Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Webb.
Hi Melanie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Life has been a journey for me, but that’s how it is for everyone, right?! To understand me, you must first understand the chaos that ensued. Like most young ladies, I dreamed of being a wife and mom. Early on, it seemed those dreams had come true. It wasn’t how I had pictured it, but I was living out my deepest desires. I married young, and by age 25, I was every type of mom possible, raising foster mom, adoptive mom, step-mom, biological mom, and “just because” mom. Who does that?! The part about having 8 kids and only being 25 seemed so logical back then. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it now, but I know my faith sustained me! As time went on and dreams fell apart, I found myself a divorced single mom to my final 6 kids. 5 adopted and 1 biological. At the time of my divorce, I was working 2 jobs, was a full-time college student, and my total bring-home pay was not enough to make the mortgage payment. A few years before my divorce, I had a vision that I would one day have homes to house women and children who were escaping sex trafficking or family violence situations. At that point in my life, I had no interest in abuse ministry. I had no personal connection to it, had never experienced it on any significant level, and was busy doing other things, so I pushed that vision to the back of my mind and forgot about it.
I ignored it. So, the divorce happened, things were hard, and it took quite a while to adjust to the new normal. After a year and a half, I finally felt like we were settling into a groove. One morning in July of 2016, I sat on my back porch for some quiet time and prayed, asking God what was next. I told Him I was ready for the next season. Immediately, that long-forgotten vision came back to my mind, and I answered, “God, I don’t know why You’ve given me this vision or what You want me to do with it, but if You show me what to do, I’ll be the hands and feet. And, in case You forgot, I am busy with these 6 kids You’ve given me, so I will need You to do most of the work.” I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Only a few hours later that same day, I had a knock at my door that would forever change my world. This young lady, who was once our teenage babysitter, shared that she had been abused many years before in my house by my ex-husband. Over the next 3 days, in 3 separate incidences that could have only been aligned by God himself, I learned just how closely connected to the abuse I was. Many girls had been abused, including one of my children. That’s how life often works. God calls us to big things and wants us to step out in blind faith. He gives us everything we need to equip and qualify us for the job only after we take that leap. This particular connection was one I wanted to give away for a long time. I have learned that it is the broken, most shattered pieces of life that God will piece together into a beautiful mosaic to become the launching pad that thrusts us into our greatest destiny.
As I navigated the justice system, tended to my children’s emotions, buried my own emotions, and fought off the humiliation that comes with “big news” in a small town, I found myself challenged. “Melanie, will this be your story or your shame?” I wasn’t sure of many things during that time, but I did know that I did not want my children to hang their heads in shame for circumstances beyond our control. I felt like a lone shark in a giant ocean, but as I learned more about abuse statistics, I realized just how many are affected. I had a fantastic support system, but I began to think about how many people traveling the same road have no familial support. Only a few resources were available or offered to me, and I am not sure I would have made it through without my family. It felt like a slow process, but eventually, I founded Mission Righteous Roots, a faith-based crisis resource center. We provide free services and resources to any individual dealing with the effects of past or present abuse of any type. What started as me leading emotional support classes in a back office has grown into a full-blown nonprofit organization with paid staff. We serve Coryell, Bell, McLennan, Hamilton, Lampasas, and Bosque counties. Each year is a year of rapid growth, so we are constantly developing. Last year, we purchased our property, leaving room for our corporate offices to grow. We do not yet have the small homes to house women and children who are escaping abuse, but that is our long-term vision. Housing is no doubt our greatest client need. We continue to pray and know that when the time is right, God will provide us with the property, houses, and funding needed to achieve the original vision.
Would it have been a smooth road? If not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
The road could have been smoother. I will say that with every big move, as long as I sat back and waited, God flung the doors wide open. Dealing with my emotional healing was a journey in and of itself. At Righteous Roots, the struggle is always the same. The community need is massive, and the funding is not. We have so much we want to do but are critically limited by a lack of funding and are, thus, understaffed. You must remember Righteous Roots was built by a normal, seemingly unqualified girl who said “Yes” to a vision she knew nothing about. There was nothing special about me. Building the organization has been a learn-as-you-go process. There have been bumps, but there has been immense progress.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a special heart for single moms, all things related to adoption and foster care, and for the difficult kids that no one else wants to work with. I was recently given the opportunity to start writing a foster care/adoption column for Our Hometowns magazine and am excited to share some of my journey there. I wear a lot of “hats” and do many different things, but I truly consider it an honor to get to serve our community. There were amazing people who stepped up for me during my weakest moments and now I do my best to step up for others. We certainly wouldn’t be able to accomplish half of what we do at Righteous Roots were it not for the prayers and financial support of our community, and most importantly, our volunteers!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Get involved! You may be able to help fund our programs and projects; you may be able to offer your knowledge and expertise in nonprofit management; you may be able to help with events or day-to-day activities; maybe you can tell someone about us who can help; and above all, you can pray for us! Righteous Roots is always looking for volunteers. Current project funding needs include a new roof on our corporate office ($50k), construction of additional offices into our corporate offices ($50k), and funding to add 2 more full-time employees. Our Program Director, Felicia Inman, has recently created C4, the Coryell Community Connections Collaborative. This group is designed to bring cohesion among local social service agencies, enabling us to Connect, Communicate, Collaborate, and Conquer some of the needs in our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: RighteousRoots.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionrighteousroots/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missionrighteousroots/
