Greetings Friends, Supporters & Advocates,

For over 12 years, S.C.A.R.S. has stood as a supportive space and a voice for survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence, especially those whose stories are often unheard. We’ve held space for survivors to be seen, heard, supported, and loved. We’ve raised awareness about the realities of domestic violence at both the local and national level, and partnered with agencies, organizations, churches, and community leaders to educate and create more informed, empowered people and safer spaces.

Our work has offered healing support, personal and professional development, financial empowerment, and pathways for growth. We’ve helped survivors rebuild their lives with community, resources, and a holistic approach to healing, self-sufficiency, recovery, and wholeness.

We changed lives affected by domestic violence.

When I founded Second Chance At Renewing Self, Inc. in 2013, trauma-informed care wasn’t a buzzword. It wasn’t mainstream or woven into human services or social justice work. As a survivor, I knew something most systems were not acknowledging yet: the missing element in survivor support was healing — understanding what happened to them and reconnecting them to themselves.

This truth became the foundation of S.C.A.R.S., and it also became the foundation of my own healing journey.

I grew with the organization. As I healed, learned, transformed, and evolved, so did S.C.A.R.S.

When I did the deep inner work, the organization’s messaging shifted.
As I healed my own trauma roots, S.C.A.R.S. became trauma-informed.
As I continued my journey and began reshaping, so did the organization.

We moved from surviving abuse to healing-centered empowerment.

We became a healing community, offering holistic pathways for survivors to reclaim themselves.

Over the last few years, my own healing and spiritual journey have called me into a deeper, more expansive expression of this mission. And now, I am standing at a different part of my journey.

I realize that I have personally fulfilled the mission of this organization.
My scars are healed.

Mission:
To empower and heal the mind, body, and soul of those affected by intimate partner violence through education, advocacy, and awareness.

Vision:
We envision a world of confident, empowered individuals free of intimate partner violence.

So, it may come as a surprise to learn that S.C.A.R.S. will be ceasing operations at the end of this year. This was not an easy decision.

Additionally, the philanthropic and funding climate over the last two years has made the necessary financial support required to sustain this work increasingly limited. While money is not the sole reason for closing, it is part of the reality.

In truth, we had two options:

1 – S.C.A.R.S. lives on and the mission moves forward under the leadership of a new Executive Director.
2 – Recognize that shutting down is not failure, but transition. Honor the work we’ve done; Celebrate the accomplishments; Preserve the legacy, and close on a high note with integrity.

We chose the latter.

Second Chance At Renewing Self, Inc. will officially conclude all operations on December 31, 2025. As we close this chapter, we are committed to doing so with care, transparency, and integrity. Over the coming weeks, we will begin winding down operations. 

While S.C.A.R.S. is closing as an organization, the mission is rising in a new form. What began as Second Chance At Renewing Self has evolved into Restorative Pathways – a Liberation Academy for emotional healing, self-awareness, identity reclamation, and personal wholeness, guiding people toward greater alignment and freedom.

Restorative Pathways carries the soul and legacy of S.C.A.R.S. forward. It maintains healing, safety, and transformation at its core, while expanding into restorative wellbeing, emotional liberation, spiritual awakening, and systemic transformation.

If you would like to stay connected with me and be notified of updates and offerings through Restorative Pathways, you’re warmly invited to join the email community.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in S.C.A.R.S., and thank you for the work we’ve done together.

To every supporter, donor, volunteer, partner, and ally who has walked with us, know that your presence, your advocacy, and your love have mattered more than you know.

Every life touched. Every story shared. Every safe space created.
All of it lives on in the people we’ve served and in the pathways we are still building.

May every survivor we’ve touched continue to rise in truth and power. Thank you for allowing us to walk with you through some of the most sacred and vulnerable spaces of your life.

 With deep gratitude and love,

Sonja J. Holt-Cartwright

Founder & Executive Director