Every story
is a triumph.

Spalding Success Story by Legal Advocate

Success isn’t always about money, big careers, or flashy milestones. Sometimes, success looks like getting out of bed when everything feels heavy. Sometimes, it means realizing, “I don’t have to live like this.” Other times, it’s finally finding a safe place to breathe after living in fear for so long. 

I had the honor of connecting with a survivor who was pregnant and caught in a painful cycle of abuse. She wasn’t just dealing with violence at home - she was also managing a serious medical condition, all while trying to protect her unborn child. Every day felt like a fight for survival. But she made the brave decision to reach out for help. 

Deciding to file for a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) wasn’t a quick or simple decision. We spent time safety planning together, talking through her options, her fears, and what she wanted for herself and her baby. She wanted peace, but not punishment. She loved her abuser, who was also the father of her child. She didn’t want to see him in trouble or locked away. She just wanted him to get the help he needed. To be better. To show up in a healthy way for their children. There was a battle within herself between protecting someone she cared about and protecting herself from the harm he was causing. 

Ultimately, she made the incredibly brave decision to proceed with a TPO. She recognized that safety had to come first. She chose to break the cycle. And she did it with compassion, strength, and incredible courage. It took strength to share her story, to face the process, and to take that step toward freedom. The protective order was granted, and the judge also ordered her abuser into drug treatment - a decision that reflected the complexity of the situation and offered a path toward accountability and potential change, without criminalizing someone she still had compassion for. 

As she began to rebuild, something unexpected and healing happened: she reconnected with her mother. Her mom was also a survivor of domestic violence and carried a lot of guilt over what her daughter had gone through. Her mother disclosed to her daughter that she had actually connected with Promise Place about ten to fifteen years earlier and had received support and services from us, long before her daughter ever reached out to us. For a long time, their relationship had been distant, shaped by pain and silence. But through their shared experiences, they found a chance to heal together. Her mother was finally able to face her own past, and in doing so, became a strong, supportive presence in her daughter’s life. What had once felt broken between them slowly transformed into a source of comfort, understanding, and strength. It wasn’t just healing for the client, it was healing for both of them. 

Today, this survivor is living a life free from violence. She’s parenting in peace. She’s managing her health and putting her children first. And she’s surrounded by support, not just from Promise Place, but from her own family. 

Her story is a reminder that success isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s not just about money or status. Sometimes, it’s about safety. Healing. Reconnection. Generational change. And that kind of success is just as powerful, maybe even more so.

Jane Doe

I cannot express how exciting it was to see everything in the bags I picked up from office at Promise Place today, without a doubt it was an enormous blessing. I thank God for every person that made this possible, a Promise Place for being a refuge where we can feel supported and know that one is not alone, for each smile that we are received with each time that purple door opens, and for you Miss Lynne for listening to us, for sharing your Kleenex box without being scared we’ll empty it and for your words for our hearts. God fill every single one of your days with peace and joy and may He bless everyone abundantly! Wishing you a beautiful and blessed Christmas!! Again, thank you so so much for everything!

Jane Doe

I hope the ladies in group know there is life after domestic violence. It takes a while, and you question yourself 5 million times during the process, but there is so much peace after. I think one of my favorite things now seems so crazy, and yet it's so real. I can eat food, and I don't get sick. My abuser was poisoning us there at the end, and every time I ate, I felt awful. Eventually that progressed to the kids. For years, I thought I had extreme food allergies but turns out it was just him tainting my food. Now I eat anything I want (probably why I now have extra pounds that I need to lose, lol), and I don't feel sick at all. It's almost like God is giving back for all the years the locusts ate.

Thank you so much for everything! I'm thankful for everything that Promise Place did for us. I would like to be able to provide someone else with support because that definitely made a huge difference in my life.