I am Charlee S. Newman, Founder, Creator, and Visionary of Rise of Broken Women.
Well, it all started when I found myself living on the streets of New York City for three days and my bedroom was on the A Train. When I was hungry, I stood in front of this Chinese Restaurant, because this is where the business people would drop their doggy bags into the trashcan. I would collect what they discarded for lunch and dinner. I eventually registered myself at a drop-in homeless center where I lived for two years.
These were the worst days of my life. I felt afraid of my surroundings, I was in constant fear, totally humiliated, deeply ashamed, angry, hurt, and very alone.
When you’re unable to keep yourself clean on a consistent basis, this destroys confidence and self-esteem, and some give up on life. Not only keeping yourself clean but keeping your clothing clean as well. Most of us had no underwear or wore no underwear. We lacked basics like socks, outerwear, and toiletries.
I have seen how the system failed me and my fellow women. Now, I use my time to ensure that homeless and low-income women and their families get what they need to rise above their circumstances and live their best lives. In the shelter, I found my true purpose: to empower and create sustainability.
When trying to combat homelessness in our cities and towns, there is no one more qualified to spearhead the process than those who have experienced it firsthand. I am one such person, which is the system I have created.
My system is designed to aid and empower. It consists of three primary steps:
- Supply – to survive and endure
- Teach – to create job readiness and self-sufficiency
- Connect – to help re-establish and erect a new life
The initial stage of rebuilding the broken is ensuring their survival by utilizing financial and material donations to supply their everyday needs. Only when you are not worried about where your next meal or necessity will come from are you able to take the following steps in your journey.
The second stage the Rise of Broken Women focuses on the education of homeless, impoverished, and at-risk women.
I started the Work Re-acclimating Internship Program a workshop for basic computer training. This sixteen-week program will help these women build in-demand skill sets that are necessary for the modern workplace and are attractive to potential employers.
Through monetary aid from corporate and individual donors, we can provide essential training in a variety of fields, all necessary to the community. That makes these women feel relevant. It gives them confidence. It allows them to look to the final stage: connecting.
The second half of our internship program is dedicated to helping the members of our program build their resumes, learn how to conduct themselves during interviews, and search for jobs. Using our network and the connections our interns have made for themselves, they are able to reconnect with the community and rebuild their lives.
By using this structure and giving these women and their families the chance they deserve, we can break the cycle of poverty while strengthening our communities and bringing the forgotten back into the fold.
Because I am the Rise of Broken Women.
I Rise. I have Risen. I Rose.
