By Lori Leath Smith
We’re not all expected to be pillars of strength—especially when we feel rejected, discarded or unloved. That’s where Crisis Aid for Littles and Moms (CALM) comes in. Finding and teaching beauty in the broken, discarded and homeless is its mission. “We are the hands and feet of Jesus,” says Grace Nuffer, president and executive director of CALM. “We teach encouragement, life skills and a lot of modeling on how to be a mom—positive co-parenting that’s all about the children.”
CALM is a non-profit and receives no state, local or federal funding—it’s supported fully by friends and partners. CALM is also a free home filled with love for women and children (age 6 and under) in crisis who can stay for up to six months. “We’ve received moms from Destin, Ft. Walton, Pensacola, PC, New York, Marianna, all over,” says Grace. “CALM becomes their support system and we teach them how to live independently. We offer them stability by teaching life skills to break the cycle of generational poverty.”
This is Grace’s calling. God put it on her heart to help those living in tents, the woods or cars. “The greatest need in Okaloosa County is a place for a mother and child together.” To be accepted, the mother must be in a true crisis (homeless, having fled domestic abuse, etc.), have child custody and be drug and alcohol free. CALM has already served 10 moms and 14 children and has kept five babies out of foster care since opening only a year ago.
A chapel also came with the property says Chanie Erb, board secretary. “We literally stood on the property and prayed before purchasing,” she says. “Then a community leader bought it and mortgaged it back to us. That’s why we do fundraising. We fully pay the mortgage, bills, etc.”
But perhaps it’s what’s hanging in the chapel’s interior that’s the most significant—at least what it represents. It serves as a reminder that “we’re all broken in some way, but that we can be put back together,” says Chanie. Like us, the cross has a story to tell. The former chapel was a Baptist church built in 1953. Its original windows were stained glass. Chanie says, “I broke and crushed the glass into a bunch of smaller pieces, then welded a 7-foot cross. Beth Clark made the frame. My friend Angela at Create in Bluewater Bay, then took the glass pieces and filled in the cross with them, artfully and beautifully,” she says. The result: “A moment of silence from us all as we stood staring at the finished cross. These were just broken shards of windows put together to make them whole again. It’s just like how we’re all broken and God puts us back together again—beautifully” says Chanie. “People come from all over to view the cross now, and seem to sense the same.”
Lynn Houghaboom, volunteer coordinator, and Wanda Siefke, business manager, say the impact on mothers who’ve “graduated” and become success stories are what make it all worth it. But, CALM needs the community’s help to make it all work. Full-time care, meals, laundry, utilities, life-skills classes, financial and job coaching, planning care and transportation couldn’t be paid for without them. You, too, can be a part of the success of these “Warrior Moms!” Please visit nicevillecalm.org. CALM Chapel Event Venue at 201 Redwood Ave., Niceville, is perfect for meetings, parties, family reunions and weddings. To book the chapel for up to 100 people, visit calmchapelevents.com.
“We stand ready to help one mom, one kid, one family at a time,” says Wanda. “And we can do it with our gracious and generous community partners.”
“Broken is what people are. Beautiful is what God makes them.”
— Lisa Terkeurst
