April is Finding Something More in her life!

April, after her makeover!

 By Pamela Hale-Burns

The Something More Mentorship Program is still underway – continuing to mentor women, encouraging, supporting and inspiring them on their paths to restoration and new starts.

SM Founder and President Nancy Rench began the training process of the program in July 2017, at Lydia House (LH), an extension of The Long Beach Rescue Mission. The 50-bed facility provides solace and hope, for women and their children, in the face of abuse, addiction, financial hardship and abandonment.

Today we introduce April Galvez, a 39-year old, divorced mother of two adult children and an 8-year old son, who found herself at Lydia House in November 2016.

“I ended up at the Lydia House due to my addictions to meth, heroin, alcohol, and an abusive relationship with my son's father,” she said.

It was an extremely dark time in her life, one she didn’t think she’d ever see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“It was a time spiraling out of control. I was homeless, had my child taking away, and I was tired of being tired,” she said. “My life was a sick scary rollercoaster ride and I was done. So, God brought me out of my madness and into the Lydia House.”

During her time at LH, April crossed paths with Nancy, two months after graduating from the LH program.

“I was picked by my director from the Lydia House and still to this day I don't know why she chose me, but she did,” April said.

April, before makeover.

“She’s my angel who rescued me off the streets and gave me a second chance and brought me to God,” she said. “I love her deeply.”

It was then April’s transformation began.

“Ms. Nancy is my other angel,” she said. “She’s kind, loving, and has the world’s biggest heart to take a chance on someone like me.”

  

 “They were doing God’s work equipping me with a relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” she said. “I had a life full of darkness, drugs, gangs, jail, prostitution molestations, rape, and violence - done to me and me to others.”

It was time for a major change, she said.

“I had been battling my addiction for over 25 years. This is my first time ever being completely sober for a year and 6 months,” she said with pride.

Meeting Nancy also gave April someone she could trust with her life’s story.

“Nancy showed me such gentleness, kindness and love,” she said of her first encounter with Nancy. “I can confide in her and she keeps it between us. She has a heart of an angel. I want to do the same someday when given an opportunity to help other battered women like me.”

While she does get a chance to serve others at Lydia House, April is looking forward to the next step to restoration.

“Now I would love to take the next journey God is taking me on as a mother,” she said. “The journey of getting back into society, with hope and looking forward to an opportunity to work, provide a home and not be homeless with my child ever again.”

She also hopes to one day start a prison ministry to help other women in prison.

As with all mothers, her hopes and dreams for her young son don’t veer far off the average path.

“For my son’s future, I give it to my Father in Heaven - that's His department,” she said. “But I want to provide a home for my son to rest his head, and not worry about ever having to live on the streets again and teach him to never forget where we came from, and to build a relationship with God together as a family.”

Finding Something More Launches Mentorship Program at Lydia House

“Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” - Oprah Winfrey

By Pamela Hale-Burns
The Finding Something More (SM) Mentorship Program at the Lydia House of Long Beach has officially launched. SM Founder and President Nancy Rench began the training process of the program in July 2017, with the training of four (4) mentors from SM. Each were introduced to mentees from Lydia House, an extension of The Long Beach Rescue Mission. The 50-bed facility provides solace and hope, for women and their children, in the face of abuse, addiction, financial hardship and abandonment.

Throughout this Mentorship Program, mentors will walk alongside these precious women of Lydia House, encouraging, supporting and inspiring them on their paths to restoration and new starts.

In addition to providing trained women of SM to Lydia House, SM offers other opportunities for mentorship with companies, organizations and individuals. Through our general mentorship program, the founder and president of SM, Nancy Rench, provides personal coaching, mentoring or business consultation.

“My desire is to help people reach significance and personal success through adding value to the lives of others,” Nancy says of her mentorship program. Her entrepreneurial expertise, experience and knowledge of business serves her well in this arena.

With her coaching, mentoring and training, Nancy helps mentees to get to the place they long to be - learning skills to thrive in every area of their lives. The aim – to encourage, equip and impact men and women to seek Something More.

If you or someone you know is personally interested in receiving personal coaching, mentorship or business consultation, please visit www.nancyrench.com for more information or sign up today.

“Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” – Oprah Winfrey

Finding Something More and The Power of Reading by Pamela Hale-Burns

Finding Somthing More Team Member, Tammy Bliss, left, reads

to Sydney Pearson.

The Finding Something More team continues to share Something More through the Power of Reading. Shown here is team member Tammy Bliss, who recently began reading to Sydney Pearson. According to Sydney’s mother, Kathy, the reading time brightened her daughter’s day. “This program is amazing and Tammy is an absolute blessing in Sydney’s and our family’s life. Thank you so much for sending us this angel. Sydney enjoys her reading time very much. You can’t possibly understand what this means to Sydney and our family,” she said regarding Tammy’s recent visit to read.

Your voice can also open up someone's world through reading.  The Something More Power of Reading  program gives you the opportunity to read to someone with a disability, handicap, or who is in need.  It takes a mere 30 minutes a week, and a commitment to read just one book.

Finding Something More not only invites you to participate in this amazing program, we encourage you to visit www.findingsomethingmore.com and sign up today.

Karen's Interview Prep by Pamela Hale-Burns

Makeup by Roni Kiss

Karen shopping at Cason's Couture

Karen Koontz is continuing to Find Something More as she transitions from grieving, retired, and financially struggling widow, back into the workforce.

This week, in preparation for her upcoming job interviews, and with the support of her mentor Nancy, she experienced a makeover, which included hair, makeup and a new wardrobe.

Karen shopping
at Cason's Couture 

Her new wardrobe was provided by Kelly Cason’s, “Cason Coutour.” Hair and makeup was provided by Roni Kiss.

For more information on Finding Something More visit www.findingsomethingmore.com.

For more on Nancy Rench or for mentorship, personal coaching and business consultant inquiries, visit www.nancyrench.com

Karen Koontz Finds Something More by Pamela Hale-Burns

Karen Koontz after her makeover.

Meet Karen Koontz, a regular, hardworking woman, who met with an unfortunate fate three years ago, when she lost her husband to cancer.
Fresh into a life of retirement, she and her husband moved to Florida, where they began to plan their life of leisure together.

“Six months after we moved to Florida, my husband was dead,” she said.

Instead of planning trips together and exciting things to do together with her husband, Karen found herself planning a memorial service.

When the emotional dust cleared, Karen realized that, with the death of her husband, she no longer had the financial income needed to sustain a life of retirement. She had medical bills, which mounted from treatments done, in an attempt to save her husband’s life, and her savings account was wiped out. Not long after his death, Karen lost her home.

Things looked bleak for Karen. No money, no job, no home – what was she going to do?

Then she was introduced to Lydia House, a 50-bed facility which provides solace and hope in the face of abuse, addiction, financial hardship and abandonment for women and their children.

Karen before her makeover.

Today, Karen is getting back up on her feet with the help and mentorship of people like Nancy Rench, who she met through Lydia House. Rench is the founder and president of Finding Something More, an organization dedicated to inspiring women to look beyond their circumstances and reach for Something More.

“Nancy has been awesome,” Karen says. “She’s bringing up some of my challenges and, with her help, I’m building up my self- esteem.”
After the death of her husband, Karen had no remaining family and friends became scarce.

“When money is gone, friends go,” she said.

That was until she met Nancy.

With the help of her mentor, Karen has undergone a full makeover, to include, hair, nails, makeup, wardrobe and employment mentorship.

Together, she and Nancy have been doing some mock interviewing to prepare Karen for her return to the work force.

Karen, who worked in the administrative field for years before retirement, aspires to return to that field, as possibly a secretary or who knows? She is interviewing with a variety of different companies and fields of interest. But most importantly, she aspires to someday “help others get back on their feet - help others in need.” Like Nancy did for her, she said.

“I am so grateful for Nancy. I thank God he put her in my life,” Karen said. “She is an awesome mentor. I’ve experienced through this program that there are other good human beings out there.”

Lydia House services are not available to walk-ins or emergencies. For referrals and walk-in services for families, please visit the Long Beach Multi-Service Center at 1301 W. 12th Street, LB 90813 or call (562) 570-4500.

For more information on Finding Something More visit www.findingsomethingmore.com.

For more on Nancy Rench or for mentorship, personal coaching and business consultant inquiries, visit www.nancyrench.com

Say Something More by Pamela Hale-Burns

There’s a Scripture that says, “Life and Death are in the power of the tongue…” What does that mean exactly? It means the words we say can either give life or take life from those to which we say those words.

So, I thought I would touch a bit on how important our words are, to each other and about each other.

Webster defines more as … to a greater or higher degree. When we say Something “More,” we should bring the listener to a greater or higher degree in their feelings, emotions and self-worth.

When people walk away from us, they should walk away uplifted, refreshed and empowered to not only do, but to say Something More about and to others.

Life is hard enough. We are surrounded by negativity - from the conversations around us to the headlines in the news. And as women, we often find ourselves doing a thousand things in the run of a day. How does it make you feel when a friend, a loved one, or even sometimes a total stranger, comes along side you to tell you how well you are doing or how proud they are of you or how much what you’ve done means to them?

I encourage each of us to reach out to at least one person who you know has and is doing Something More, and could use an encouraging word to empower them to keep doing More.

Let your Words Give Something More today – Give Life!  

www.findingsomethingmore.com

Welcome to Something More to Blog About

Welcome to findingsomethingmore.  I'm Nancy Rench, President and Founder of findingSomethingMore.com. I will be posting weekly blogs about a variety of topics relevant to women of all ages, and from all walks of life.

My passion in life has always been to impact other women by encouraging them to make a difference in another person's life.  It is my hope that each blog will touch you in some way and truly begin to search for Something More in your life:  Something More meaningful, Something More purposeful and Something More fulfilling.

I’ve been sensing excitement and hearing a positive buzz within the Something More community. I truly believe it’s because women are longing to find Something More in their lives. They yearn to grow spiritually, desire a connection with others, and long to give back. 

Something More offers classes, conferences , retreats and events designed toward encouraging personal growth and development of women.  Via our venues and special events, we are able to target various charity groups and organizations within our community, and around the world.

You may have heard it said, "We all we need a 3rd place in life." Maybe that place is where you find yourself wanting to go back to, a place that's safe & sound, a place that's comfortable & warm, or maybe just a quiet place to BE.  Wherever it is, findingSomethingMore could be your 3rd place!