GRANT MILLER
Longtime Southlake resident Lisa Rose knows that transformation starts with more than good intentions. After years of community engagement through First Friday, a free motivational speaker series for women, she realized that inspiration alone wasn’t enough – women navigating crisis needed a system of support: legal advice, childcare, career training and counseling. In 2015, Lisa launched The Gatehouse, a first-of-its-kind residential community in Grapevine offering single women and their children a chance to rebuild their lives through long-term, sustainable change. Ten years in, The Gatehouse has now helped more than 800 women and children take meaningful steps toward independence. Now, Lisa is expanding her vision again with a new vocational education initiative aimed at launching careers that stabilize women and the families who depend on them.
SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE… a woman reaching a family-sustaining wage without government assistance, seeing her children begin to thrive socially, academically and emotionally. That transformation is permanent, and that is the definition of success.
IT ALL STARTED IN 2008 WITH PROJECT HANDUP … which hosted a free monthly event called First Friday held at Hooky Entertainment [then called Harkins Theatre], featuring speakers who addressed important topics for women - giving them a hand up to positively navigate life’s challenges. Through those years, it was clear that many women needed more than a speaker event and book signing. They also needed practical resources and relationships for help with finances, resolution of legal issues, healthcare, childcare, transportation, professional counseling and more. We needed a physical place for their transformation to be permanent.
FROM THERE, THE IDEA OF THE GATEHOUSE… was born. Our community was built in 18 months, debt-free. Through the years, we have constantly evaluated the program, doing everything possible so each family leaves with new hope and experiences the dignity of earned success.
THE NEW VOCATION TRACK IS… designed for those completing trade or vocational school programs or pursuing an associate’s degree in STEM-related fields. The new program includes a scholarship to help with school costs for every incoming Vocation Track woman, thanks to an initial gift to the scholarship fund from the mikeroweWORKSFoundation. With the Northeast Texas area becoming the third-largest growing area in the country, this is a prime time to help both women who need to begin a career and local businesses who need to expand their workforce. It’s a win-win for everyone.
I HAVE WITNESSED FIRSTHAND… what receiving a hand up versus a handout does for one’s dignity. Confirming what research shows, which is that a large part of our happiness in life comes from adding value to the world around us through work. We definitely need a system for those who cannot work and for those who need emergency assistance during their trying circumstances – but for those who are ready and have the ability to work, true happiness and dignity is the result.
THE 800 WOMEN AND CHILDREN WE’VE SERVED… are important because each number represents a person, who might be our neighbor and who is worth every bit of the investment.
WE’VE DISCOVERED THE SCIENCE OF… hope. Hope has been defined as the belief that your future can be better than your past, and you play a major role in making it happen. [It’s] this inward belief that causes some people to be resilient in order to overcome trauma and some to be stuck. We’ve seen this to be true – one can learn resilience and hope.
ONE STORY THAT STILL GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS… happened while I was at a pharmacy waiting on a vaccine. The woman working at the counter stated she attended First Friday, and she was so happy it led to the creation of The Gatehouse. The pharmacist behind her began to cry, and as she gave me my vaccine, told me she was a Gatehouse graduate.
THE GATEHOUSE PROGRAM IS KNOWN AS… the very best place for single women to experience real hope, receive the opportunity to achieve their goals and experience the dignity of earned success.
WHEN WE SEE WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY… who have come through the program and the academic, emotional and social success of their children – that’s our letter to the world.