Sunshine after the storm. Not just the weather Thursday morning but also symbolic of the ceremony inside Laura's Home on Cleveland's west side.
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"Taking my life back 2024," read the top of Kanika Braxton's graduation cap.
It is graduation day at Laura's Home. Graduation ceremonies happen here four times a year, with about a dozen graduates each time.
The group of women lined up Thursday in their cap and gowns have transformed from their darkest days.
"I'm nervous, excited, and blessed," smiled Braxton before the ceremony.
Blessed, she said, because of what it took to get here.
"Today means a new start," she said.
Braxton is among more than a dozen graduates Thursday of Laura's Home; a faith-based center that serves women and children in crisis.
They did the hard work to get to this day. Months of classes from mental and emotional health to parenting to life skills. The services are individualized.
And while each woman's circumstances are unique the support they find at Laura's Home is the same.
For Braxton, she said her life spiraled after the loss of her father.
"I finally made a choice," she said in her testimony before the audience Thursday. "Something in my spirit kept telling me, 'Just leave. I need to go.' I needed a new start from the inside and out."
And she said she found that new start at Laura's Home.
Joy and gratitude for the love that's been poured into them flow from these women. You see it at the graduation ceremony, in their testimonies, and in their smiles.
"My father is also my angel," said Braxton. "I think he, along with the Lord, guided me here."
Braxton said she wanted to share her story to show other women what's possible here.
News 5 has covered Laura's Home for years. From the emergency overflow sheltering they provide during cold snaps since the center has been full for years. Laura's Home prepares overflow space for those looking to escape cold weather.
To the transitional housing that's being built on campus to allow them to serve even more mothers and children. A $1.5 million donation will help speed the expansion of Laura's Home.
However, the graduation ceremony was special. To witness the difference that's being made in people's lives and helping women build better and brighter futures for not just themselves, but also their children.
"It means a whole lot to have them with me because they're all I have: My children and the Lord," said Braxton, with three of her four children in attendance. "I just look forward to be able to hold them tight, mold them, and help them continue to grow in their process of life."
