Sharen singingIf you weren’t able to attend the Born2Win-A Survivor’s Journey choir concert, you missed one of the community’s best collaborative events of the year. It was an inspirational display of courage, resiliency and healing. It ignited the spirits of those in attendance to loose emotional chains, mend broken hearts, restore trust and faith in others and inspire self expression through song, poetry and testimonies.

The collaborative efforts of The Sharen Rooks Agency and WIANL proved to be a positive experience, with attendees wanting to learn more about the SRA and WIANL, the choir members and the purpose of the concert. The Sharen Rooks agency’s CEO Sharen Rooks, was the visionary behind the concert. Mrs. Rooks, who is a talented singer and author in her own right, is also a survivor of child molestation. It was her idea to host an event that would bring survivors of any number of adversities together to celebrate their triumphs in song. We are appreciative that Sharen chose our organization to partner with for such a monumental experience.

This showstopping event was complete with fabulous vendor shopping, professional hostesses and an energy that is hard to explain but has continued to carry a positive momentum that has exceeded our expectations for success. It is always the goal of any event to ensure that participants have enjoyed themselves, been impacted in a positive way and encouraged to take what they’ve learned back to their respective communities to promote tangible change. We believe this experience did those things and more. Every person from the MC, the choir, the musicians, the hostesses, the vendors, photographer and those offering readings and testimonies, offered an incredible evening that will not soon be forgotten. Many thanks to every single person involved in the concert’s success-patrons, vendors, Trinity Church for choir practices, hostesses, volunteers, customized t-shirts, thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement, etc. We could go on and on. Be on the lookout for the Born2Win Choir! We’ve learned that since the concert, the choir participants have been asked to sing elsewhere. I look forward to their next performance as they use their melodic voices to encourage and inspire those who have the opportunity to hear them sing. ~JP

Photo features Sharen Rooks leading one of the songs for the concert.