Volunteer Spotlight: Restoring Ivy Collective

Did you know Calvary Women’s Services’ Life Skills, Education, and Arts Program (LEAP) courses are led by dedicated volunteers and community partners? These individuals and groups share their expertise by providing educational and skill-building activities to women at Calvary.

Today, we’re showcasing the remarkable work of one of our LEAP partners, Restoring Ivy Collective (RIC). RIC is an anti-trafficking organization focused on providing educational, crisis, and intervention tools to survivors of domestic violence (DV). They also offer support groups, mentoring, referral, crisis support, consulting, and training around the DMV area. This is especially important now that in the District, nearly 1 in 2 unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness are survivors of DV.

Calvary recently spoke to Mylan Barnes, a Program Specialist at RIC, about the class she led for women in our programs. She is an advocate for her community, sharing her lived experiences to advocate for change, and uplifting the voices, needs, and hopes of the community. Mylan has a talent for building safe spaces and teaching conflict resolution in each of her sessions.

Mylan first began teaching at LEAP in 2023 to support survivors of DV at Calvary. Her class equipped women with the knowledge of how to recognize signs of sex trafficking, as well as exploitation prevention and intervention methods. With these tools, women also addressed trauma and built emotional regulation skills in a safe, supportive atmosphere.

The class also supported women at Calvary by building individual strengths to encourage independence. Together, residents learned the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, how to set SMART goals, and more. To Mylan, volunteering means “being able to show up and give with your heart,” a sentiment that is felt by the participants in her class.

When asked about her favorite experience at our programs, Mylan replied that it’s “seeing the growth and healing of the woman in the group when it comes to learning boundaries and what safety looks and feels like.”

“I am so proud of the community and culture that we have built in our survivor groups.”

We’re grateful to Mylan and RIC for providing vital and life-changing skills in their LEAP sessions!

Are you ready to support women at Calvary? Make a gift to ensure our educational programs can continue equipping residents with the tools to thrive or become a LEAP volunteer.