ABOUT WIBL

Wooden It Be Lovely is a non-profit social enterprise designed to give women in need unique and empowering employment and job training, enriching relationships, and housing. This program was founded by Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church in 2016 and became a separate 501 (c)3 non-profit in 2021.

The program is in response to a great need. Women healing from lives of poverty, addiction and hope often find it difficult to find jobs or a support system to connect them to available resources.

Charity has always been a part of society. In recent years it has become apparent that one-way giving (i.e., giving money to those in need upon request) subtly implies that the recipient has nothing of value to give in return. Over time this type of giving establishes dependency on others, causing a cycle of oppression and loss of dignity for those involved. This type of giving also does not give the recipient skills to support themselves in the future.

Wooden It Be Lovely provides women in transition (those healing from lives of poverty and/or in recovery) with a unique and empowering job. The women refurbish donated wood furniture, sew unique products, and make candles. They sell their products to the public. The work environment is supportive and empowering.

The women work side by side with volunteers from the community. It is the belief of this program that both those with material poverty and those with skills and means benefit by working together and developing new relationships. The women receive classes on employment skills, life skills, recovery tools, and job and interview skills. 

Women that are healing from lives of poverty and addiction often feel like society does not want to deal with them. The WIBL women relate to the metaphor of old furniture; often discarded, cracked, wobbly, unloved, and stained. With love, time and attention these wonderful women, like old furniture, can be refurbished into something lovely. 

After doing this work for 7 years, it became clear that there was a need to start a residential housing program for women that do not have children, or do not have custody of their children. In the Spring of 2022 we opened a housing program for the women most in need. This house is be a beautiful sanctuary to heal and grow. We plan to open more homes in the future.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statement: Our strength comes from our diversity and we celebrate the visible and invisible qualities that make each person unique, including race, gender, age, sexuality, ability, religion, national origin, gender identity, and other identities.

Our Executive Director's Story

One of the greatest joys of my life was being a cancer and hospice nurse for 25 years. However, after all these years caring for people often at the end of their lives, I felt called to help people at different parts of life. I felt called to go to seminary; I was not really sure what that meant or how that would unfold. This was a difficult decision because my life was full. I was married with four busy teenagers at home.

With the love and support of my family, I became a full-time commuter student at Eden Theological Seminary. During my seminary studies, I completed an Internship at Magdalene House and Thistle Farms in Nashville, TN (www.thistlefarms.org). It was there that my heart was changed by women that experienced lives of addiction, abuse, and prostitution. I began to understand that most all women are the same, wanting to love and be loved but some need to be given a chance. I believe that most women want to help themselves, but opportunities for employment are limited to many and there are many barriers that are difficult to navigate. Some women need extra support and skills before transitioning to the secular world. And, it’s a beautiful thing to see how happy children are when their mothers become more hopeful.

I believe I was called to use my gifts and privilege to join with others to help make a difference in the lives of women and mothers in need. During seminary, I began serving at Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church. It was there, with the support of an amazing congregation, we founded Wooden It Be Lovely. Wooden It Be Lovely is a program of Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church. It is a social enterprise that offers hope by assisting mothers in need of employment, job skills, recovery tools, mentoring, and love in our neighborhood and community. So really, it's not about painting furniture- it's about offering hope to mothers and loving their children. Restoring furniture is a good thing, restoring hope to a mother is an amazing thing.