vision and the mission of Rethreaded. [They] make sacrifices and bring the best of who they are to make sure it happens. We have excellent leadership. I put our leadership up against anybody. 

What was the most difficult time at Rethreaded and how did you get through it?

There’s been a lot of hard things. I think it was 2015 [or] 2016, we were going to run out of money. Sales were down; donations were down. The [survivor development] program was kind of falling apart; we weren’t good at it yet.  

Then, we as a leadership committee, probably more led by Jason, decided that we were going to change things around. We decided we were going to make Rethreaded successful. We dug in deep, ran a whole bunch of home parties, and asked our donors. I think that was a turning point in the organization. We’ve never looked back. We just started taking consistent action with the belief that we were going to pull ourselves out of this hole. 

What do you hope to see in the next 14 years?

So, there’s lots. One of the things that I think we’re going to see, [or] I know we’re going to see, is a transformation of our community. That in 14 years, Jacksonville is going to be so equipped to stop human trafficking and serve survivors of human trafficking. I think we’re going to be a leader nationally on how to do this, and we’re going to be able to help other cities do this. And of course, I think we will surpass, we will serve, like we’ve served 100 in our first 14 years, we will surpass [another] 100. Our outreach is going to be bigger.

Kristin’s mission has enacted real change that has stopped generational cycles of trauma within families across Jacksonville. To celebrate all that she has been able to accomplish through her organization, we want to welcome everyone who has been positively affected through their involvement at Rethreaded to come to our annual birthday party. We invite every supporter, survivor, and guest who has ever stepped foot on the Rethreaded campus to come back and rejoice in the accomplishments that have been made over the last 14 years.  
 
*Interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.