Fashion with Compassion

Human sex trafficking is a serious issue. Portland OR was recently rated number one in sex trafficking.

Women from churches spanning Gresham, Portland and Beaverton have come together to do something about it.

"To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair..." Isaiah 61:3

The sisters adorned in grace fashion show will take place March 12 at the Grace Community Church in Gresham, OR.  At the sale following the show, patrons can purchase wedding gowns, prom dresses and accessories as well as shoes from the shoe revolt.  There will  also be a silent auction  featuring spa treatments, and other donations from local buisnesses. All proceeds benefit the Door to Grace Shelter.

The fashion show, featuring Miss Oregon 2007 Kari Virding (now Christensen) as master of ceremonies, will be held at Grace Community Church in Gresham on March 12, 2011. Doors will open at 6:00 pm. The evening will include a silent auction, fashion show with dessert, and a dress sale after the show. All gowns will be provided by Adorned in Grace, a local bridal and formalwear shop whose proceeds benefit Door to Grace. The shop will set up a large portion of their inventory, offering guests a variety of styles and sizes. The amount paid for each dress, can be written off as a tax deductible donation.

To make reservations, go to www.compassionconnect.com/abolitionnow

The Shop

http://adornedingrace.blogspot.com/


We are open Saturdays 10am-5pm or by appointment



Location:

1515 NE Village Drive

Fairview, Village OR 97024

I even found  this gorgeous silk  Dolce and Gabbana dress in the shop

For information about Adorned in Grace, call  Marie - 503-475-1032, Linda - 503-679-2086, Starla - 503-320-2588
Adorned in Grace features new and gently used bridal & formalwear gowns, including accessories, petticoats and veils. There are no prices on the gowns, petticoats, veils or shawls. All wedding and formalwear are sold for your donation to fight human trafficking. Over $14,000 has been raised so far!  and we will continue to give 100% of our proceeds to fight human trafficking in the Portland Metropolitan area!

How to Donate
If you are interested in donating a gown and/or accessories to help raise awareness and rescue victims of modern-day slavery, you can ship to:

Adorned in Grace
c/o Compassion Connect
315 NE 202nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97230

All AIG workers are strictly volunteer, however, please consider including a check to help defer the costs of maintaining the shop showcasing the gowns.

Adorned in Grace is sponsored by Compassion Connect and Clear Creek Community Church

For information about Adorned in Grace, call Marie - 503-475-1032, Linda - 503-679-2086, Starla - 503-320-2588

The Shelter
www.doortograce.org

Our beloved city of Portland, Oregon is a scenic city generously dotted with green spaces, parks and fountains. Portland throws her arms wide with sophisticated small town charm, bike paths, coffee shops, tinkling copper bubblers and a Christmas tree in the square. We affectionately call her the City of Roses, a bouquet tied with the ribbon of the Willamette River.



Sadly, Portland’s bloom hides a thorn that we share with a growing number of American cities, a place where younger and younger girls are being sold for sex. A port city on the I-5 corridor running from Canada to Mexico, a favorite home to teenage runaways and few laws restricting pornography make our beautiful city an easy choice for sex traffickers. Portland’s free spirit and compassionate heart were never meant to harbor oppression and slavery.


However, today we discover slavery has returned to our modern times with hidden shackles. Vulnerable young girls are enslaved in a world of drugs, pornography, violence and sex for sale or survival. Door to Grace was founded as a door to freedom for girls forced into the sex trade by vulnerability and violence, force and fear. Please join us in extending hearth and home to a hurting girl right here in our hometown of Portland, Oregon.

 Our goal- To restore life to rescued children.

When we became aware of the growing problem of our youth being sold for sex, our hearts were broken. Some among us had traveled around the globe to bring hope and healing to children in other countries. Returning home, we awoke to the truth of sexual slavery for many children in America and in our own beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. Add to this awareness the tragic reality that even when rescued from the street, there is no place to take these kids for safety and healing. We knew our calling was to restore these broken lives by providing a safe place for healing with a home atmosphere, professional services and the miracle of grace.

Therefore, the unique mission of Door To Grace is to “restore life to rescued children” by:

•Opening a safe shelter for rescued children

•Demonstrating Christ’s plan for restoration

•Serving the church in it role of restoring life to children and adults

THOUGHTS ON A NAME

Our original thoughts on the name “Door to Grace” came from prayer and scripture. The name was meant to evoke a warm welcome home, an opening to freedom, hope, healing, truth and grace, grace from others and God’s special grace in Christ.
door (dor) noun   entrance, opening, gateway, opportunity, admission, freedom

to (too) preposition   toward, motion in a direction, approaching, reaching, location, relationship, indicating two things are attached, expressing purpose, desire or outcome

grace (gras) noun   simple elegance, refinement of movement, courteous goodwill, free and unmerited favor of God, a divine talent, blessing.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-

This is not from yourselves, It is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8

May Jesus and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace

gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage you in every good deed and word.

2Thess 2:1

OUR PROGRAM

To date, few safe home programs have been found in operation that serve victims of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST). Because there is no “best practice” model already in existence, much effort and research is taking place at Door to Grace in order to create a well-informed program model that will be grounded in both Christian theology and in mental / behavioral health science in order to best meet the needs of this unique population. Door to Grace will provide a safe home and comprehensive services to minor victims of sex trafficking, and will collaborate with churches and other community groups to provide long-term support and services to residents who leave Door To Grace for as long as they desire support. The program will include the following components:



•It will be located in a rural or semi-rural setting

•It will provide safety and home-like community to the girls

•Security will include protection from outside access only (the children will not be locked in)

•Medical services will include basic health, dental care, medications, supervised medical de-toxification

•Therapy services will include case management, addiction treatment, trauma therapy, individual and group therapy

•Personal development opportunities will include life skills training, basic education (toward GED), recreation activities, creative therapy, job training, individual and group training, legal assistance, and spiritual development

•The program will have multiple development stages

•Staff will include two full-time, round-the clock care/case managers

And don't forget the shoes!!!!

The shoe revolt has given us their entire inventory to sell at the show to help portland overcome this tragedy

http://www.shoerevolt.com/


Imagine combining something you love with a mission. In addition to buying a pair of shoes because you love them you have the satisfaction of knowing the proceeds are going to a good cause. This is every shoeista’s fantasy – a real reason to shop till you drop. This fantasy is reality at ShoeRevolt.com.




ShoeRevolt.com is like no other online shoe boutique you have visited before; we are a family, a league of shoe styling girlfriends fighting together for one goal. The goal is simple, to kick sex trafficking to the curb with every shoe purchase.



Why shoes? There is something about sliding your favorite pair of shoes on your feet that creates a sense of style, an air of liberation, and a confidence when you walk in them. The liberty, the feeling of a quality and stylish shoe is indescribable in words. Now imagine wearing the shoes and knowing that the purchase is attached to something positive and life changing for someone else; making the shopping experience more than a purchase, but a stand. ShoeRevolt.com is a stand for those that can’t stand for themselves.



EVENT PLANNING AVAILABLE

ALEAN SIMONE EVENTS, STYLE, DESIGN

SERVING PORTLAND METRO AREA SINCE 2000 

Available for all your party and event planning needs.

 Contact me for a consultation TODAY!

Skill Set

• Project planning and implementation

• Strong ability for critical thinking and creative problem solving

• Strong artistic ability

• Aesthetic design

• Developing event concepts and themes

• Budgeting and ear marking funds to meet goals

• Hiring, training and managing staff and volunteers

• Event publicity

• Fundraising, raising in-kind and monetary donations for charities

Public Events

Invasion Café and Lounge- Fashion First 2010

Red Cap Garage/Boxes Gay Pride Block Party 2007

Red Cap Garage/Boxes Underwear Fashion Show 2007

Private Events

Cope, Garden Theme Baby Shower 2011

Gama, Bird Theme Baby Shower 2010

Borne, Wedding 2002

Gutierrez, Wedding 2001

Wilson, Mardi Gras Party 1999

Non-Profit Events

Metropolitan Family Service – S.U.N. Site Coordinator 2009-2010

Portland Youth Builders-Service Learning Coordinator 2008-2009

Multicultural Affairs -Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee

2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006

Black Poets Society- Publicity and Events Coordinator 2000-2006

Health Outreach Theatre Coordinator 2001

Black Cultural Center-Community Outreach Coordinator 2000

Coalition for Cross-Cultural Outreach- Conference 1999, 2000

Charity Events

Sisters Adorned in Grace- Benefit Fashion Show 2011

Dance Marathon Benefit- Entertainment Coordinator 2000

HOME SWEET HOME~Beau Salon


As Carrie Bradshaw said in SATC2 " I've been cheating on fashion with furniture." Oh so true. This is the final installment of home sweet home my apartment is finally furnished. The dinning room is simple, 3 parts quirky and 8  parts sophisticated. But I think it is a fun space for me to eat and sew.





I love to cook and I love to entertain. I wanted  to create a simple and open space to eat in.  Bon appetit mon cheri," loosly translates to "enjoy your food, my darling" it's the perfect wall piece to make the space a dinning room with high style. The filigree frame is so chic and fun.  a great find from  IKEA for around 30 bucks.



Thisdinning set included 4 chairs, but I like the uncluttered s implicity of using two. It looks like an inviting table for two is a romantic cafe in Paris. I can bring in the other chairs when I need them and use them on the back porch for dinning outside the rest of the time. 









These prints were given to me by a friend who went to Paris. The feature the drawings of famous artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,  who created the advertising posters for the moulin Rouge. I used this black  filigree shelf to showcase some of my hobnail milk glass collection and porcelin.



The kitchen has been a fun place to cook. The major appliances are stainless steel and the counters are granite. I just have a few decorations in there to keep the overall theme of the space. Yellow teal and red pop in the otherwise neutral space. The yellow pops with the lemons, the kitchen rug and the tea kettle.  Pops of teal  accent the space with teal towels, artwork and dishware. The small kitchen  appliances like the toaster and blender are  red and chrome. I also have some red artwork and ceramic in the space.