Tracey White has served as the Lead Recovery Support Specialist at Sojourner House for six years. But that is not where her story with the organization starts. Sojourner House has played a part in Tracey's life for 26 years. In 1995, she started her recovery journey in Apartment 9. After she completed her six-month program, she said she didn’t want to leave. But she knew she had to. Knowing that she always did well in a structured setting, Tracey went to another recovery program for a year. There she found a job, found housing, and, in her words, “Never looked back.” Tracey celebrated 26 years clean on December 20th. You Can Go Home Again During her recovery journey, Tracey says that she learned that you can go back home again. After being clean for about 3 years, she came back to … [Read more...] about Meet Tracey-Ann White
Recovery
In honor of Black History Month, Sojourner House will highlight inspirational female roles from black history, each week in February. Gayle King is the final woman to be highlighted this month. Gayle King is an American television personality, author and broadcast journalist for CBS News. She co-hosts its flagship morning program, CBS This Morning, a position she has held since its debut in 2012. She is also an editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine. CBS This Morning is the network’s most successful morning news broadcast in more than 30 years. Since joining CBS News, King has conducted revealing, news-making interviews with world leaders, political figures and celebrities. Recently, King landed a string of high-profile, competitive interviews. This includes sitting down … [Read more...] about In honor of … Gayle King
Luciana Brussi and about a dozen friends of Sojourner House supporter Kenia Ashby recently collected toys for Sojourner House’s children, to be distributed on Christmas. The donations, dropped off Dec. 14, were in honor of Kenia, a loyal friend of Sojourner House. A Brazilian jazz singer, Kenia and her band shared their talents during Sojourner House’s virtual Victorian Tea in August. Kenia suffered a stroke this autumn, but thankfully, is recuperating. Luciana and Kenia’s other friends, all natives of Brazil, live throughout the Pittsburgh area. When asked why the group of women chose Sojourner House as a recipient, Luciana said the following: “The idea to help (Sojourner House) was part of one small project I started this year! I have a small prayer group named ‘A arte de … [Read more...] about Kenia Ashby and friends donate toys to Sojourner House
By Katie Orr Sept. 30, 2020 Sojourner House friend Patty Jasko has spoken with Sojourner House and Sojourner House MOMS residents numerous times over the past several years, to share her story of addiction and recovery. Patty scheduled yet another visit - originally set for April - in February, before COVID-19 took hold of the world. But the Florida resident wasn’t going to let the pandemic prevent her from seeing, as she lovingly refers to Sojourner House residents, “my girls.” Via a Zoom meeting on June 18, Patty spoke to the residents about her own struggle with addiction and the ways in which she has overcome the battle. Now in recovery for almost 13 years, Patty started by admitting to the women that she “made a lot of mistakes that can’t be fixed,” but … [Read more...] about Long-time Sojourner House friend meets with residents via Zoom
Bynums Marketing & Communications, Inc. and BCC Ministries Go Virtual With the 2020 Pittsburgh Circle of Courage Awards; Event Celebrates 10 Years of Honoring Persons of Faith and Courage Bynums Marketing & Communications, Inc. and BCC Ministries are pleased to present the Tenth Annual Pittsburgh Circle of Courage Awards scheduled for Friday, August 21, 2020, at 6:45 p.m. In sensitivity to the COVID-19 epidemic, this will be a virtual event. Awardees selected for this honor include individuals from various industries who have demonstrated faith and courage in their chosen field. This year’s awardees include: Micheline Barkley BUSINESS Mike Logan SPORTS De’netta Benjamin-Miller, LCSW SOCIAL SERVICES Pastor Eric L. Ewell, Sr. RELIGION Marlin D. … [Read more...] about Sojourner House Executive Director, De’netta Benjamin-Miller, receiving Pittsburgh Circle of Courage Award during virtual event on Aug. 21
Dear Friends of Sojourner House, One of the first objects that our clients, staff, volunteers, and guests see upon entering our building is a photo of great African-American preacher Sojourner Truth. As many of you know, our 29-year-old organization was named after Sojourner Truth who was nothing short of a heroine and a role model for all generations that have followed. Truth was born into slavery, but escaped to freedom in 1826. She gave herself the name Sojourner Truth in 1843 after she became convinced that God had called her to leave the city and go into the countryside "testifying the hope that was in her." During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit Black troops for the Union Army. An electrifying public speaker, Sojourner Truth committed her life to being a … [Read more...] about A Message For Social Justice