Any woman needing a boost to her self-esteem could have found it Saturday at the “She’s Worthy” dinner in Lemon Grove.
“I want to assure you that when the women leave here … they understand their self-worth and they know their self-value,” said Lavada England, founder of The House of Restoration Community Connection.
The House of Restoration mentors women, many of them Black, who are single mothers or who have experienced domestic violence, poverty or other challenges. Its volunteers work with women and their children to enhance their personal skills, enlarge their business opportunities and improve their day-to-day lives.
The organization also strives to end childhood poverty by focusing problems that often accompany it, such as hunger, basic hygiene, guidance, education and shelter.
“I was a teenage mom,” England said. “I had my first child when I was 16, and I have four beautiful daughters now … I mentor single women because it’s about this real-life experience.”
She’s been homeless herself, and she knows how hard the struggle can be, she said. She founded the House of Restoration in 2011 to help women who are “sitting in your home, about to lose your mind because you are tired of being tired.”
“We need to know that we are worthy, that we are valuable,” England said. “I ain’t big on resolutions. If you are going to do it, you are going to do it.”
Saturday’s third annual Thanksgiving dinner at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2082on Lemon Grove Avenue included inspirational guest speakers, a performance by the Junkyard Dance Crew of Southeast San Diego, and a fashion show with women wearing long, colorful African dresses and headgear.
Awards were presented to 20 women and organizations for taking leadership roles in the community.
Erica Dietrich accepted the award for the Lemon Grove Forward Club, a community service organization with projects that include collecting clothing for the homeless, but she gave all the credit to England.
“She is an angel on earth,” Dietrich said. “She tackles a lot of problems that nobody wants to talk about, like helping minorities, the homeless and people in need. She doesn’t just talk about it, she does it.”
Most of the speakers focused on ways to define “worthiness.”
“Speak up for yourself, be there for yourself,” said Marshaun Olaniyan , a personal coach and author of dozens of books about improving relationships.
One of her best-sellers on Amazon is called “50 Reasons I Fell In Love with You.” Her other titles include “You Can Get Over Your Ex,” and “Understanding Your Spouse Deeper.”
“You have to speak life and love into yourself, and practice self-acceptance,” she told the crowd of more than 80 guests Saturday. “Embrace your uniqueness.”
She also encouraged people to compliment each other, whether for their appearance, their hard work or their attitude.
“You never know how much the other person needed it,” Olaniyan said.
Producer, writer and actor Candace Carey, best known for her 2002 movie “Drumline,” asked the audience to support a bill now in Congress by Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., that would award reparations to the descendants of enslaved Black Americans.
“We hope and believe Congress will find a way to bring this bill to the floor,” she said.
“You’ve got to trust the process, ladies,” Carey said. “The concept of worthiness … is not just about recognition, but also about rectifying historical injustices.”
A final speaker led the crowd in singing “This Little Light of Mine,” a song written in the 1920s that became popular with the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s.
