Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Cobb.
Melanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Empower 7 is a personal story, a journey of discovering that I am called to serve a greater purpose. I grew up in a Christian home with loving parents who would move the moon for me. In 1991, I married the love of my life, and in 2006, we were blessed with a son. Life was good. Then, in an instant, it was not. My mom was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I was completely crushed. She was my best friend and a loving grandmother to my young son. The very thought of losing her saddened me more than words could ever express. I felt powerless and abandoned at every turn – at her diagnosis, her long battle, her death, and for years following in my grieving. Throughout this season, I would experience brief but incredible moments of agonizing drop-to-your-knees physical heartbreak and feelings of deep despair and emptiness.
In these dark moments, God’s love would see me through! He would remind me that I am loved, I am His child, and I am not abandoned. He would also firmly impress upon me the reality that there are orphaned and abandoned teens that do not know of His love. The agonizing heartbreak that I would experience from time to time was constant for them. Every single moment of each day, they only knew despair and brokenness.
For many years, I considered these moments with God as just a normal part of the grieving process. I did not grasp the lesson to be learned or that I was being called beyond myself to serve a greater purpose. Yet, as my grieving season subsided, His profound message to me continued. My heart began to soften as I began to wonder about the significance of these experiences.
In 2017, I fully leaned into these painful moments and desired to know God’s purpose for these messages. Through months of prayer and silence, it was clear that God was using my pain to open my eyes and heart to teens struggling without a loving support system. I became aware of the modern-day orphan crisis that was affecting older teens not only across the oceans but in our local communities. Teens in our great United States of America were facing immeasurable odds just to survive their childhood and thousands were aging out of foster care every year without any support system or place to call home! I knew without a doubt that many of these teens desperately needed to learn about the hope and future waiting for them through a personal relationship with Christ. My heart became forever gripped with a God-inspired passion for building a safe-haven where these teens could heal, develop, and learn about God’s love and grace.
On January 20, 2018, after a perfectly timed Godwink, I knew it was time to respond to my calling and move forward with our ministry. We officially formed Empower 7 in April 2018 and passionately began planning for The Empower 7 Ranch and programming to support at-risk teens today.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh, it’s been far from smooth! Starting a ministry is certainly not for the faint-hearted, especially one with a BIG mission such as ours. It takes a whole lot of passion and sweat equity. We were making admirable progress towards establishing our programming and planning for The Empower 7 Ranch when COVID-19 surfaced and quickly changed everything. Because of the pandemic, we faced countless denials for grant applications, were forced to cancel our fundraisers, and in-person communications was a challenge, to say the least. Most disappointing of all, our prospective land donor was no longer able to give us land for The Ranch. Even so, we stood firmly grounded in our passion for the mission and trust that God would equip and provide. We regrouped, streamlined budgets, plans, and processes, and faithfully moved forward with the little we had. Despite the pandemic, we are persevering and staying true to our calling.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Empower 7 story. Tell us more about your organization.
Empower 7 is a Christian faith-based organization created for the sole purpose of empowering the lives of vulnerable youth in North Texas. Our vision is for “all youth, regardless of their circumstance, to become thriving, purposeful adults who are driven to make the world a better place.” Our primary goal is to build The Empower 7 Ranch, a residential safe-haven for at-risk teens whose need for care and treatment cannot be met safely and effectively by their families or in a traditional foster family setting. So many older teens are at-risk of aging out of foster care without a loving support system due to the complexity associated with their age and trauma experienced. The Ranch will give these teens a chance to overcome their adverse circumstances and develop into responsible, thriving adults. Our goals for these teens is that they are prepared for adulthood, form healthy connections with society, and know God’s love and grace. As a result, these teens will become healthy, engaged assets to our community rather than disconnected burdens. Not only will they know their life has a purpose, but they will also be equipped with essential life skills to go after their dreams!
While faithfully planning for The Empower 7 Ranch, we are working to close the gaps that prevent youth from thriving. Our current programs are designed to address the immediate or emergency needs of vulnerable, at-risk youth while providing them with learning experiences to shape their future.
Of all our progress over the first two years, I am most proud of our team unity. Together, we are laying the groundwork necessary to accomplish our growth goals. Together, we are helping teens rise above the challenges they face each day. Together, we are uniting as one to positively change the future of all children. Our favorite saying, “Together We Empower,” describes us to a T. We are really coming together to serve a greater purpose!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck – good or bad – in my life or business. You only achieve the goals, vision, and dreams that you are willing to actively and strategically pursue. For a mission as BIG as ours, you must also have unwavering passion, faith, and perseverance to see it through. When obstacles and fears surface, and they always do, you must have the courage to keep pushing towards the finish. Seeing your goals, vision, and dreams come to fruition is worth every single step, however challenging they may be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.empower7.org
- Phone: 469-264-7400
- Email: info@empower7.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empower7org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empower7org
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/empower7org
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empower7org
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