Dear Refuge Center family, friends and supporters,

Thirteen years ago and every year since, you have said “yes” to the commitment of creating a place where people could come find respite, emotional care, and even transformation during the darkest of storms in their lives. Counseling helps release people from the burdens, barriers, and even shame stories that keep them from experiencing freedom. And it is a reminder: you are not alone in this.

In 2018, we provided 23,064 counseling sessions for 3,079 clients! This is almost 11% more clients and 26% more sessions than 2017. Our outstanding group of staff, post-master’s volunteers and interns have also invested deeply into this organization to see that our clients receive the best possible care and access to emotional healing.

No one is ever turned away from The Refuge Center because of finances. It is because of your support that we are able to offer counseling sessions on a sliding scale. Thank you! And for the client- no matter what their storm, their zip code, their income or otherwise, when they come to The Refuge Center, they receive access to the very best care. It is perhaps the combination of excellence and affordability, along with our culture of compassion that have led to unprecedented growth for us the past few years.

With that growth comes waitlists. Over the past twelve months alone, we have seen waitlists of 50-80 people at a time. Imagine that scenario at your own place of business, especially if you knew the stories of those waiting for help and care? To help the need for services, in July 2018, we added a new wing to our current space with six more clinical offices to be able to see 37% more clients. Yet we still have people waiting on our services.

But, there is hope. We ended 2018 with a contract on seven acres of beautiful land in Franklin, TN where we hope to build our larger permanent home. We need you to make this happen. YOU can be a part of this journey. There has never been a more crucial time in our organization’s history than right now. Visit www.refugegrowinghome.org for more information or contact me at amy.alexander@therefugecenter.org.

Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Your generosity changes lives. Please join us!

Sincerely,

Amy Alexander, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor

The Refuge Center for Counseling, Executive Director and Co-Founder