November marks the first month of a year-long series of the Women Empowerment Program at Dallas 24 Hour Club, which has been established thanks to a generous $25,000 grant provided by the Dallas Mavericks Foundation. The Women Empowerment Program will provide female residents of Dallas 24 Hour Club (The 24) with new skills and a new sense of purpose, fueled by a strong self-esteem. Through monthly sessions with experts, the female residents of Dallas 24 Hour Club will experience training in confidence building, trauma therapy, resume writing, interview practice and more. This will allow them to establish their sobriety and be educated and confident.
Each month, Dallas 24 Hour Club will host an expert in a particular field who will spend 1-2 hours with the female residents. The session will include dinner and a team building exercise to increase the women’s morale and help nurture them as they become successful members of society.
“The need for the Women Empowerment Program is extremely high. Our female residents are an intelligent group of women who have faced hardships, which led them to experience all kinds of abuse due to their vulnerability. To cope, they have abused alcohol and/or drugs and eventually become homeless. They have gaps in their career and resume, which lead to their lack of confidence and empowerment. The Women Empowerment Program will work to build confidence and fearlessness in our women, as they work to re-establish their lives, become employed and become contributing members of society -- free from drugs and alcohol,” said Stephanie Sahaida, The 24’s Women’s Coordinator.
The program was created by Adrienne Santaularia, Marketing Director, after she got to know a resident, Katherine. Katherine lost her own wellness business in the financial crisis of 2007, and then sank into substance abuse and became homeless. She was able to land a job at a local taco shop, so that she could begin the process of rebuilding her life. “A negative life event which caused Katherine’s life to spiral out of control is not uncommon. We witness many women seeking menial jobs because of their low self-worth. Our goal through the Women Empowerment Program is to build our women’s confidence and self-esteem, so that they can positively change every aspect of their lives,” said Stephanie Sahaida. Dallas 24 Hour Club is grateful to the Dallas Mavericks Foundation for their support of this valued program.