Becca Stevens, founder and president of Thistle Farms, will speak at Brentwood Academy on Thursday, April 11 at 7:00 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium. The event, part of the school’s Engage Community Education series, is free and open to the public.
Thistle Farms is a nonprofit social enterprise, based in Nashville, TN, dedicated to helping women survivors recover and heal from prostitution, trafficking, and addiction by providing them a safe place to live, a meaningful job, and support. Stevens will speak on “Growing and Sustaining Leadership,” with an emphasis on thinking outside the box and inspiring leadership based on love and boldness.
Becca Stevens is an author, speaker, priest, social entrepreneur, and founder and president of Thistle Farms. After experiencing the death of her father and subsequent child abuse when she was five, Becca longed to open a sanctuary for survivors offering a loving community. In 1997, five women who had experienced trafficking, violence, and addiction were welcomed home. Twenty years later, the organization continues to welcome women with free residences that provide housing, medical care, therapy, and education for two years. Residents and graduates earn income through one of four social enterprises. Thistle Farms’ global market helps employ more than 1,800 women worldwide, and the national network has more than 40 sister communities.
Becca has been featured in The New York Times, on ABC World News and NPR, and was recently named a 2016 CNN Hero and a White House “Champion of Change.” She was featured in the PBS documentary “A Path Appears,” named Humanitarian of the Year by the Small Business Council of America, and inducted into the Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame. Stevens attended the University of the South and Vanderbilt Divinity School. She has been conferred two honorary doctorates.
Attendees to the April 11 Engage Series event with Becca Stevens can register for free online at www.brentwoodacademy.com/engage. Becca recently recorded a podcast with Jeanne Natwick of Brentwood Academy which is also available on the registration page.
Brentwood Academy is located at 219 Granny White Pike in Brentwood, TN. More information at www.brentwoodacademy.com/engage.
Founded in 1969, Brentwood Academy is a co-educational, independent, college preparatory school dedicated to nurturing and challenging each whole person—body, mind, and spirit—to the glory of God.
