News and Events
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Growing Hope in 2024
We are thrilled to re-introduce you to Good Hope Farms: the Hope Enterprise & Workforce Empowerment pillar of Rest Stop Ministries! This 9-month curriculum that residents complete while participating in our core residential restoration program provides opportunities for them to gain valuable workforce-readiness skills and earn an income. Through a combination of weekly "class" and "lab" sessions, gain a deeper understanding of: job readiness skills, financial literacy, resume writing and interview coaching, and much more.
In addition, residents will participate in a variety of paid hands-on training through our retail shop, Good Hope Farms! Training includes: inventory management, shipping, retail product development, marketing, dry package food manufacturing, beekeeping, and artisan soap making.
We are delighted to offer these meaningful opportunities for the women in our care, and we pray that this formalized Hope Enterprise & Workforce Empowerment curriculum continues to Grow Hope in their lives!
Head over to GoodHopeFarms.org to see all of the items we have available including apparel, home goods, accessories, stationary, and more! Plus, many products are made by survivors locally and globally. By purchasing a product from GoodHopeFarms.org, you're providing empowering opportunities for RSM residents, as well as our sisters around the globe!
HAPPY SHOPPING!
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Celebrating 2023 at Rest Stop Ministries
As this year comes to a close, we're reflecting on all God has done in and through RSM. We're thrilled to share a variety of moments that stand out to us from the past twelve months! Read more in our newsletter by clicking here.
Through the generous support of this community, we are able to keep our doors open and provide excellent care for survivors of sex trafficking while stopping cycles of oppression. The milestones, accomplishments, and wrap-around services residents receive would not be possible without you!
As you plan your year-end charitable giving, please consider partnering financially with Rest Stop Ministries. Donations can be made through our secure Kindful platform by clicking here. For larger amounts, please mail checks to the address listed below in order to save the credit card and processing fees. To receive 2023 giving credit, checks must be dated by December 31, 2023.
Rest Stop Ministries
PO Box 156
Hermitage, TN 37076
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Giving Tuesday - November 28, 2023
While so much darkness surrounds the criminal oppression of sex trafficking, at Rest Stop Ministries we're honored to offer comprehensive services and resources for survivors so that they may step into healing and HOPE.
This month, we'll be shining a light on milestones and celebrations, resources offered, and moments filled with hope in preparation for Giving Tuesday on November 28. We hope you'll follow along and join our amazing community of supporters on this global day of generosity that kicks off the biggest giving season of the year!
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Half & Half Marathon
Lace up those running sneakers!
On Saturday, November 11, our friends at Cooking Around Town are hosting the Half and Half Marathon, a coffee-themed 5k, 10k, and half marathon benefitting Rest Stop Ministries.
The race will start at Mt. Juliet High School, and wind through the greenways, Charlie Daniel's Park, local neighborhoods, and then finish back at the high school. All ages and skill levels are welcome - Feel free to walk if you like!
On race day, all participants will receive a Half and Half Marathon t-shirt and coffee mug. Plus, coffee, hot chocolate, water, and homemade goodies will be waiting for you at the finish line by our friends at Billy Goat Coffee!
CLICK HERE to register TODAY!
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You're Invited!
Rest Stop Ministries would be honored by your presence at the 11th Annual Gala, Illuminating Hope. Join us on Friday, September 15, 2023 at Hermitage Church of the Nazarene in Old Hickory, Tennessee.
Guests will enjoy a catered dinner, an inspiring message from Survivor Guest Speaker, Cyntoia Brown-Long, and many stories from Rest Stop Ministries' 8 years of serving survivors. We are eager to shine a light on all God has done in the lives of the women we serve!
In addition to our Silent Auction, we'll have our Good Hope Farms Shop on site! Browse our Silent Auction in person before placing your bid using our virtual platform. Then, purchase your favorite handcrafted items from the Good Hope Farms Shop, our Social Enterprise dedicated to supporting survivors of trafficking both locally and globally. Every sale promotes the economic empowerment of RSM residents and helps sustain the residential restoration program of RSM.
This is going to be an evening you won't want to miss. Tickets can be purchased individually or as tables of 8. Purchase tickets here and save your seat today!
Become a Sponsor for Illuminating Hope
By becoming a Sponsor Underwriter for our Annual Gala, our largest fundraising event each year, you enable us to cover the costs of the Gala before the event so that every dollar raised that night goes directly to the provision of care for our survivors in the residential program.
For more information regarding Sponsor-level benefits, marketing exposure, and/or requesting an invoice, contact RSM Director of Development, Caitlin Strecker, at caitlinstrecker@reststopministries.org.
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Join Us!
You are invited to a viewing of Blind Eyes Opened: The Truth About Sex Trafficking in America at The Capitol Theatre in the historic Lebanon, TN Square on Thursday, April 27.
Blind Eyes Opened is a first-of-a-kind documentary that looks into the sex trafficking industry in the United States through a faith lens. The film exposes the darkness that fuels demand, highlights survivors' transformations, engages lawmakers, law enforcement, organizations, ministries and experts across the country committed to ending the atrocities, all while showing Christ as the hope for all involved.
This event falls during National Crime Victims' Rights Week, and we are eager to elevate survivors' voices and engage the faith community in this issue from a Kingdom of God perspective. Guests will hear from Rest Stop Ministries' Founder and Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Rondy Smith, as she equips you with attainable action steps. You will walk away feeling confident about different ways to truly make an impact!
Each ticket purchase will include:
One bag of gourmet popcorn
One bottle of water or soft drink
**Additional popcorn and beverages will be available for purchase.
Tickets are available NOW - CLICK HERE to purchase yours today!
Come Early!
When our doors open at 5:00pm, we will have our Good Hope Farms Shop set up for guests to browse and shop from our collection of handcrafted goods created by survivors locally and globally - including items created and packaged by RSM Residents!
Good Hope Farms is the social enterprise of Rest Stop Ministries, supporting survivors of trafficking both locally and globally. Every sale promotes their economic empowerment and helps sustain the residential restoration program of RSM.
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A Look at 2022
In 2022, 13 Residents have lived at Good Hope Farms and participated in our long-term restorative residential program, receiving a comprehensive array of supportive services in order to heal from the complex trauma caused by sex trafficking. Each day a woman was in our care, she was learning healthy coping skills, shifting her perspective about her future, and experiencing Good Hope.
We invite you to join us in celebrating the many milestones and accomplishments RSM Residents experienced this year. Click here to read more.
Through the generous support of this community, we are able to keep our doors open and provide excellent care for survivors of sex trafficking while stopping cycles of oppression. The milestones, accomplishments, and wrap-around services residents receive would not be possible without you!
As you plan your year-end charitable giving, please consider partnering financially with Rest Stop Ministries. Donations can be made through our secure Kindful platform by clicking here. For larger amounts, please mail checks to the address listed below in order to save the credit card and processing fees. To receive 2022 giving credit, checks must be dated by December 31, 2022.
Rest Stop Ministries
PO Box 156
Hermitage, TN 37076
Your Text Here
Giving Tuesday - November 29
As this calendar year is winding down, we're remembering all that God has done at Rest Stop Ministries, and know that He is still bringing forth new life! In preparation for Giving Tuesday on November 29, we have been reflecting on Isaiah 43:19, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
All throughout this year, we have seen God doing "new things" time and again in the lives of the residents at RSM and within this ministry. This month, we are sharing stories of some of these special moments. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to hear stories from RSM staff and partners - We hope they are an encouragement to you!
On Giving Tuesday, we ask that you'll prayerfully give a one-time or recurring gift of $5, $50, $500, or $5000 to sustain the restorative residential program at Rest Stop Ministries, and provide the opportunity for resident survivors to experience a "new thing"!
Will you join us? GIVE HERE!
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10th Annual Gala: Final Report
THANK YOU for joining us in person and virtually for our 10th Annual Gala, Revival: Reprise & Reunion! We loved sharing stories of the many people God placed in our path, partnering with us in such generous ways so that we could grow to where we are today, and the testimonies of two survivors, including one of our graduates. Through their stories, it is apparent how needed long-term holistic restorative services are, as well as continued support for women who have graduated from our program.
Our Annual Gala is our largest fundraising event each year to support our general operational funds. Our goal this year was $100,000, and together, you raised $95,530.36!
We consider it our sacred privilege to continue expanding the ways we can serve survivors with excellence, and we're grateful for YOUR support so that we may keep our doors open. THANK YOU!
If you have been considering joining our community of support and would like to help us reach our goal of $100,000, click here!
Thank you to this year's Sponsors:
Platinum-Level:
Gold-Level:
Jeff & Renee Mathis
Silver-Level:
DH Management Services
HCA Healthcare/ TriStar Health
Bronze-Level:
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6-Year Impact Report + Vision Strategy
Rest Stop Ministries was called into being in June 2011, and we opened the doors of Tennessee's first long-term residential restoration program designed solely for adult female survivors of sex trafficking in November 2015. Since then, we have had the sacred privilege of serving 44 precious survivors at Good Hope Farms.
We are delighted to share the story of Rest Stop Ministries and Good Hope Farms with you! We invite you to read through our first-ever Impact Report filled with significant outcomes data from 6 years of serving survivors, stories of precious women who have walked through our doors, our future vision for RSM, and so much more. We hope you will rejoice with us for all God has done, and are compelled to join us on our journey!
Click here to view the 6-Year Impact Report + Vision Strategy!
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The Next Global Pandemic
What if the next global health crisis is a mental health pandemic? It is here now, and spiking. According to Gallup Inc., anger, stress, worry and sadness have been on the rise globally for the past decade -- long before the COVID-19 pandemic -- and all reached record highs in 2020.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 41.5% of U.S. adults exhibited symptoms of anxiety or depression in early 2021. Globally, seven in 10 people report that they are struggling or suffering, according to Gallup. 100% of our Rest Stop Ministries clients struggle and suffer with mental health distress.
People die from COVID-19 -- they also die from depression and anxiety disorders. The U.S. has seen spikes in deaths from suicide and "deaths of despair."
The antidote to despair is HOPE. That’s why our core competency at Good Hope Farms is growing, or cultivating, hope. Our healing program is anchored in hope. And hope does not disappoint. Hope restores, revives, brings life from death. Hope Heals.
To demonstrate our confidence in the healing power of hope, we’re excited to share some significant data from 6 years of measuring mental health outcomes with the 43 women we’ve served in our long-term residential restoration program.
We trust these important & impressive outcomes will compel you to continue supporting our work. We need you to help us keep our doors open so that more exploited women can grow and rise in the power of hope.
CLICK HERE to see the full report.
