blvd. | givers
From pain to purpose THE NEWLY REBRANDED BRAVEWORKS CELEBRATES 10 YEARS EMPOWERING WOMEN IN CHARLOTTE AND AROUND THE WORLD.
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t’s been known as Fashion & Compassion for the last decade, but the Charlotte nonprofit that supports women both locally and across the world is marking its 10th anniversary with an updated mission and a name change to match. “[Fashion & Compassion] was the perfect name when we launched — it served us beautifully,” says Executive Director Beth Bell. “But we’re moving to a name that talks more about what the women do and how they emerge. The new name is more closely tied to their outcome.” Bell says the new name, BraveWorks, reinforces the organization’s “why”: empowering women and transforming pain to purpose. The group works with Charlotte women that have survived human trafficking, homelessness, addiction, abusive relationships and more. They come to BraveWorks for a three- to six-month program, where they learn to make jewelry, accessories, clothing and other items that are sold at BraveWorks’ Dilworth boutique at 1717 Cleveland Ave. In the process, the women gain work skills, social connections 42
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and supplemental income from product sales. A second part of the nonprofit works with women in Africa and South and Central America. Each year, the organization serves 120 women locally and more than 400 women and families globally. “It’s amazing when we see the impact of the program on these women, the support and encouragement they feel,” Bell says. “We see them moving from deeply rooted trauma to having hope for the future, and that’s thanks to the entire community of Charlotte.” Co-founder Michele Dudley got the idea for Fashion & Compassion during a 2008 mission trip to Africa. She brought back jewelry made by some of the village women and sold it to friends in Charlotte, then she sent the money back overseas. She realized by giving them a distribution channel, she was helping the women improve their own lives and the welfare of their villages. In 2014 while back home in Charlotte, Dudley met a human trafficking survivor and realized she wanted to expand the program to help women in her hometown. “She realized these women didn’t have any purpose in their lives,
PHOTOGRAPH BY LEANDRA CREATIVE
by Michelle Boudin
