FLINT TWP, MI – Tanisha Thompson had a vision in 2015 to help create a Facebook support group for women who help heal trauma and allow them to move beyond their pain to grow personally, professionally and financially.
Sisters Supporting Sisters is a women’s empowerment organization that promotes sisterhood and unity for all women, regardless of age, race, creed or culture, through access to family services, networking , workshops and social events.
Located at 3163 Flushing Road in Flint, the organization is expanding to a new location at the Genesee Valley Center, 3193 S. Linden Road, Flint Township.
The grand opening took place on Saturday, September 17, with special messages from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley.
“We decided to expand because we had a group of 23,000 women, and we saw that was a need, and we were filling a need online,” Thompson said. “But we thought it would be a great idea to meet the need in person and give business owners the opportunity.”
Sisters Supporting Sisters provides a safe environment for women entrepreneurs to network, showcase and grow their businesses. He also partners with others to organize events and workshops aimed at improving the health and financial stability of women and families, by organizing group therapy sessions such as “Heal the Mind”, to meet licensed therapists.
“We break the bad cycle and the stigma around mental health and get them used to going to see a therapist hoping they’ll connect with one on their own,” she said.
The idea for the organization came about after Thompson met the wife of an Army soldier in Colorado where she traveled frequently.
Thompson asked her how she made friends and the woman replied saying she joined online groups in every city she moved to.
Thompson saw a need for something similar in Flint. She received the organization’s 501c3 in March 2021.
The band became bigger than Thompson ever imagined.
“When I started, I thought it would only be 20 women together,” she said.
Thompson’s house burned down on July 1 and she lives with her father. Thompson attends therapy sessions and has learned firsthand how helpful they have been.
“I had to experience the resources myself and it helped me personally,” she says. “A lot of people came together across the group to help and I was blessed.”
For more information visit the Sisters Supporting Sisters website.
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