Correction: This story was updated at 11:11 am on Friday, August 6, 2021, stating that Hailey Johnston, the head of the Free2Fly non-profit organization, is a native of Chattanooga. Previously it incorrectly stated that she was a native of Cleveland, Tennessee.

The storefront at the corner of North Okoy Street and Central Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Tennessee is part of the emerging boutique district. In an urban block between Bradley County Courthouse and Lee University, this white two-story building is home to a non-profit organization called Project Free 2 Fly, which helps women from Rehabilitation and/or homelessness transition to more stable life skills counseling.

The Free 2 Fly retail store beckons to customers through its large display windows. The shelves are filled with fashionable handmade wallets and handbags, casual clothing, and jewelry made from leather and beads. This is a place visited by mothers and daughters on Saturday, and it is also a place where workers in the city center rush to browse during their lunch break.

The product has the atmosphere of the 1960s. The style of the product is vaguely bohemian, but also feminine. Thin noodles?

The older generations of Cleveland remember that this building was a department store from a long time ago, but in recent years, its former owners have used it to store plumbing systems and fixtures for other properties.

Just inside the front door, hung a framed puzzle made from photos of the exterior of the building. It is said that the all-white exterior surface and the same-sized windows on the facade make it a particularly difficult problem to piece together. Like many things with Free 2 Fly, it is harder than it seems.

Here is some information about Tonie Roberson, 51, from Blue Ridge, Georgia: For about 20 years, she did not have a driver's license. She said that alcohol was her nemesis, and when she finally got help from the Hope Women's Ministry in a rehabilitation facility in Charleston, Tennessee, her life began to decline.

"It's terrible," Robertson said of her condition when she went to the rehabilitation center. "I have come to a place in my life that pushes everyone away. I am very isolated, lonely, depressed, and desperate. I have fallen into my drug addiction. It is a dark place, and it feels the same every day. Drinking has become Worse or even worse."

Like many people who have recovered, Robertson is not sure how to turn her newfound sobriety into success in the work world. Recovery experts say this is a common problem. The transition from the protective cocoon of rehabilitation to the ruthless world of work can unlock the fragile benefits of addiction rehabilitation.

When you are trying to regain your footing in life, small things are important. Small things such as driver’s license, high school diploma, job recommendation letter, and job skills. This is the space Free 2 Fly is trying to bridge, transforming women from rehabilitation facilities and shelters into sustainable jobs and housing. Every "graduate" must complete a checklist of basic knowledge, such as getting transportation and finding a place to live. It usually takes about 12-18 months.

For Robertson, who will graduate this month, this formula worked. After 14 months of hard work, she has mastered the industrial sewing machine that constitutes the assembly line of the Free 2 Fly product line. She works 30 hours a week and earns about $10 an hour. At the same time, she has also completed the life skills courses in the program.

Importantly, she also re-obtained her driver's license, which is the key to her independence. She paid off a used car in four months and moved into a basement apartment in Harrison, Tennessee. After graduating from Free 2 Fly, she will start a paid internship at a non-profit organization later this summer.

"This is a good plan for me," she said. "These women are so encouraging. I was able to stay focused and achieve my goals."

Hailey Johnston, a native of Chattanooga, is a former home-working mom and dance teacher. She is the visionary behind Free 2 Fly. Since 501(c)(3) was established in 2015, it has helped about 40 women get back on their feet.

Johnston, now the chief executive officer, will say that she is just delivering a call of faith and encouragement to help women in crisis. The origin story of Free 2 Fly can be traced back almost ten years ago, when Johnston took two young daughters at home, trying to sew and sell children's clothing to piece together a supplementary income for her family.

When she and her husband Steven, who worked at Baptist College Ministry, received a mother and her child through Family Promise, her sideline turned to a new direction, a company that helped families get rid of homelessness. mechanism. Hayley said that she was spiritually guided to put two and two together, fusing her sewing business with the heart of helping women.

"This is the first time God has shown his face for this idea," she said of the host experience of family commitment. "I know that by collaborating with other organizations in the community, we can identify the women we will serve through the entire sewing concept and (at the same time) create a rich work and life and support system for women."

By 2014, Johnston had formed a board of directors, organized fundraising activities and found office space to wall her vision. A lawyer friend helped complete the paperwork to quickly obtain 501(c)(3) status. A craft market called Bird & Barn was conceived to help this fledgling group raise funds. At the same time, the "launch event" in downtown Cleveland showed that the idea of ​​Free 2 Fly is attractive in the community.

"We made some products: bags and handbags. People showed up," Johnston recalled the press conference. "It was very successful. It is new and creative. There is nothing like this model. People are curious and excited. It helped us light the flame."

Johnston, who taught herself to sew, once asked an intern from Lee University to help her make clothes by hand. But she realized that to expand the scale of the company and pay these new employees, Free 2 Fly needs a creative impact.

Help comes in 2015-not just a spark, but a lightning bolt.

Joanna Ivey, also a working-from-home mother of two children, caught the Etsy.com wave in the mid-2000s, selling handmade products online and finally making a considerable profit. She is especially good at designing and making wallets.

"I'm tired of buying wallets at Target," she said of her early involvement in the sewing industry. "I put a (handmade) wallet on Etsy and sold it in two days."

Soon after, Ivey marketed her leather goods through Etsy and Facebook, and also held a family “party” at the handicraft fair to sell her products. When a mutual friend suggested that Johnston contact Ivey, Ivey thought that Johnston just wanted some advice. It turns out that the founder of Free 2 Fly has more important ideas.

In 2015, Ivey became the first full-time employee of Project Free 2 Fly. As creative director, she is the first to design products for non-profit organizations to sell through its growing online and physical businesses. Since the cash flow of merchandise sales—along with fundraising proceeds and donations—is critical to non-profit organizations, Ivey’s design must anticipate fashion trends. People say that she has an instinct that goes beyond the curve of fashion.

Likewise, a large part of her job is training workers to operate sewing machines that are essential to operation. She said that teaching women not to be intimidated by machines has almost become a metaphor for life. She said that conversations in the sewing room often involve problems in life, and the manual labor of making bags and accessories becomes therapeutic.

"Everyone has trauma, pain, and brokenness," Ivey said. "It's just that each of us looks a little different."

Ivey said that she encourages women to overcome their fear of sewing machines and life in general.

"I told them,'Listen, you have to direct it,'" she said of the machines. "I told them,'You are at a crossroads. You have to put in work.'"

Ironically, the goal of Project Free 2 Fly-to allow women to graduate into the wider world of work-sometimes overlaps with the business aspect of a business that aims to produce high-quality, best-selling products. Just as women were trained to make the most complex works by hand, they graduated from the program. For Ivey, training and promotion of new employees is an ongoing struggle, but if it means ending their work, she is very willing to accept this struggle.

"You don't know how many times I cried," she said.

Everywhere in the Free 2 Fly store at 283 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland, there are signs of growth. The number of leaders has grown to six. A space near the retail store was transformed into a classroom where local children can participate in a summer sewing camp, which is a new source of income. There are also people who say that there will be more job training programs for the lower and upper grades of regional high schools.

The program can now help up to eight adult women at the same time. Johnston said that although COVID-19 has suppressed the numbers for some time, the situation is picking up. People call from outside, wanting to visit and learn how to replicate the success of the center. It does not seem impossible to expand to nearby cities.

Free 2 Fly seems to be particularly suitable for helping women develop roots and wings. A former participant returned to university and is now studying in law school. The other is about to complete the new house transaction.

"We are the bridge between the past environment and the successful future," Johnston said.

For women who come to Free 2 Fly, the puzzles of life are all on the table. Yes, it takes time and perseverance to arrange these parts correctly, but when they are finally put together, there will be an unmistakable sense of sacred design.

Jennifer Bardoner editor editor@chatterchattanooga.com

Amy Horne Advertising Operations Manager o: 423-757-6289 c: 423-618-3629 ahorne@timesfreepress.com

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