It Began with a Mother
The Missouri Big Ocean cottage began with a mother who believed in the vision and mission of her daughter to change the world, one drop at a time. Vilma watched in wonder as her daughter, Carolina Allen, founded Big Ocean Women as a result of powerful inspiration. Sensing the value and importance of Carolina’s work, Vilma had a great desire to share Big Ocean’s vision and tenets with friends in Missouri who were also concerned about political and socio-economic problems in their community. Together, they decided to form a cottage.
They share their message by gathering to discuss the tenets and getting informed about problems facing their community. Next, they share this understanding with Big Ocean members and other interested people. They also support political policy makers who support faith, family, and motherhood. As a result, they are recognized as a powerful voice and force in their community.
It’s only fitting that one of their key events was centered on mothers. After discussing the tenet, “We are empowered by our feminine nature and biology, and we honor our procreative power,” they threw a Big Ocean Women baby shower. It was held for one of their members who was expecting, but all the gifts were donated to Mother’s Refuge, an organization which provides food, clothing, housing, training, and schooling to single mothers who choose to keep their babies.
Their September cottage meeting featured Chris Wade sharing her experience as a human traffic survivor. The event was well-attended, including some teens and young adult daughters and granddaughters of the cottage members and friends.
Chris is currently the executive director of the Justice Project KC, which provides advocacy and peer support for women and girls in poverty. She is a mentor/volunteer/advocate for other organizations, a voice respected by law enforcement, a guest lecturer, and a consultant on human trafficking for the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.
Attendees found her presentation eye-opening and informative.
Comments included: “It was outstanding last night, so informative!” “I appreciate your invitation to attend this meeting. It was inspiring and compelling …”
The group also began plans for a community event scheduled for September 2020.
The heart of their work, however, is nurturing each member of their cottage. They seek to strengthen each woman and create unity. This, they say with their mothers’ hearts, is what they do best.
