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- Prayer – Please pray for the Transformation Center and the lives that God impacts through us.
- Give – We are asking for 100 or more men step forward and give to help us change men and the lives that they interact with. We are asking for a gift of $150, but any gift and any amount will help.
- For every 100 girls who repeat kindergarten 194 boys repeat kindergarten.
- For every 100 girls suspended from public elementary and secondary schools, 215 boys are suspended.
- For every 100 girls diagnosed with a learning disability 276 boys are diagnosed with a learning disability.
- For every 100 females ages 15 to 19 that commit suicide 549 males in the same range kill themselves.
- For every 100 women ages 18 to 21 in correctional facilities there are 1430 men behind bars.
I’m asking for help for three reasons. First, I want to make you aware of a very serious threat to family relationships in our community: domestic violence. Second, I want to make you aware that there is hope of restoring these family relationships. Third, I want to tell you what you can do to help pave the way for restoration.
When men who never learn to deal with emotions in a non-violent manner have families of their own, they don’t know how to teach their sons to be strong men because they never learned themselves. In a recent interview with NPR, Antoine Fuqua, director of “Southpaw,” says, “We grew up being tough…sometimes it’s damaging because you don’t know as a man…that it’s okay to be gentle. [That] it’s okay to discuss your problems and not punch the other guy in the face. And then you become a father, and you have a family, and you have to teach your children the proper way of growing up. And you don’t really know how.” This is a perfect description of how violence as an emotional outlet is perpetuated through generations. In order for perpetrators of domestic violence to become functional partners and fathers, someone must intervene at some point and teach them the skills they never learned. This is where The Lighthouse Counseling Center’s Abuse Intervention with Life Skills (AILS) program comes in.
Through the AILS program, we strive to teach men how to manage the emotions that often drive them to exhibit abusive behavior. The facilitators of the AILS program combine classroom teaching with group discussion to equip men with the tools necessary to break negative behavior patterns and live healthy, functional lives. Once they complete the 12 to 26 week program, we hope they walk away with the knowledge that they have the power to break the cycle of domestic violence and to create a healthy environment for their children and partners.
Our goal over the next year is to ask 100 men to join with us in strengthening the presence of the AILS program in the Chattanooga community. Our Goal is for 100 men to give $150. For every 10 men who pledge $150 each, 1 man will be sponsored for a 12 to 26 week anger management class as well as a men’s spiritual retreat. This sponsorship will also allow us to provide access to other men’s health resources such as family enrichment and job skills training. For every man who is changed by his involvement in the AILS program, one less family lives in terror. Fewer children grow up in the shadow of abuse. Fewer women fear for their lives and the lives of their children. If we can intervene at an early stage, we can teach fathers how to be heroes instead of villains. We can teach husbands how to be protectors instead of persecutors. Please consider partnering with us in this endeavor. It is impossible for us to accomplish change on a great scale without working together. Our goal is 100 men that will give $150. If you can give more or less, any amount will help. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you so much for your help.
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