180 Degrees | Turning Lives Around

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  • About Us
    • Annual Report
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
    • Leadership
    • Mission
  • Youth Shelters
    • Bed Availability
    • Brittany's Place
    • Hope House
    • Onward House
    • St. Cloud Youth Shelter
    • VonWald Youth Shelter
  • Community Programs
    • Clifton Place Adult Residential
    • All Children Excel
    • Foster Care
    • SAFE
    • Safe Harbor Navigator: East Metro
    • Youth Vocational Program
  • Get Involved
    • Employment
    • Events
    • Speaking Engagments
    • Volunteer
  • News
    • From the CEO
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Our Stories

Brittany's Place Remodel: Thank You

2/25/2021

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The past few months have been busy at 180 Degrees' Brittany’s Place. As you may know, we had a full remodel of our St. Paul shelter for girls and young women who've experienced trafficking. Our heartfelt gratitude to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for working together with 180 Degrees and Brittany’s Place staff. We are amazed at their generosity. Their talent and contributions have: 
  • Converted first-floor office space to create new bedrooms for more clients. 
  • Remodeled the Welcome Room creating a much more inviting first-impression for new clients.
  • Provided beautiful new rugs, textiles, and furniture for the lounge, main area, and bedrooms for added comfort. 
  • Remodeled second-floor bedrooms, complete with new paint, sheets, and art.
  • Retouched murals and placed new art installations in the lounge.
ASID and many other individuals and organizations helped transform and revitalize Brittany’s Place into a more comfortable and healing environment for girls and young women who've experienced trauma associated with sex trafficking.

If you need interior design, we highly recommend ASID and the other creative and generous businesses below.


Thank you for your donations, expertise, and support. Brittany’s Place feels more like a home for girls who have experienced unique traumas due to sex trafficking and violence.

Donations/Partners/Volunteers: 
American Society of Interior Designers team (ASID)
Adam Anderson of Decorators Service Co. for 
installing screen painting in Main Area. 
Mark Arfmann of MASK Painting for painting all of the walls. 
Michelle Ashe of Muska Lighting for donating lamps for bedrooms. 
Leslie Bentley of Satori Tile for donating tile installation. 
Jackie Cox of Tapis Décor for donating carpet installation in the Main Area. 
Chris Drigans of Benjamin Moore Paint for donating paint. 
Nancy Nelson Flom of Intersource for donating carpet tile for Lounge Room. 
Charlie Flynn of Francis King Showroom for donating two Ottomans for the Main Area. 
Shari Goodchild of The Tile Shop for donating tile and supplies for Kitchen Island. 
Kelly Grenell of Dixie Group for donating carpet installation in Main Area. 
Christine Happel of Ethan Allen Interiors for donating furniture for the Welcome Room.  
Denise Houk of Denise Houk Art for painting and photography. 
Jesse Korbson of J. Korbson Design for donation and installation of TV in the Lounge Room. 
Scott Needham of Express Window Fashions for treatment of windows.  
Dianna Sether of CA Closets for donation of throw and regular pillows. 
Jennifer Ruis of Fuse Showroom for donation of chair and ottoman for the Lounge Room. 
Frank and Anette Weber from Bob’s Binding for donation of rug pads for all small rugs. 
Brian Williams of Designers Concierge for donating an art install. 
Lisa Yahrmatter of Fiberseal for treatment of furniture. 

ASID Community Service 
Committee Members: 
Michelle Asche
 of Muska Lighting. 
Lisa Ball of Design By Lisa. 
Jennie Korsbon of J. Korsbon Design. 
Jenni Ruis of Fuse Showroom. 
Chris Schmitz of ProSource Wholesale. 
Karen Thullner of Watershed Design Group. 
ASID Leadership: 
Charlene Ackley as ASID Member President.
 
Nicole Alatar of Sherwin Williams as ASID Director At Large. 
Kaitlyn Stokes of Crystal Kitchens as ASID PR Committee Member. 
ASID Designer Volunteers: 
Nancy Dahl Baker 
as Freelance Volunteer. 
Kali Bray from the U of MN as ASID Student Member Volunteer. 
Jennifer Darnell and Christine Happel of Ethan Allen Interiors. 
Piper Donlin as ASID Student Member Volunteer. 
Kelly Hayes Erickson of Carriage House Studio. 
Bonnie Folkerts as Freelance Volunteer. 
Terry Gustafson of Terry Gustafson Interior Design. 
Barbara Hafften of Barbara Hafften Interior Design. 
Mary Jane Pappas of Pappas Design. 
Laura Shikowsky as Student Member Volunteer. 
Nicole Sirek of Partners 4 Design. 
Angie Smith and Bridget Zack of DCTC as ASID Student Member Volunteers. 
Christine Tanaka of Harmony Interiors. 
Lisa Theis of EnTICEng Designs. 
Brenda Scherping Westphal of Scherping Westphal Showroom.

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Cynthia's Story

12/14/2020

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Part 1

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Like many Minnesota families, Cynthia's family lived on the edge of poverty. Not only did her parents suffer from health conditions, but they both had to work two jobs just to get by.

When Cynthia's father died unexpectedly, her mother spiraled into a deep depression. Overwhelmed by the grief of losing her husband and the steadily growing pile of bills, her mother struggled with daily living. That left Cynthia on her own to navigate.

With her mother not able to provide emotional support and money for food increasingly scarce, concentrating at school was an almost impossible task for Cynthia.

It didn't help that teasing from classmates became more frequent, adding to her grief and stress. Soon, Cynthia began skipping school, immersing herself in fantasy books to get a small sense of safety and comfort.


Until now, Cynthia had dodged the pressure from her friend's brother to hang out with a group of guys during the day in an apartment. But, increasingly hungry and struggling to get by, she was starting to reconsider.

Part 2

Eventually, a social worker made a visit to Cynthia's home. Seeing the neglect and food scarcity, she knew it was in Cynthia's best interest to get out. 

To make sure Cynthia was safe, the social worker brought her to one of 180 Degrees' five 
Emergency Youth Shelters. Cynthia didn't want to leave her mom, but she knew something had to change.

Understandably, it was really hard for Cynthia at first. She resisted the transition to this new, unknown environment with new, unknown people.

Slowly though, with the consistency of a safe and structured space, home cooked meals, and a team of people who genuinely cared about her, Cynthia began to learn to trust.


"Talking with other kids at the shelter made me realize I wasn't alone." Feeling seen by people who understood made a difference. The trust Cynthia gained through these relationships paved the way for discovering new things about herself, and building pathways forward.

[Stay tuned for the third and final part of Cynthia's story!]

Part 3

With encouragement from Becky, the on-site teacher, Cynthia got back on track in school. She dedicated time to drawing - focusing on something that brought her joy - and taking pride in her unique talents. A case manager even helped Cynthia locate a part-time job within walking distance of her house.

Mental health crises and family dynamics don't resolve instantly. 180 Degrees provides the critical support and connections families need to begin to heal. Throughout Cynthia's shelter stay, she visited her mom regularly while her mom connected with a mental health professional to begin improving her emotional well-being and re-gaining financial stability.

After three months, Cynthia reunited with her mom. Today, if struggles mount again, they both feel more confident about how to seek help and get back on track.

Your gift will connect teens like Cynthia to a safe space when they have no other options.

With your help, youth will have a roof over their head and the resources they need to rebuild family connections and start to heal.

Our goal is to raise $15,000 for youth in crisis before December 31. Will you help? 
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Carla's Story

11/17/2020

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Since 2015, over 450 girls
​
at Brittany's Place received support for being
​sex trafficked.

Carla was one of these young women.
​One afternoon, Carla made a hurried call, fearing for her life. For the past year she’d been sexually trafficked and trying to survive. She needed help getting out.  

Born to a mother with HIV and struggling with drug addiction, 17-year-old Carla had experienced a lifetime of poverty and trauma, including the devastating death of her brother. Even still, when a social worker planned to remove Carla from the home, she fled. Arriving in Minneapolis with no money or plan, and a small bag of clothes, she lived on the streets while holding down a part-time job.  

With temperatures dropping and no place to go, it was hard to refuse an offer to move in with Ann - a woman she met one night. However, it soon became obvious the housing was not free.
​Carla was soon being trafficked around the Twin Cities and emotionally abused.  
​That’s when Carla made the call to Brittany’s Place, 180 Degrees’ emergency shelter for youth who are at risk of or experiencing sexual exploitation. Carla describes the day she arrived. “I was scared. My anxiety was going through the roof. But I knew my life had a purpose and this was my last chance.” 

Carla was welcomed and offered food, water, and clean clothes. That evening, she slept in a private room and for the first time in her life. She finally felt safe.  
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Gradually, Carla started to trust a few people at Brittany's Place. Ms. Adelaide shampooed and braided her hair. Rhonda, the educator, encouraged her to give school another chance. The peer support groups helped make positive, healing connections with others in the program. 

After nine months at Brittany’s Place, and with help from a Case Manager, Carla secured supportive housing in Minneapolis, starting her new chapter.

Now, she's living independently, going to work, and has access to counseling services and other crucial resources. Carla is empowered, and continues to heal and grow.
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​Your gift empowers young survivors of sex trafficking achieve safety, stability, and a brighter future.

​P.S. Every donation until November 19 will be MATCHED up to $5,000! That means your impact will be doubled.
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