Last week Rethreaded celebrated its first graduation in two years! A total of 10 women received their certification of completion of training. It was an amazing evening filled with tears, laughter and of course, grace.
The festivities actually began well before the ceremony started! That morning the graduates ventured to Hope’s Closet to look for the perfect graduation outfit. Our amazing partners from Her Song were there to give them advice and tips on which garments to try. It was such a gift! After Hope’s Closet, the women headed to The Hair Tease Studio. The talented stylist there trimmed, cut, dried, curled and dolled up everyone’s dos. The graduation look was almost complete, but not quite. Back at the warehouse, the women were greeted by the skilled makeup artists from Reverie Bloom. They glammed up the graduates and truly made them feel wonderful. Finally, they were then taken to the ceremony at River City Church with the great and efficient car service, Ztrip!
Family and friends were waiting with anticipation to see their loved ones. The women stepped out of the cars with enormous grins and confidence! The New Beginning Celebration was about to begin! After touching speeches from Her Song and Rethreaded team members, Kristin Keen introduced Chelsea Carr who sang Burn Bright. The song embodies Rethreaded’s mission to raise up women and allow them to see and master their own abilities. The women were then called to receive their certificates of completion and Grace Scarves adorned with charms of the year that they had finished training. Our freedom partner, JOYN, graciously gifted the grads with purses from their collection as well. It was the final and wonderful surprise for the women that evening!
The New Beginning Celebration was a night of blessings and acknowledgment. Each speech carried the theme of both appreciation and the beauty of differing perspectives. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work at Rethreaded, it’s similar to catching lightning in a bottle. The people, survivors, and staff alike learn so much from each other. There is a constant and infinite exchange of hope that happens here. The ceremony was a true celebration of the strength, courage, and love that the graduates exuberate. They are amazing. We are so grateful for all of those, people and companies, for granting their services and time to make this happen. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!