Grace has worked with RESET for many years by providing Grace House, a safe living location that helps support young women and their children. RESET Society of Calgary helps women and children who are victims of sexual exploitation and/or sex trafficking. RESET reports that more than 90% of trafficking victims within Canada come from Canada – there are approximately 3,000 women and girls involved in sexual exploitation in Calgary.
Sections of a letter from RESET Executive Director Theresa Jenkins outline some of the impact Grace mission work has on the hundreds of vulnerable women and children in Calgary.
Dear friends at Grace Church,
We are so appreciative for all the support we receive from Grace Church. In the 15+ years that we have housed women and their children in the Grace House, we have had hundreds of women and children in this home. This housing gives children a safe, stable environment to call home, and mothers a place to heal and reconnect with their children. For many of the children this home is the first safe environment they have been in, and it provides them with the foundation they need as they grow and move forward in their own journey.
A quote from an Alumnae who lived at Grace House “My wee son and I so appreciated having a home to go to and not having to live in a shelter”.
The quilts made by the ladies at Grace church allow the women to feel the warm embrace of RESET as they continue their journey after graduation, knowing they will always be part of the RESET community. You can see the appreciation on the women’s faces when they receive their quilt. We are thankful that we have had this gift to give the women for so long, and that it gives them a tangible reminder that they are supported by RESET, and by Grace Church on their journey of recovery.
RESET has received beautiful gift bags for the women and staff for many Christmas years as well as gifts for the children for many Christmas years. We have received financial donations from Grace Church as well as the Women’s Fellowship, and Quilting Club. Grace Church has hosted several graduations over the years.
Grace Church has several volunteers that have supported our work over the years. Two that stand out are Joni Ermter, who has been a long-standing classroom facilitator and mentor to the clients as well as the leader in the Christmas gifts and quilts, and David Todd has done clients’ taxes for several years.
Executive Director, Theresa Jenkins
