I believe that no child should be defined by trauma. And every day I get to lead a team of staff and volunteers to equip leaders to set children free from trauma. People ask how i got into this work. It started in 2008 in a Ukrainian kitchen. My husband, Bill, and I were staying with a host couple, Pietre and Albina. Albina took such good care of us.But Albina wasn't just caring for us, she was a young mom, a preschool teacher and welcomed recovering addicts into her home day-and-night. That's another story. One afternoon we came back to the house and as I walked in the door I was hit with a glorious smell. Albina stood at her kitchen stove stirring a large pot. "Albina, that smells amazing! What is it?""Cindy, it's my chicken soup. It's for my neighbor. She's dying of bowel disease, but she likes my chicken soup." "Albina, you can't do," and I took a pause that I came to see as one of those insignificant moments that can only be described as a gift from God. And when I paused, Albina turned around , wooden spoon in hand, looked me in the eye and said, "Nothing, I know Cindy, we can't do nothing." And without realizing that she had rocked my world, she turned back to her soup. By this time in my life, I had been reading up on the orphan crisis, human trafficking, and poverty. As much as I needed and wanted to learn, I often felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the crises. If we just talk about the orphan crisis, we're talking at a low-ball estimate of 140 million children. What could I do about that? What could anybody do?But Albina's words changed me. "Cindy, we can't do nothing." That day launched me into an adventure that has landed me directing an organization that has the bodacious goal of equipping 10,000 leaders to protect, rescue and restore 100,000 vulnerable children from trauma by 2030. And we're going to do it. With the help of our incredible team and partners, we are setting the world's vulnerable children free from trauma. The power of story, and the strength of partnership! Does anything about my story resonate with you? Would you like to hear the rest? If so, message me and let's chat. If you're intrigued by what we're doing with RiverCross, head over to the website and dig around. And if there is some way that I can serve you, please let me know.
Listed skills include Leadership, Nonprofits, Fundraising, Public Speaking, and 25 others.
