Carpenter Place- Helping Wichita Girls!

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Cory Long, the new CEO of Carpenter Place. We were both attending the same meeting about homeless youth along with Michelle Martling of 24-7 Life Ministries. Immediately Michelle and I knew Cory was something special!

During the meeting Cory mentioned that Carpenter Place had openings for girls in both the 6-18 age cottages and the 18-21 age apartments on their campus. The next day Michelle took one of the girls she had met through her street ministry work over to view the apartments. She moved in almost immediately. As Cory tells the story, she was moved to tears and visibly shaking as she viewed the apartment that would soon be hers. Fully stocked and furnished, just as we would send our own kids out into the world. There were towels in the bathroom, dishes in the cabinets, bedding on the bed.

The bed.

Her own bed.

Where she could do something she hadn't been able to do in ages...sleep in on a weekend morning. And a shower that she didn't have to share with anyone else. And if she completes the program designed for her, she gets to take everything in the apartment with her when she moves on. Yup. All of it. The furniture, the dishes, the towels. She'll have all the essentials to start her independent life out in the big ol' world. Just as we would send our own kids out into the world.

When she moved into her apartment, just as every other girl on campus, she became family. Cory and his wife Michelle care for the girls at Carpenter Place as if they were their own.

Carpenter Place is privately funded and faith-based. The girls attend an e-learning school right on campus with their wonderful teacher JoAnn. They love to sew and JoAnn loves teaching them.

With school in mind, there are a few things that JoAnn has said the classroom could use:

• CD Players (The girls can listen to CDs at their work stations while they do their school work)
• Energizer Rechargeable Batteries (AAs)
• Spiral Notebooks (The girls go through a lot of these!)
• Pocket Folders (The paper kind)
• Pens & Pencils
• New or Refurbished Computers (OK- this one they didn't ask for but they NEED them and I'm throwing it out there because...who knows!)

If you can help with any of these items, please email jennifer@ictsos.org.

In just the few weeks I have known him, Cory has moved 2 girls off the streets and into Carpenter Place apartments. This is a great opportunity for girls in our city to escape a life of exploitation. Or even better, to avoid one. Not only do they meet the basic needs of the girls but the social, spiritual, and emotional needs as well. They help these girls heal and prepare for a great life ahead. They teach them to budget, apply for a job, cook, plan...

Just as we would send our own kids out into the world.