Support the JOY that is Reality Ministries

"Girl, no one makes a dressing like me," said Bonnie,  pointing my direction with her sassy smile. "I'm telling you, it's the best." It is the best! That summer day, for over 2 hours, Bonnie and I sat on the picnic bench under the old oak tree planting a bunch of sunflower and zinnia seeds that would soon grace the tables at the Reality Cafe. We spent those hours delighting in each other's presence, laughing, and celebrating the small gifts of life. Bonnie is one of the many friends I have been blessed by at Reality Ministries , a community which fosters relationships among people of all abilities.

This community was one of the first gems I discovered when moving back to NC. Never before had I experienced the kind of welcome I received when I walked through its’ doors. The joy, delight, warmth, and welcome were captivating and contagious. This community felt like a hidden gem that everybody needed to know about and I wanted to experience more.

Within a few years, I began volunteering in the Reality kitchen cooking meals for day time programming. It was by far one of the highlights to my week and became an integral part of diving deeper into the heart of the community. I gave dozens of high fives, received dozens of hugs, and held the most beautiful and blessed conversations in those years of cooking and eating with my friends. For the last 4 years,  I've been involved in the development of the Reality Farm, where relationships continue to be cultivated and purposeful and meaningful work is had, where difference in limitation and ability is seen as a gift. Every week, the Reality participants come out to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers that provide beauty and nourishment for the larger Reality community.  Harvest days are a sight to behold!


The relationships I’ve formed at Reality Ministries have been transformative. I’ve learned the gift of mutuality that friendship offers with people of varying abilities and these relationships have been vital to my own flourishing and healing. I’ve laughed with my Reality friends around the dinner table, harvested tomatoes with the Reality farm crew, and danced with a freedom that I had never imagined possible.



At Reality Ministries, you get to bear witness to the precious and holy truth that you are enough, JUST AS YOU ARE. There is invitation and welcome around every turn and an imagination for how to live differently together in community. It is a place where individuals with and without disabilities share the simple and messy moments of life together. Moments marked by mutuality, authenticity and the reality of God's love for all.

I have been served on the Board of Directors at Reality for the past 4 years. Reality needs to raise much-needed funds to help ensure our doors can reopen once it's safe to do so. Many people with disabilities are more susceptible than most to particular medical risks, and, at the same time, are more likely to experience isolation and loneliness. Our doors have been closed since March, and while Zoom meetings and phone calls sure lift our spirits, many of our friends are really feeling the brunt of the COVID impact. 

Will you join me in donating to the mission that has captivated my spirit?  To help make your donation even sweeter, we, as a Board, have agreed to match all donations that come in up to $71,000 through June 30th. No gift is too small!

Thank you.