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By ELISABETH ALTAMIRANO-SMITH/ Community Columnist

My Sister’s Place is celebrating their 10th anniversary. The life-recovery program for women that originally began as a single, three-bedroom apartment has flourished into a multi-building development with a housing capacity of 58 women. In the last year, My Sister’s Place opened an additional women’s residential building to their Chilton County location and a thrift store located on Highway 31 in Calera called Restore 54. MSP’s goal is to help hurting women of Central Alabama by a strategy involving three steps: rescue, restore and return. Thus, the thrift store, Restore.

The organization is set to celebrate during the month of December with various community leaders sharing the difference MSP has made in their own personal life.

A fundraiser campaign is also planned for “Giving Tuesday” — the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Monetary donations from the fundraiser will continue to cover housing costs for the women that live there.

Cindy Hildebrand, director of My Sister’s Place says that community support during Christmas time also greatly benefits the residents of MSP as well as their children.

“Helping sponsor one of the women during the Christmas holiday may help her buy other costs of living (items) that she needs to purchase,” Hildebrand said. “Many of the resident’s children will have Christmas where they are currently staying, but making a donation will help a woman provide a gift to her child that is from her.”

Hildebrand asks the community to consider also giving a Christmas gift to a My Sister’s Place resident that will remind her that she is special.

“The women frequently need financial help,” Hildebrand said. “Many come into My Sister’s Place with very little. They have basic needs, like how to pay for gas to get back and forth to work and buying hygiene products. Providing those things or a ‘gift of love’, like something fluffy and feminine is something we all need during Christmas.”

Hildebrand said that the children of residents range from seven months old to 17.

“One of the biggest ongoing needs at My Sister’s Place is the need to provide women with a used car so that she can commute to work,” Hildebrand said. “If someone in the community donates their used car to us, not only can they use that donation for their taxes, but MSP sells the car at a low cost to the resident. So, MSP makes a profit to help us with housing costs, and the resident gets a car. It is a win, win, win situation.”

My Sister’s Place provides shelter, guidance and love through a structured healing process from addiction, abuse and other painful experiences. For more information or a more specific list of Christmas wishes, please contact Cindy at 205-434-0701. Monetary donation options are also available at can mspalabama.com/donate-contact-us/ .