Kalise’s Story of Hope is the third video in our Stories of Hope series.
Kalise tells the story of her journey leaving an abusive relationship to becoming a House of Ruth resident, and now to serving on House of Ruth’s Board of Directors, living in her own apartment with a degree in social work, a great job, and thriving children.
Kalise left her abuser in 2004, and received support from House of Ruth. As a resident, she learned to recognize the fallout from the abuse and learned coping mechanisms as she and her children healed from the trauma. With House of Ruth’s support, Kalise completed her undergraduate degree in social work from the University of the District of Columbia, and in 2011 she transitioned to living in her own apartment. In 2016, she joined the House of Ruth Board of Directors.
For Kalise, being a member of the Board means that she can be a voice for past and current residents of House of Ruth. She knows that for women who are survivors of abuse, there can be fear and shame around discussing their experiences, so she strives to speak for those who are afraid to speak out on these topics. She acknowledges that House of Ruth played a large role in the lives of her children as well. She shares that they are all productive citizens, thanks to the support of the Kidspace program, and highlights that her second daughter was just accepted into college to study to become a labor and delivery nurse — another story of hope!