The 2018 Award Winner is Dorothy Owsley!
The winner of this year's Local Hero Award is Dorothy Owsley. Owsley is the founder of Transitional Options for Women, a local non-profit. Transitional Options for Women works with women who have been previously incarcerated. This program is special because it works with women who do not have children.
Dorothy Owsley was inspired to work with these women after seeing her daughter in and out of prison and struggling to transition. “You have women who said no one ever cared about me. No one ever thought I could do anything; and if couldn’t save my daughter, my hope is to save someone else.” In 2005, while still living in Washington she began to create a program to help these women. She moved back to her hometown of Roanoke in 2009 and in 2012 started on a new program.
Transitional Options for Women is an eight-step program. The steps are personal development, substance abuse counseling, abused and battered women counseling, interpersonal skills building, community involvement, and healthy leisure activities. The women participate in fitness, diet, anger management, yoga, and financial classes. They are given a safe environment in which to live, and also take part in activities with the community. Women often get left behind in services for reintegration after prison. Studies show that more than two thirds (63 percent) of all women are re-incarcerated within five years of getting out of prison. This statistic could change if everyone went through a program like this. Dorothy Owsley says we all make mistakes and anyone can change if they have good support. Transitional Options for Women graduated their first class in June of 2017. They are (I don't know what’s happening with the coffee shop) . This program is growing and we hope it continues to grow far into the future.
Dorothy Owsley was inspired to work with these women after seeing her daughter in and out of prison and struggling to transition. “You have women who said no one ever cared about me. No one ever thought I could do anything; and if couldn’t save my daughter, my hope is to save someone else.” In 2005, while still living in Washington she began to create a program to help these women. She moved back to her hometown of Roanoke in 2009 and in 2012 started on a new program.
Transitional Options for Women is an eight-step program. The steps are personal development, substance abuse counseling, abused and battered women counseling, interpersonal skills building, community involvement, and healthy leisure activities. The women participate in fitness, diet, anger management, yoga, and financial classes. They are given a safe environment in which to live, and also take part in activities with the community. Women often get left behind in services for reintegration after prison. Studies show that more than two thirds (63 percent) of all women are re-incarcerated within five years of getting out of prison. This statistic could change if everyone went through a program like this. Dorothy Owsley says we all make mistakes and anyone can change if they have good support. Transitional Options for Women graduated their first class in June of 2017. They are (I don't know what’s happening with the coffee shop) . This program is growing and we hope it continues to grow far into the future.
2018 Honorees:
Robin and Blaine of Fleet Feet Roanoke
Joe Cobb
Roanoke Refugee Partnership
One of our nominees is Fleet Feet and Robin and Blaine who own our Fleet Feet location. They actively donate and help the community. For the 15 years that Robin and Blaine have owned their store at every turn have been helping the community. While helping out the majority by selling shoes, Fleet Feet also meets people’s needs in the community by donating to nonprofits in the Roanoke valley. They donate their time, not just fitness products, to nonprofits like T.A.P (Total Action for Progress) which is a recent donation they have made. Fleet Feet has also donated money to Turning Point which houses victims of domestic violence, also Fleet Feet gave money to the Rescue mission and local schools. As well as giving to these nonprofits Fleet Feet has given 25,000 to people in need of good quality shoes.
One of our nominees this year was Joe Cobb. Joe a native of Kansas is now settled here in Roanoke, Virginia with his husband, James, and their two children. Joe is a writer and coauthor of the book Our Family Outing. Joe is also an advocate for social rights. He is a former pastor at Metropolitan Community Church. Joe was called into ministry in 1981. Several years after coming out Joe was ordained at the Metropolitan Community Church. The Church then became a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community. He left in May to run for City Council. Joe is an empowering speaker that works hard to help the community.
We would like to commend and support the change the Roanoke Refugee Partnership. In 2016 Megan Carter held a gathering in Roanoke city market place to share ideas about how to help the refugee population in Roanoke there she connected with local resettlement agencies like the Commonwealth Catholic Charities. Ms Carter learned about the gaps these services had so she set out to make a Roanoke Refugee Partnership. The nonprofit group gained 501 c status in April 2016 and its main focus was to be a hub of services to help refugees become services. They help with medical services, tutoring in English, and navigating public. They continue today with their volunteer efforts to help the refugees in the Roanoke Valley.
One of our nominees this year was Joe Cobb. Joe a native of Kansas is now settled here in Roanoke, Virginia with his husband, James, and their two children. Joe is a writer and coauthor of the book Our Family Outing. Joe is also an advocate for social rights. He is a former pastor at Metropolitan Community Church. Joe was called into ministry in 1981. Several years after coming out Joe was ordained at the Metropolitan Community Church. The Church then became a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community. He left in May to run for City Council. Joe is an empowering speaker that works hard to help the community.
We would like to commend and support the change the Roanoke Refugee Partnership. In 2016 Megan Carter held a gathering in Roanoke city market place to share ideas about how to help the refugee population in Roanoke there she connected with local resettlement agencies like the Commonwealth Catholic Charities. Ms Carter learned about the gaps these services had so she set out to make a Roanoke Refugee Partnership. The nonprofit group gained 501 c status in April 2016 and its main focus was to be a hub of services to help refugees become services. They help with medical services, tutoring in English, and navigating public. They continue today with their volunteer efforts to help the refugees in the Roanoke Valley.