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“This isn’t just a pause, it’s a renewal for Sparrow, that has been both metaphorical and physical…Sparrow is lighter and brighter and full of life.” These are the hopeful and encouraging words of The Sparrow’s Nest’s new Executive Director, Katie Roam.
On Saturday, February 6, Board Member Jessica Henman hosted a Facebook Live session with Katie in order for the Sparrow community to get to know her and to show everyone the ongoing renovations at the Nest.
Katie, a Southwest Missouri native, attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas before heading to Chicago, Illinois where she earned a Master’s degree from Wheaton College and did cross-cultural mission work with immigrants and refugees from all around the world.
In that mission, Katie said, “We really tried to serve refugee families with everything they needed.” She noted assisting with things from helping them read mail to buying household goods, which Jessica pointed out “matches really well with what the Sparrow’s Nest does, connecting people with resources and helping them find their way in a new situation.”
Next on Katie’s journey, she worked at Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, which is where her passion for trauma-informed care began. She explained that in trauma-informed care, “We try to be attuned to all the hard experiences that have led someone to be in a position like this and to treat those things, so we can heal the brain and move on in a better position than we started.”
Katie has seen real results from employing trauma-informed principles, so she is thrilled to bring this knowledge to the Nest. She exclaimed, “I’m really excited about the opportunity to take an organization that’s doing good work into doing great work through trauma-informed care.”
Refocusing on trauma-informed care is just one of the many ways the Nest is preparing to reopen. Many renovations, headed by extremely generous volunteers, are underway to ready the house for new residents.
“I’m really, truly excited about what the future is going to hold for Sparrow—just the response that people have had to our requests to come and paint or redo rooms has been really overwhelming,” asserted Katie. “You have a beautiful community that’s really supportive of the organization.”
If you would like to see the improvements, Katie suggests scheduling a Talk’n Tour with our Community Awareness Coordinator Kim. You can email kim@thesparrowsneststl.org for more information about this opportunity.
You can also see the Nest’s renovations and hear more about Katie in a recording of the event on The Sparrow’s Nest Facebook page.