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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cI\u2019m really excited about all the programs we intend on implementing and the plans we\u2019re working on,\u201d said Beesley. There will be programs that will partner with high schools. It will pull in 15- and 16-year-olds to come in and work in all the different businesses in this collaborative space. Whether it\u2019s filing, being an apprentice, or whatever it might be, the goal is not so much what they\u2019re doing. The goal is to teach skills that will instill confidence because confident children are less likely to become victims of abuse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe both understand that the rebuild process is multi-faceted, and it can\u2019t be put inside a box,\u201d Beesley concludes. \u201cThere\u2019s a box, but it\u2019s got flexible sides!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a crucial matter to Beesley, who has faced many struggles. \u201cIf I had someone who came along and told 15-year-old or 16-year old me that I was more than the situation I was in, that I was a child of God, I was loved, and I did not need to find my approval in [mankind], I probably would have taken a very different path than what I did that got me in that situation that I had to fight so hard to get out of.\u201d Beesley is positioned to help others run a profitable business and be mindful of making the community better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSweet Indulgence does a lot of community outreach. We\u2019re not a nonprofit but a for-profit bakery, but most of our profits go back into the community. The idea is to have that community support there. Teaching people how to do that effectively and not hurt your bottom line is important. That took me a long time to learn because I had a hard time saying no. You just want to say yes to every person who comes through that door. That\u2019s not financially sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beesley said, \u201cDream Forge\u2019s current focus is to get our offices and kitchen spaces rented out so we can bring this income in and start implementing these programs.\u201d Simmons envisions classes in social media, small business accounting and strategy, and a mentorship program. There will be lots of assistance from CVABC. \u201cWe\u2019re both moms, and with that comes a special sensitivity to women in the workplace. Most of the women in the workforce today are moms. I can\u2019t count the times we\u2019ve brought our children to work with us,\u201d said Simmons. Dream Forge will have a safe room for children to hang out. Safety for all is a chief priority, according to Simmons. \u201cEveryone will have their own spaces and their own doors. All the doors will be locked, and everybody will Dream Forge looks to be up and running in 2024. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for those who want to partner with us right now and help us get started,\u201d said Simmons. \u201cWe know exactly what we want to implement for the most part. Ashley and I are incredibly flexible because that\u2019s what life has required of us. We can pivot.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Difficult circumstances can be inevitable. Going through it alone, though, is not an inevitability. And this is where Dream Forge steps in. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAMANTHA SIMMONS was forced to provide the bulk of the family income when her husband became ill. She now runs a successful bookkeeping business. Ashley Beesley, the owner of Sweet Indulgence Bakery, took her personal history of surviving abuse and used her business to reach out to trauma survivors. Together, they are launching Dream Forge, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":20790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lynchburg-va\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/4-1024x683.png\")
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have a lock and key code. Everything is secured. We\u2019re able to offer that security that we as survivors so badly needed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lynchburg-va\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/3-1-1024x683.png\")
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