Campaign from March 27 - March 31, 2023!

Hi, my name is Jennifer and my organization is &Rise.

I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and experienced domestic abuse as an adult. I was always told to keep my abuse a secret. Not processing my trauma led to depression, anxiety, and low self-worth. As a result, I entered into many unhealthy and toxic romantic relationships, friendships, and work environments. In my late twenties, I began couples counseling with my abusive partner. Eventually, I broke up with him, vowed it was the last abusive relationship I would ever be in, and kept going to my counseling sessions. It changed my life.

I worked through many difficult, past traumas and found myself healing into a different person. However, it was hard to find a community without cattiness, jealousy, and gossip between women, so in 2019, I began doing “women’s empowerment” events out of my living room, for fun. The events were such a success that I started selling tickets on Eventbrite and reached my first 150 max ticket sellout. This was the lightbulb moment - I knew I was on to something and that women needed a safe community like this.

I formed &Rise in 2020 as a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization to position the organization to help as many abused women as possible. I created a place that provided the services I needed when I was going through all my abuse. The mission of &Rise is to empower women to be the ultimate versions of themselves no matter what adversities they’ve faced.

&Rise offers:

Free counseling for women in Illinois
Free support groups for female trauma and abuse survivors
Trauma life coaching
Book Club for Women - reading an inspiring memoir or self-help book
Career development - help with resumes and mock interviewing
Financial education - teaching women to become financially independent
Workshops that teach women about healthy relationships and healthy coping skills
Women's Empowerment Events (Galentines Brunch, Goal Setting Workshop, Confidence through Art Therapy Workshops and so much more!)

The “&” in our brand means your story isn’t over, and that there is more to tell and the “rise” refers to rising above the adversities faced. We call our women “Risers” to distinguish them from just being survivors.

Our counseling services focus on a holistic approach with a big emphasis on self-care, self-love and community building. We are a trauma-informed organization that leads with empathy, understanding, and meeting our risers where they currently are on their journey.

&Rise has served over 1800+ women through support groups and 1000+ women through special events. Special events include teaching women about healthy relationships, healthy coping skills, financial education, and empowerment. Our goal is to raise $5,000 by March 31, 2023, to further our programming. Your donation will make that possible.

Check Us Out on CBS!

For more information about &Rise, go to https://womenrisechicago.org/

Giving women a Second Chance Fundraiser by &Rise

Fundraiser to raise funds for counseling and support group services for female domestic and sexual abuse survivors

Team Members