Loving Clients Back To Living
On November 2, 2024, we had the honour of attending the 25th Anniversary of the Talitha Koum Society.
The Talitha Koum Society (TK), established in 1999 by Starr Peardon, serves to help women heal from past trauma and with their alcohol and drug addictions, while providing a safe and caring environment to foster their journey back towards a healthier and happy life.
Aside from offering a caring environment, TK also provides their clients with various programs, such as a 12-step program, life skills on parenting, cooking, home organizing etc., arts and crafts, group and individual counselling with Innova Therapy, and non-denominational Bible studies.
On this evening, we heard some truly compelling and heartwarming testimonies from women who had found themselves suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Some contributing factors are mental illness, like depression or anxiety, a family history of substance use, genetics, past trauma or abuse, and chronic stressful life events.
They may avoid seeking help and create barriers for themselves for fear of losing their children to child protection services or having to deal with childcare issues. They may fear being judged or are unwilling to trust and be open to receiving help. Their lack of financial resources and the limited access to mental health care facilities in our province, are other barriers.
Every woman has a story
The star of the night’s event was a graduate from TK. She went on stage and spoke effortlessly and honestly about her past struggles with low self-esteem, depression, and her drug addiction. She opened up about being homeless, and how TK completely changed her life. She captured everyone’s attention and hearts, as we listened attentively to her inspirational story.
Her testimony makes us appreciate the effort, commitment, and hard work of TK’s board of directors, the many sponsors, alumni, staff, volunteers, and the women themselves, who support each other in their recovery journey. They are all part of TK’s vision – to love each woman back to living – by making a positive difference in each of these women’s lives, one by one.
Congratulations to the Talitha Koum Society for their great work and commitment, and wishing them another successful 25 years to come!