Oasis Empowerment Center commemorates Recovery Month
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186px; line-height: 13.7999992370605px;"> It's a safe haven for women who have been either been traumatized or going through a rough time in their lives. </span>
September 26, 2014Updated: September 26, 2014
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Sabrina Salas Matanane
Guam - It's a safe haven for women who have been either been traumatized or going through a rough time in their lives.
Things are finally coming together for 33-year old Kristina, thanks to the Oasis Empower Center. "Oasis has helped me with a drug addiction regaining my family with family partnering skills in general with becoming a better person," she said.
In September of last year, Kristina hit rock bottom - she was homeless and lost everything. "I didn't have any family my mother wasn't talking to me my sister wasn't talking to me, Child Protective Services had all of my children," she said.
And although the road to recovery was long and hard almost a year with oasis she has turned her life around. Holly Rustick is the programs manager and said, "We just have a real holistic program for women in need that might have substance abuse, addiction, domestic violence or sexual assault issues and we also have those for women in poverty, so we're really looking and supporting and inspiring women in the whole way."
The Oasis Empowerment Center first opened its doors ten years ago as a recovery center for women, but since then has grown to include other programs geared toward trauma healing and housing for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, workforce solutions and housing for those in poverty, rape prevention for youth, and housing and support services for homeless women with children. On average they service 125 women annually.
Rustick said, "We really encourage women to come forward don't' be afraid if you are facing any issue whether that be poverty, domestic violence or substance abuse please come forward to us we can provide you some resources there is hope."
And for Kristina that hope has turned into healing. "They taught me how to work through my issues and to actually forgive myself first and then to learn to forgive others and through that I was able to realize that I was holding on to angers and pains that I didn't need to hold on to I was blaming things on people I didn't need to blame them for and I eventually made amends with my dad who I was mad at since I was a child I made amends with my mom and sister who I hadn't talked to in about four years," she recalled.
"And now it feels like my puzzle is complete and I look at it everyday its this beautiful puzzle that I never saw before and no one can take that from me anymore."
For more information you can go to OasisEmpowermentCenter.org or visit them on their Facebook page. You can also call 646-4601.
Guam - It's a safe haven for women who have been either been traumatized or going through a rough time in their lives.
Things are finally coming together for 33-year old Kristina, thanks to the Oasis Empower Center. "Oasis has helped me with a drug addiction regaining my family with family partnering skills in general with becoming a better person," she said.
In September of last year, Kristina hit rock bottom - she was homeless and lost everything. "I didn't have any family my mother wasn't talking to me my sister wasn't talking to me, Child Protective Services had all of my children," she said.
And although the road to recovery was long and hard almost a year with oasis she has turned her life around. Holly Rustick is the programs manager and said, "We just have a real holistic program for women in need that might have substance abuse, addiction, domestic violence or sexual assault issues and we also have those for women in poverty, so we're really looking and supporting and inspiring women in the whole way."
The Oasis Empowerment Center first opened its doors ten years ago as a recovery center for women, but since then has grown to include other programs geared toward trauma healing and housing for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, workforce solutions and housing for those in poverty, rape prevention for youth, and housing and support services for homeless women with children. On average they service 125 women annually.
Rustick said, "We really encourage women to come forward don't' be afraid if you are facing any issue whether that be poverty, domestic violence or substance abuse please come forward to us we can provide you some resources there is hope."
And for Kristina that hope has turned into healing. "They taught me how to work through my issues and to actually forgive myself first and then to learn to forgive others and through that I was able to realize that I was holding on to angers and pains that I didn't need to hold on to I was blaming things on people I didn't need to blame them for and I eventually made amends with my dad who I was mad at since I was a child I made amends with my mom and sister who I hadn't talked to in about four years," she recalled.
"And now it feels like my puzzle is complete and I look at it everyday its this beautiful puzzle that I never saw before and no one can take that from me anymore."
For more information you can go to OasisEmpowermentCenter.org or visit them on their Facebook page. You can also call 646-4601.