Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Foley-Rothrock.
Hi Alison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From a young age, I wanted to do something to positively impact my community and stand up for the “underdog”. Through my work as an immigration attorney, I had seen very close-up how difficult and complex it really was for Survivors of abuse and exploitation to access the help they needed. It is even harder when the Survivor is part of any marginalized group, whether because of race, religion, language, gender, sexuality, ability… Then it happened to me.
I had been abused as a child and in some very toxic relationships as an adult, but in my mid-30s, I found myself in a terrifying cycle of domestic violence, and despite all of the relative advantages that I had (educated, English speaker, US Citizen, the white, main breadwinner, knowledge of the legal system), it took me more than three years to extract myself from it. It brought home more than ever just how scarce and difficult to access the resources really are and how many barriers stand in the way of someone trying to escape. After that, when I started to speak about these experiences, I realized that there was a power in speaking my truth that could give hope to other Survivors.
Just revealing that part of myself to another Survivor created a bond and a trust and at the same time, each time that I saw the positive impact of sharing my story, it helped to heal me, too. The year after I moved to Lakeland, I tapped into my circle of artist friends in the community, and Red Tent Initiative was born. We started out hosting an open mic at Tony’s Studio B and packed the house. We used the money to seed our nonprofit, named a board, filed the paperwork to become a 501(c)(3), and started to organize and consider how we could increase our impact.
Now, we host various art events and a 5K and use the funds raised to support Survivors who are transitioning away from abuse and exploitation. We have paid for everything from rental deposits to transportation costs to diapers and formula. We partner with a variety of other community service organizations to ensure that we are being good stewards of the money that folks give to us and I am very proud to say that, through in-kind donations and the time and talent donated by our volunteer network, we triple the value of every dollar donated.
We continue to be an all-volunteer, Survivor focused, and Survivor leads an organization that is radically inclusive, purposefully, and specifically reaching out to marginalized people.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not! It’s been a learning curve. Having to say no when our funds are low or we simply cannot meet a need is gut-wrenching. We are still very small and local and being that we are somewhat radical, not always fully embraced by the community where we are based. But we keep on keeping on! And I am extremely proud of what we do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I studied the arts when I was younger, but ultimately made law my career.
Still, I had this connection with the arts because they literally saved my life over and over. At times when my outlook was darkest or it was too risky to speak my mind, the arts gave me an outlet. Over the years, I’ve been a dancer, singer, musician, actress, writer, photographer, painter, and sculptor.
The arts have an unmatched power to connect people across a spectrum of personal experiences and inspire others to have hope and take action against injustice. Being able to connect artists and Survivors with our community to raise awareness and critically needed funds is just awesome.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Dance recitals and theater productions were always my favorite. There is nothing like taking the stage on opening night. When I was a child and so much about my life made me feel small and powerless, being on stage gave me a place where I felt strong and confident.
Contact Info:
- Email: redtentinitiative@gmail.com
- Website: www.RedTentInitiative.org
- Instagram: @RedTentLkld
- Facebook: RedTentInitiative
- Other: www.RedTentInitiative.org
