It is with great excitement and anticipation that we announce the official Grand Opening of Prim Goods. The event will take place on Thursday, August 6th from 5-6:30pm at the Parkade Center located at 601 Business Loop 70W Suite 240. Thanks to Hockman Interior Design for hosting the event.Prim Goods was developed in an effort to further the vision of Primrose Hill Teen Challenge, to cultivate a positive work ethic, and help students become productive, healthy members of society. Prim Goods provides the students with a viable, sustainable skill set and in turn, the micro-enterprise will provide Teen Challenge with an income to help offset program expenses.Prim Goods creates boutique-style products for mothers and babies, reinforcing the brand of Primrose Hill (catering to mothers and children). The purpose of the business is to give women at Primrose Hill the chance to learn business skills as they help create and run Prim Goods, learn responsibility and ownership over projects, and give confidence in their ability to work hard and be a part of a productive and effective business.

Currently Prim Goods produces 28 items under the Prim Goods label. These include bar soap, body lotion, liquid soap, sugar scrub and lip balm in an assortment of fragrances.“As a long time supporter and staff member of Teen Challenge I see great things happening in and through the operating of Prim Goods. The venture will not only help teach our ladies life and business skills it will also expose them to solid business practices which will serve them well after graduation from the program,” stated Karen McDonald Bowman, Interim Director of Primrose Hill Teen Challenge.You are encouraged to join us for the event and purchase items online at primgoods.com.

I first became aware of Teen Challenge in the early 70’s when our family met a group of boys from Teen Challenge while on a float trip. Soon after, we saw the movie “The Cross and the Switchblade” and read David Wilkerson’s book. Recently we have had a family member successfully complete the program. These experiences stirred within me a desire to get involved and volunteer at Primrose Hill Teen Challenge.As I get to know the women and children, I marvel at how the love of Jesus is touching their hearts and changing their lives. Their countinence has changed, they have hope in their hearts and a sparkle in their eyes. It’s like one big family – sisters and their children, along with an outstanding staff helping each other, caring, and encouraging one another.They have developed a microenterprise called Prim Goods. Their business not only helps contribute towards the program expenses, but it gives the women a sense of purpose and accomplishment as they make their products (soaps, lotions, scrubs, and lip balm) and learn to run a business. My favorite product is the soap. It comes in several different fragrances and whoever puts the final wrapper on it makes it personal by signing their name. It makes a great gift, too!I believe if you want to make a difference in our society you reach the family. And that’s what Primrose Hill is all about – helping the mothers become healthy, loving, and productive women who will be contributing members of their communities.While sharing a book with Seth, an 8 year old who is at Primrose Hill with his mama and brothers and sisters, he told me “I want to learn to make smoothies so when I’m a dad I can make them for my kids.” He is already thinking of his future family!

I had personally known about Teen Challenge since I was a child. Over the years I visited several of its centers around the country and became very familiar with the great work that was being done through its faith based residential recovery program. In 2013, I became involved in an effort to open a Teen Challenge in mid-Missouri to help serve the needs of women and their children.

The Teen Challenge National Office is located in Ozark, Missouri, and supports the affiliation of local chapters by monitoring agreed-upon uniform accrediting standards and providing training and materials. Teen Challenge was founded by Rev. David Wilkerson in 1958 and has grown to more than 1,200 non-profit facilities in 92 countries with 240 centers in the United States. Currently there are only eight centers in the Teen Challenge USA network that offer a residence program where children are able to stay with the mother. In November of 2014 we accepted our first student at Primrose Hill.

Primrose Hill Teen Challenge addresses the unique needs of women, in particular, and assists in removing the barriers that often stand in the way of recovery for women. In addition, given that women are traditionally the caregivers in families, investing in a very specific recovery process that addresses the needs of women not only benefits the women themselves, but also their children, and communities as a whole. Primrose Hill Teen Challenge is a 12-month residential program that will allow children to remain with their mothers during the recovery process. This model helps remove potential barriers and empowers women to make changes necessary to remain drug free.One of the core values of Teen Challenge is that every center has a work program where the students can learn the value of hard work as part of their recovery. In addition, the income earned helps offset the costs of the the services provided by Teen Challenge.

Primrose Hill offers a unique challenge in creating the right business enterprise since the students are all women and they are the caregivers for their children while in the program. This means their time is limited and needs to be tailored to something they can be passionate about. In August of 2015 we announced the Grand Opening of our micro-enterprise called Prim Goods.

Prim Goods was developed in an effort to further the vision of Primrose Hill Teen Challenge, to cultivate a positive work ethic, and help students become productive, healthy members of society. Prim Goods provides the students with a viable, sustainable skill set and in turn, the micro-enterprise will provide Teen Challenge with an income to help offset program expenses.

Prim Goods creates boutique-style products for mothers and babies, reinforcing the brand of Primrose Hill (catering to mothers and children). The purpose of the business is to give women at Primrose Hill the chance to learn business skills as they help create and run Prim Goods, learn responsibility and ownership over projects, and give confidence in their ability to work hard and be a part of a productive and effective business.

Prim Goods will also be a source of sustainable income for Primrose Hill. Part of the vision of Primrose Hill Teen Challenge is to provide not only a “holistic approach to recovery from life-controlling problems, but acquire a new value system that honors family, takes responsibility for community, cultivates a positive work ethic, and helps the women become productive, healthy members of society.”

Our plan is for Prim Goods to provide a steady and substantial funding base for Primrose Hill. Those who are in the non-profit business know the challenge of raising money for the causes we are passionate about. Many times we are dependent on events, donors and grants and those can be inconsistent at times. The majority of our sales will come through our website which will allow us to grow our business beyond local and regional borders.

My name is Rachel Reardon. In the last 6 months I have had the opportunity of being the Prim Goods supervisor for Primrose Teen Challenge. This means I lead the students in making the Prim Goods products. It has been quite the journey! In the beginning I learned alongside the students the process of making these goods, and we have all grown together from that point.I remember when the “soap lady” came to teach us how to make our first product which was bar soap. This was a big task! There are many details involved in making this product. The Teen Challenge kitchen had pans of oils being heated, fragrances mixing together, and smiling Moms wearing goggles and rubber gloves. Everyone was excited to learn this new trade. Some said they were going to start a business in their home when they graduate the program. So we made our first batch of soap and then our second and third… Once this product was mastered, we began with other items such as our sugar scrub, lip balm, lotion, and liquid soap.While some jumped right in from the beginning, some of the women did not believe in themselves or were simply not motivated to do the work. One student had no desire to work or make soap. I have seen her change into an amazing worker, and she is now our most enthusiastic soap maker (you can read her blog on our website: “A Day in the Life of Prim Goods”). Another lady simply did not believe in herself to do the meticulous details that are involved in the background of soap making. She almost gave up one day, but instead she stuck with it and finished the task. I cannot be more proud of her for accomplishing what she has. Now I see her teaching others around her.I love the small victories, because they mean something much bigger. I love to be there when a woman believes in herself for the first time in years or ever. These are the moments when she has the thought, “If I can do this, what else can I do?” These are the times when creativity is able to grow and come alive inside of hearts. I know that the skills the women are learning are going to carry with them into the world when they leave PHTC. That is my favorite part of the microbusiness.

I am personally aware of the struggles that come from drug and alcohol abuse especially for women with children. I grew up in a home with four girls and one boy , with my oldest sister introducing me to drugs and alcohol at the age of 13. We were fortunate enough when I was 15 to be invited to a 12 step drug abuse program in Houston, Texas where after a year I was able to stay sober. Once sober, I was convinced that my addictive behavior to chemical abuse would always be a stumbling block for me and I committed my way of life to Sobriety.While counseling other addicts the way of sobriety, I met my husband who also had committed his life to sobriety. At the age of 30 I committed my life to Christ and renewed my commitment to stay sober.I have since over the years watched my older sister struggle with chemical abuse and the effects of that abuse on her spiritual, emotional and physical health. I’ve also watched how it has affected her three children, her ex-husband and our family.While the past cannot be changed the future can, Primrose Hill is a safe place for women and their children for an extended time period. The excellence of Prim Goods is a bonus and is a way the ladies can help support the home. I purchased a bag full of soap recently and gave the soap bars to my girls as gifts. I also use some to scent my dresser drawers.