OUR
STORY
MISSION.
Jamie's House is a non-profit organization that equips and empowers women and children of Domestic Violence with hope and resources needed to begin a new life.
Where New Life
Begins Again
"Dear Jamie,
I'm so sorry for not saving your life. Your Dad told me many times that he was going to kill me. I thought if I got pregnant, I could save my life, but instead you did. You took the bullet that was meant for me; it killed you by cutting off the very thing that was meant to keep you alive - the amniotic sac. You died so that I could live, live with purpose. I want you to know that your death wasn't in vain. Jamie's House, soon to be Jamie's Village, will save lives. It will be a place where new life can begin again. I didn't understand why God had me name you Jamie two months before your father shot me, but now I understand. In the Bible, Jamie means "may God protect", which is apt because you were my greatest protector. Your memory and Jamie's village will serve as a safe haven for other "Jamies" that are in domestic violence relationships and homes.
A Letter To My Jamie
About the Founder
The Founder of Jamie's House is Carolyn Williams. She is the mother of two sons, two daughters, grandmother of eight grandchildren, and great-grandmother of two. Carolyn spent the majority of her life in and out of domestic violence relationships, until May 25, 1979. On this day, at 7 1/2 months pregnant, Carolyn was shot in the abdomen by her then-husband, killing her unborn child, Jamie. Fast forward to 2005, Carolyn was given a house by a family member and was trying to determine the purpose for it. She thought it would be a good idea to go on a silent retreat in the mountains of Tennessee to get some clarity and hear the voice of the Lord about what to do. A few days into the retreat, while looking over the land on a mountaintop, the Lord told her that she had never properly grieved for Jamie and that it was time - 26 years later. Carolyn grieved, took a flower and dropped it off the mountain as a sign of release. She never got to hold Jamie but she did get to carry her in her womb - and she thanked God for that blessing. She resolved that Jamie's death would not be in vain; her memory would be used to help others. After hiking down, she opened up about this experience with her retreat group and the vision of Jamie's House was born.
There is love after abuse.
We accept the love we think we deserve". Read it again and sit with that quote for a second.
"We accept the love we think we deserve"
I related to this quote so deeply because after being in two abusive relationships, I didn't think that I could ever find love or was worthy of being loved. I wasn't sure that I even knew what love was, but two years after Jamie’s passing I met Chester Leo Williams, the love of my life. He was kind, patient, affectionate, and attentive which made me suspicious because that’s how my abuser was at his best. I didn’t know it but I had internalized the lie my ex told me: "No one will ever want you with three children; no one will love you like I do".
Then one day about 6 months into our relationship Chet, sensing that my guard was still up, said, “You can trust me. I would never hurt you. You want me to hit you because that’s what you’re used to, but I will never hit you - that’s not who I am.” In that moment, I realized I could not make him pay for the mistakes of another man; they were not the same person. My hurt was his hurt, my joys were his joys, and most importantly, my children were his children.
We were happily married for 23 years before Chet passed away and I’ll always cherish how much he believed in me and taught me how to love myself. He was a living testament of God’s goodness after I, and my children, had experienced so much pain. There’s a famous line in The Shawshank Redemption that says “hope is a dangerous thing”, but I’m so glad I dared to hope for love after the abuse. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but also gave me a love I could only dream of.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy” - Proverbs 13:12
What's In A Name?
In October 2018, the Lord spoke to my heart and told me to reach out to local authorities about the number of domestic violence cases in my community. The first case that I encountered was of a woman named Jamie Pogreba-Brown. Jamie died on February 22, 2017 due to blunt force trauma to the head, after her husband struck her nine times with a hatchet. Jamie, a mother of two, was just 28 years old. I can't explain it, but when I saw her name it felt like a divine connection. God gave me a vision for Jamie's House in 2005 and pointed me to Jamie Pogreba-Brown in 2018, so there was no hesitation in me about what I needed to do - I had to call her father, Alan Pogreba.
"Hi, my name is Carolyn. You don't know me, but I saw an article about your daughter, Jamie..."
He was reasonably hesitant to take a call from a stranger, but as I began to share my story with him about my daughter the divine connection that I suspected became real. That first conversation was cathartic and imbued us with shared purpose. It turned out that Alan was involved in real estate and had been coming down for work in Florida to do renovations on some property he owned, so I extended an offer to him to see the house and meet in person. This ignited a fire in our mission to honor the lives of our Jamies and we started brainstorming about ways to update the house, encourage donations, etc.
In March 2020, our vision became a reality when Alan, his family, Jamie's best friends, and members of my church banded together to renovate the home. It was a beautiful moment that I will never forget. The part that stood out most was how much of a healing experience it was for everyone. It wasn't just installing windows or adding a fresh coat of paint - it was remembering our daughters, someones' sister, friend, mother.
The renovation was a communal affair - people had traveled from Idaho, Maine, Illinois, Canada, and Wisconsin to help. Kip Robinson, owner of Folkers Window company donated and installed windows to this cause. People stopped in to bring food, water, and even words of encouragement while we were working. All of this was a sign to me that this was meant to be and I felt so validated in taking that audacious first step in reaching out to Alan. Because of this unlikely connection, so many survivors will be given a second chance...to begin life again.