MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) – The founder of one of Middle Tennessee’s most successful and widely recognized charities speaks Tuesday in Murfreesboro.
The Rev. Becca Stevens will put in an appearance today on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, where she’ll discuss how she uses social entrepreneurship to help troubled women.
Stevens was recently recognized by President Obama as one of 15 “Champions of Change” in a special White House ceremony. Stevens is the founder of Nashville’s Magdalene House and Thistle Farms.
Magdalene House helps women recovering from violence, prostitution, addiction and life on the streets. Thistle Farms is a social enterprise that employs the women, creating beauty products sold in more than 200 retail stores world-wide.
Stevens says part of the inspiration for Magdalene House came out of her own life experiences.
"Brokenness from my childhood was a...my father died and there was sexual abuse in the church and it was just bad stuff," Stevens said. "But I had this beautiful community and family that helped me and I always had so much gratitude for all the things that people had done for me that this was easy to start giving back."
Stevens’ presentation begins at 12:30 p.m. at MTSU’s Keathley University Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.