Doing God’s work right here at home

her skills as a designer and seamstress to teach and empower women from all walks of life, while also operating a successful consignment business.

“Hope is my mission and passion, which is Jesus Christ and the gospel. So many are lost and they don’t know who they are, and we’re all created with purpose,” she said.

After years working in finance, Ackerman knew it was time to pursue her true passion, and in 2013, she went back into business working out of her basement.

“I built a studio much like this one with dressing rooms and everything,” she said. “Business was great as people will come to you when you can do a good job. I knew I wanted to be out in the community in some capacity because I wanted to help women.

I want to teach and train, and I’m looking to build a mission of women together and we’re going to do so many cool things together.”

After her husband passed away, Ackerman started opening up her home to women in need.

“Over the year I’ve taken 10 women into my house,” she said.

“I will literally take them into my house and tell them they have a safe place to dry out. I taught one of those girls how to sew and she was quite successful for a while before getting back into addiction.”

Ackerman is also the founder of Hope 4 More, a mission she created 10 years ago to help battered and abused women from all walks of life.

“Hope 4 More was an evangelist mission. When I lost my husband

I started to read the word of God and it changed my life,” she said.

“I was a party girl like you wouldn’t believe and I could have been dead had I kept going. That’s how I met my husband on the streets of Vancouver, but out of that came my mission to want to help girls because I know where I could have been.

“Hope 4 More came from losing my husband.”

Ackerman explained losing her husband 17 years ago almost caused her to lose her faith, but her mission of helping women conquered that fear.

“I opened the word of God the night he dies and guess what words of hope I get from the Bible? ‘I will sustain the widow and the orphan.’”

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“That changed my life and I started reading the Bible every day since.”

Ackerman also explained how she’s able to further give back to the community through Scarlet Thread Boutique.

“A portion of our funds go to women in need and people also donate clothes to us,” she said, noting the store opened roughly nine months ago.

“We’ve been giving to the Interval Home and Residents in Recovery as they mainly focus on women, which is my passion.”

Another special project Ackerman is excited about involves making sure young girls look their best for graduation, even if they can’t afford a dress.

“One girl came in with her friend and her friend couldn’t afford the dress she was looking at. I thought the dress looked so good on her and I wanted to see what I could do to help,” she said.

“We needed to raise $450 for this dress, and through word of mouth we raised enough to cover the cost of the dress.”

No matter who comes through the doors of the boutique, Ackerman knows everyone has a story and doesn’t deserve to be judged.

“We get prostitutes and drug addicts coming in, and many times they’re here to steal, but, I’ll just start talking to them, and as I reach out, some will keep their heads down, but others will open up and tell you their story.

“In those cases, I give them my card and say ‘Come back and see me if you want out.’ Out of that, people are now donating purses that we’ll stuff with needed supplies and hand out to those in need.”

Ackerman noted the purses will also include a pen and pad of paper for the recipient to tell their story.

“All of these women I’ve helped over the years have the oppor - tunity to come work here once they’ve done the work and gotten clean.”

For Ackerman, it’s the people of Lloydminster that make it such an amazing place to live and she can’t wait to see what the future holds for Scarlet Thread Boutique and the women she’s helping to empower.

Kirstyn Elder-Findlay was born in Loon Lake and lived there until she was about eight before moving to the Border City.

At 28 years old, Elder-Findlay is a Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) working with dementia patients and palliative care. She is also a certified End of Life Doula.