The annual Spring Refresh event at Zakat Foundation of American Community Center - Chicago (Zakat Foundation of AmericaCCC) brought 35 women ranging in age from 30 to 75 into a safe and healing atmosphere in early May.
Zakat Foundation of AmericaCCC Director Laila Muhammad said the goal for this event was to foster a therapeutic atmosphere.
“I wanted an environment where the women felt free to laugh and cry,” Ms. Muhammad said. “These women walk around all the time with their guard up. We created an environment at Zakat Foundation of AmericaCCC where the women could take off their armor.”
The three-day event featured a Friday evening presentation and in-depth discussion about domestic violence. Saturday featured neighborhood entrepreneurs who showcased their small businesses, for example through complimentary hand massages and sharing artisanal bread.
On Sunday the ladies enjoyed a brunch and viewed a documentary titled “Mother Daughter Wisdom,” which led into a discussion of relationships between family members and within marriages.
At the end of the weekend many participants said they wanted to keep meeting on a monthly basis.
“With all the gun violence, unemployment, and lack of opportunity, these women are in a rough place,” Ms. Muhammad said. “A monthly meeting would provide them with some sort of therapeutic retreat from hardship.”
To support this safe and healing space for women who carry the weight of their struggling communities on their shoulders, please donate today.
