30 Women, 30 Stories

In honor of our 30th year and the over 1,000 women we have served over the past three decades, Marian House has released a book to capture the tales of thirty of the women who have called Marian House their home during their journeys from dependence to independence.

The book “30 Women, 30 Stories:  Journeys of Recovery and Transformation” was publicly released on June 21, 2012 at the Cork Gallery in Baltimore. This inspiring work commemorates Marian House’s 30th anniversary year by profiling the remarkable transformation of 30 Marian House alumnae who overcame addiction, trauma, incarceration, homelessness, mental illness and poverty to build independent, productive lives. It is the centerpiece of a public education and advocacy project aimed at informing the public on the correlated issues featured in “30 Women, 30 Stories”.

After the early summer book release audio clips of the 30 women telling their stories were placed on the Marian House website.  In November 2012 a traveling exhibition was launched featuring photographs of the 30 Marian House alumnae by photographer Marshall Clarke.  The exhibition will include words from the women about their remarkable transitions from dependence to independence and include a series of community dialogues addressing the five issues highlighted in the book.

For further information on our traveling exhibition please visit our “30 Women, 30 Stories Exhibition” page.

To hear audio clips from each of the women highlighted in “30 Women, 30 Stories” please see the gallery below.

“30 Women, 30 Stories” - Issue Related Videos
Listen to the women and experts of “30 Women, 30 Stories” talk about addiction, incarceration, homelessness, mental illness, and trauma—issues faced by Marian House women and others like them as they move from dependence to independence. Click here to see the videos.

The Stories

These audio stories (edited excerpts from recorded interviews with Marian House alumnae) serve as a companion piece to the book, “30 Women, 30 Stories: Journeys of Recovery and Transformation,” created on the occasion of Marian House’s 30th anniversary in 2012.

Despite uneven sound quality resulting from variable interview situations, we elect to have all 30 women represented among the audio stories—the power of their words justify the inclusion of each participant regardless of inconsistent sound.

We thank the courageous women who have chosen to share their personal experiences through these stories—their testimonials help us understand the challenges they and women like them face, and Marian House’s role helping them overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Click on one of the women below to hear her story in her own words.

Audrey Fischer	Carol Smith	Chanta Whiting
Chrystal Wesby	Cynthia Hall	Cynthia Kopec
Deneen Houze	Denise Matthews	Donna Jackson
Doreen Cooke	Elizabeth Smith	Evania Chapman
Gail Chapman-Robinson	Helena Weathers	Karen Floyd
Kendra Gatling	Lesly Bailey-Johnson	Linette Parrine-Waters
Mary Bonds	Monica Scott	Nalisha Gibbs
Paris Turner	Rita Chapman	Rowena Simmons
Sharon Cannon	Tammi Shuron	Terona Hopkins
Terri Randolph-Spence	Trina Selden	Willette Fair