On Sunday, October 24, Lovelady hosted our annual alumni event—but this year was special. Not only were we celebrating the accomplishments of our graduates: We were also celebrating 17 years of serving our community! We’re thrilled to say that this event was the largest we’ve ever had with more than 1,200 women in attendance. We had attendees from every year—and many that traveled from far and wide to celebrate with us.
Back to Our Roots
Our theme for this year’s alumni event was “Back To Our Roots” with the key verse of Jeremiah 17:7–8, which serves as a reminder to our Loveladies to be rooted in the Lord.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
While touching base with all of these amazing women, we felt a great need for community and support. Because we couldn’t safely hold our alumni event last year, we knew that the need for community this year would be even greater. We were not prepared for how great that need would be—in light of everything we have all lost over the past two years. We heard repeatedly how much our Loveladies needed this gathering to connect and catch up.
Stories From Lovelady Center Graduates
One of the best things about this annual event is being able to catch up with these women and see how God has worked in their lives since graduating from our program.
Bringing Families Together
A graduate from 2014 attended our event, despite living all the way in Georgia. She felt that it was important for her to come back to mark her own progress, recognize the growth of her fellow Loveladies, and celebrate The Lovelady Center’s 17 years of hard work in the community. She even brought her daughter with her, who she did not have custody of before her time with us. This served as a constant reminder of how God’s love improved her life by bringing her to The Lovelady Center. She’s now a manager at her job and couldn’t be more grateful for the chance to live her life to the fullest.
Opening the Door to New Possibilities
Another graduate from earlier this year drove up from Baldwin County to let us know how amazing her new life has been. She didn’t think that she’d ever live the life she is now, experiencing all of the amazing things she now has. She was recently given keys to the restaurant that she’s now managing. Never before has she been trusted with this kind of responsibility, and it’s helped her confidence grow leaps and bounds. Even more exciting, she’s on track to regain custody of her children this December!
God at Work
We heard hundreds of stories like these throughout the day of our alumni reunion. And we’re so thankful! Stories like these are what help us continue to do the hard work day in and day out that’s needed to help these women turn their lives around. It’s impossible to see all the lives that have been touched and not know that it’s the Hand of God at work.
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It was so wonderful to catch up and see my Lovelady family!