STROUDSBURG, Pa. — When anyone walks through the doors of Metamorphosis Women's Empowerment Initiative in Stroudsburg, Charece Sanders and her team say, "welcome home."
They have dedicated their space to women who may not have the most ideal home life.
“I'm just here to help other women pretty much notice their worth,” Sanders said.
Sanders created the one-stop shop for women's services after living through a time where she didn't see her own self-worth.
"I can't possibly be the only women in East Stroudsburg looking for support services who felt suicidal, who was going through a divorce,” said Sanders.
Out of her own struggles, she created the rebirth project, offering programs focused on food insecurity, mental health services, and job readiness programs.
She helps women throughout Monroe County who have been previously incarcerated or are coming out of rehab with the tools to improve their mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
“Out of those situations, they have to start over, so that's a new life that they get to start from day one, and we want to celebrate the new life,” Sanders added.
On Saturday, they are putting on Kuzaliwa Upya, which means rebirth in Swahili. It's more than a gala to raise money for women in need of their services. It will celebrate their clients' new era and what makes them feel empowered.
For Andrea Cato, that's dancing.
“I came to America when I was a very small child, but I held onto my culture as tight as I could,” said Cato, an entertainer for Kuzaliwa Upya.
Cato will be one of the many performers who will be taking the stage at Kalahari Resort and Convention Center, but she's not dancing alone.
“I don't know many mothers and daughters that dance together in that way. A lot of first-generation parents don't embrace the culture of their parents the way that she did, so to me this is a blessing,” Cato said.
Both women are hoping to share their stories with the guests that come to Kuzaliwa Upya.
If you want to be a part of the celebration you can find the link for tickets here.