It’s been said before: restoring one life creates multitudes of positive pathways in a family and a community.

Since our launch, The Portico has helped restore the lives of 20 people through employment in our cafe with a mission.

Think of the multiplier effects of changing those 20 lives. When you restore a life, you empower a family to achieve their full potential.

These multiplying effects are life changing, but they can also be simple things like:

Birthday presents
Lunch money & field trips
New clothing and shoes
A quiet room where a child can study
Security deposits and rent that is paid on time.

We restore these souls and like a pebble you throw in a still pond, they cause beneficial life ripples.
In my humble opinion, Mindi Vaughn is more than a pebble.

In 2017, this woman came in like a wrecking ball!
Standing by Mindi
My first encounter with Mindi was the day of our soft open. She attempted to take my order…and um… I’m a tough customer y’all (Lord forgive me).

But even in that “tough moment”, when I’m sure I was trying to sub-out-this-for-that-and-add-chicken, Mindi executed a sense of determination. Some would call it grace under fire. There was also a slight eye-roll, but I totally deserved it.

Mindi has what folks call grit: courage and resolve; strength of character. It is how a formerly homeless and drug dependent mother found a job as a part-time barista while living in a rehab facility; and is now our Cafe Manager of over three years.

There was also a community of care that stood by Mindi.
It was her support system at Cove, her then Cafe Manager, our Director Justin and organizations like Love INC. We all fell-in on Mindi and stood beside her as she chose to stand up for her potential and the future of her child.

Stand by Mindi This Saturday

7:30 a.m. Saturday, Apr. 30 | Mindi’s “Big” Habitat Build Day
I’ve been so encouraged by the story of this young mother–a woman who chose to live unsheltered and in active addiction for many years. She’s a wrecking-ball-of-a-woman who now chooses to live up to her God-given potential. And I stand by her.

Stand by Mindi this Saturday in her future neighborhood. Together we’ll build a foundation that will inspire excellence in her life and her family for generations to come.

Peace,

Chalette M. Davis
Events & Missions
The Portico
Chalette@ThePortico.org
O: 813.222.2299 | M: 813.951.6974
1001 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33602
Conversation. Connection. Community Change.
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Posted in Connections News