Images of Hope

Photo by Steven L. Miller

At the risk of bragging, I will declare that as the development director at Calvary Women’s Services I have the best job in D.C. (There likely are a few other contenders, say, being President of the United States or maybe owning the Capitals. We can debate that another time, though.)

Each year more than 100 women come to Calvary to work on changing their lives. We have a fantastic staff that works directly with them, and my colleagues tell me that they have great jobs, too.

But my job is largely to help women tell their stories, to help others learn more about what happens here, and to help people who want to get involved find meaningful ways to do just that. It’s a great gig.

Photo by Heather Laing

One of the best parts of this work is selecting and sometimes even creating the photographs that will help tell the stories. These photos are often inspiring, capturing the sense of hope and empowerment that women can nurture while they are at Calvary.

Their stories may include histories of trauma and violence, struggles with addiction, major health crises, and more. Yet the women who come here overcome these tremendous obstacles and change their own lives for the better, and those are stories worth telling. The photos are testaments to those stories and the strengths of the women.

With Calvary’s 28 years of history in pictures, there are so many to choose from, so many I love. Images of women graduating, women helping each other, women returning to work, women in their own homes again. So many pictures that are worth more than any number of words.

Photo by Phill Hoying

I have selected a few here to share with you, some that really speak to me of hope. On the odd days when my job is not as enthralling as other days, photos like these – and the women whose stories they help tell – inspire me to keep going.

Which of them inspires you?