The mission statement follows: Community at the Crossroads (CATC) is a residential resource community for women of all ages, able to house 30 women and up to 30 children at a time. Its 2-year residential mission is to create a supportive setting so women in each stage of the life-cycle--women with young children, women at mid-life, and women of advanced age--can come together and work toward rebuilding their lives. Some women may come to CATC following a major life crisis--life threatening illness, divorce, death of a loved one, or disability. Others will come to heal from ongoing trauma--poverty, violence, unemployment.
A primary goal of the Community is self-sufficiency. For some residents, that will entail working with a support team consisting of peers and counselors to tailor their own life-work program. At the end of a potential two-year residency, it is expected that these women will "graduate" having met their objectives, ready to re-enter the extended community. For residents dealing with life-threatening illness, graduation may mean walking the path toward dying. The mission of CATC is to provide an inclusive environment to facilitate each woman's journey, whether it be toward new beginnings, or endings. Our overall objective is to create a new model for living. This new model will be based on cooperation and interdependence. The ultimate goal of CATC is to provide an environment to help women unleash their own human potential. Residents will not only pursue their personal career objectives, but will also contribute to the daily operation of CATC; facility maintenance, food preparation, gardening, staffing the daycare center, running the retreat facility, etc. By participating in both the material operation of CATC, as well as the decision making process, residents will acquire the skills necessary to support the achievement of both autonomy and teamwork. The foundation of each woman's journey will include the following: Physical--Holistic approaches to health and healing, including diet, exercise, health education, as well as ongoing medical care. Material--Career and life-work planning, financial counseling, academic advancement: GED completion, college entrance, internships and mentoring, as desired. Emotional--Individual and group counseling, team building, self- assessment and exploration. Spiritual--An openly non-denominational policy will be fostered, encouraging individual spiritual growth using various forms of meditation, prayer and study. _______________________________________________________ I hope this answers some questions--let me know if you have feedback! Thanks, and blessings to all, Dylene Maryland