Buying Survivor Made products allows us to give these brave women a place to recover, a path forward…and hope.
THIS IS HER STORY
Taiber grew up in a house full of addicts, which caused a lot of trauma. She carried through her life feeling like she was worthless and started using drugs. On November 19, 2019, Taiber was arrested for the last time and her life started to change. She found Refuge for Women, and upon graduating she started employment with Survivor Made. Watch Taiber’s story of life change and hope.
A (name withheld) wasn’t much of a drinker, nor did she hold a wild lifestyle, when she went out one night with a friend and became exceptionally inebriated. A man at the bar approached her, and asked if she wanted to get high. She accepted, and he gave her crack. She had no idea how it would affect her.
“For the next 12 years, I made the choice at that point to prostitute myself,” A explained, being free in theory of her old habits, but with no other resources to support herself. “I remained in a position of obligation by my own will. For 12 years, I had a horrible, horrible thousand-dollars-a-day drug addiction, and sold my body by choice… and accrued all kinds of damage and trauma and lost much of my life.”
After overcoming the trauma of a challenging upbringing and escaping the sex industry, Deanna relocated to Kentucky and was a Refuge for Women Graduate. She has a master’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. She loves research and learning and will likely be a student for life. She and her husband, Matt, enjoy traveling and explore new places. She also has a unique love of alpacas (not llamas though she wouldn’t mind one) and hopes to open up a working ranch one day. Deanna’s journey is documented in her two books, “Purchased” and “Integrated” which can be found on Amazon (click on the book image below).
As the social enterprise formed by Refuge for Women, Survivor Made creates jobs, builds confidence, and deepens community engagement for women who may have barriers to employment. Gaining employment skills and earning income are key elements for becoming financially stable and self-sufficient when transitioning from a long-term residential program to successful independent living.
Our artisan, hand-crafted products are stylish, high-quality and change lives one sale at a time.
