We can make a difference

I'm on course of what has been planned for me in this journey. I can't lose with God on my side. I speak life, wisdom and courage to every person who knows someone who has faced domestic violence at one time or presently trapped. You must be able to walk a mile in the victims shoes to understand the bondage they face. We who are strong supposed to strengthen them when they are weak and being tortured physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. This coming year is a new level for SOUND THE ALARM OUTREACH. We will leave a mark and continue to make difference. We hope you will join us and let us in to  fight in 2014 because this a war now to save lives. Help us make a difference in setting the captives free. This is real domestic abuse and gun violence isn't a black problem it is a people problem. Stop making excuses to accept the natural act of peoples evil intent and begin to show the enemy we won't let you in to win. Every second counts and that friend and loved one needs us. So I speak to my house all the way to the white we have work to do. #2014 #STAO #fight #freedom #support #survivor #Ihavethevictory #domesticviolence #gunviolence

Hope 4 Our City

I invite you to HOPE 4 OUR CITY Domestic Violence Abuse Awareness doors open at 4pm we will start at 4:15 sharp at MVP Bar & Grill 8021 W. Florissant Ave. This event I am hosting it is FREE FREE FREE but we highly encouraging donations to help our organization www.breakthecycle.org. Bring someone to this event many talented artist will be performing and I will be sharing my story.  I hope to see you all there TODAY!

Emotions

We will get into our feelings when we are going thru tough times. I don't want you to ever think that I'm not human. But I know that I must pray NOT my will but GODS will be done.

Even on yesterday going to speak at the University it was  difficult for me but not in the since to tell my story again but because I am having something disturbing to me emotionally bother me right now while I share what I am trying to empower and educate others to be encouraged.

Jesus is our greatest example on suffering emotionally but he remained obedient to God for what his purpose was on earth was supposed to be. I'm not Jesus nor God but I am a spiritual being who knows that I must get out of myself when it comes to being transparent and allowing so many people to understand my story. I believe that I have made a new level of purpose at this time and the revelation that a person could get for pressing thru your test is the one that gives you a greater testimony. The greater the opposition is the greater the opportunity. Keep praying, praising and fighting y'all. God will see you thru it. It won't feel good but just know God is there all the time. Be blessed. ~Atara

Wisdom

Good morning beautiful people!!!

Wisdom Is Calling Out to You

Along the way on our journey through life, we will have to make many decisions, and we will always get into trouble if we make them emotionally or according to what we think or want.

God wants us to make wise decisions. I believe having wisdom is choosing to do now what we will be happy with later.

Proverbs says that wisdom is calling out to us. You must walk in God's wisdom and realize that the choices you make today will affect your tomorrow. So many people never enjoy life because they're always dealing with messes resulting from a lack of wisdom.

Don't do something selfish, gambling that things will turn out right. Wisdom does not gamble, it invests in the future. Wisdom doesn't settle for a cheap thrill. Instead, it follows God into a better tomorrow.

So what about you? Are you walking in wisdom today? If you're not, the good news is that wisdom is already calling out to you. God's ready and willing to provide you with His wisdom. Just ask Him for it and make the decisions that will invest in a godly future.

Prayer: God, I want to enjoy life, not constantly clean up problems that result from a lack of wisdom. Thank You for providing Your wisdom for me. I choose to receive it and make godly decisions for my future.

Make today a fresh start to a better beginning. Be blessed!!! Be good to yourself and to one another. I am sharing what I must do in order for things in my life to line up because God gives us all a choice and we know right from wrong. I'm going to try if nothing else. How about you??

~Atara

Being Discipline

Good morning beautiful people!!! I'm reading the word this morning and this scripture jumps out at me Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

I am busy like the next person. But, what does it mean to be so busy if you have no discipline or have enjoyment doing what you do? I make changes in my life that are healthy and productive to me and those around me. Everything I do has a meaning even when I am hanging with family and friends. Don't forget the small things because they will become big things and that could create chaos in your life. You have the means to ask God for guidance in being discipline. It takes work from you in order to see the change but guess what, you have another day to get started. I'm working on somethings and I don't ever want to lose the enjoyment of my journey by being overwhelmed. So keep me lifted up I'm your prayers because things has lined up for me and it's all in Gods word. Be blessed y'all have fun on today. Be good to yourself and to one another. ~Atara

Benefit Concert

Hey my people grab you a booth for only $30....sell your music, watches, T-Shirts etc. ...get it and be apart of this great cause. Get your ticket now and I will be there spreaking about domestic/dating violence. We all are coming together so support by SOUNDING THE ALARM!!!

No fear

Good morning beautiful people!!!

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

I don't get every prayer answered when I ask God it doesn't mean that he's not there for me or you. It just mean that no matter what happens and how it goes TRUST GOD. He will carry you through. We all must learn that and we will be alright. I'm learning daily. Be good to yourself and to one another on today and everyday. God bless y'all!! ~Atara

Keep fighting

Good morning beautiful people! I have been a little quiet for a while dealing with personal things but the meditation word for today is Luke 12:4-5 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. I mean this from the bottom of my heart the devil can't use nobody to tear me down even if he comes to do it himself. All theses attacks are unnecessary to me but I guess some people will never learn. I have been killed before by the words and action by people and i'm still alive. They hurt for a while but somehow I bounce back up and if you can relate to this post then you are more than a conqueror also. Stand strong even when the devil has pushed you to the edge because there is some fight left in you. You may be knocked down but you're not knocked out. Y'all be blessed because I just got back up for my next round. This is a fight to the finish. ~Atara

Salute you

I must share this with those who are feeling the blues not from the loss of a mother because that goes without saying. No one can replace your loved one. But for those who desire and can't wait for this day to be over because so many of us are mothers and most of the work is never really apprecitaed from our children. We sacrifice a lot and we dont complain or ask where is my cut. So if you are reading this and you're feeling down and out for not being a mother for one reason or another. Stop and look around you because you are a mentor/mother figure, godmother, or whatever term you want to use that will accept the fact that you are a role model to that young man or young woman that looks up to you somehow. Smile on today because we SALUTE you also because it takes a village to help raise these children and you are a part of that success story. Be blessed! Phil 4:4 Always be full of joy. I say it again--rejoice. ~Atara

You are strong

Good morning beautiful people! Here is the meditation word for today. 1 Samuel 17:37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” Please take the time to read this chapter it will bless you. I know that God has blessed me in the past because I have great testimonies that show me. Today is no different. I take this challenge that I have today and know that I am not alone because God has already gave me the victory over the situation. My Goliath is nothing and I must remember that for what God delivered me from before he will do it again. I bless you today with the same encouraging words through Gods word will give you all that you need to win in your difficult situation. If you have not tried God you might want to ask him to take control now. That's my prayer when you have done all you can do you just stand. Love y'all for reading and doing what the word says. Be blessed as always because God is in control. ~Atara

Remember

APTPJYJTD

House budget bill includes $1.9 milliondomestic violence fundingincrease *

$1.9 million federal funding increase for domestic violence services
included in Department of Social Services budget bill


 Appropriations Overview:  House budget bills filed on 2-14-13


·         Increased funding for domestic violence services included
in Department of Social Services


·         Level funding for VOCA and STOP grants, reduction in SSVF
grant funding in Department of Public Safety


·         Level funding for Rape Prevention and Education grants in
Department of Health and Senior Services


 The budget bills for the coming fiscal year were filed on Thursday,
2-14-13, by the House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Rick Stream
(R-Kirkwood).  An increase of $1.9 million in federal funds for
domestic violence services was included in House Bill 11, the Fiscal
Year 2014 budget for the Department of Social Services. The funding
increase is a budget priority first proposed by Governor Jay Nixon in
his budget for the state fiscal year that begins July 1, 2013.


 The appropriations bills, as filed by Rep. Stream, do not contain nearly
$1 billion in federal funds for Medicaid expansion and subsequently do not
distribute state funding savings throughout the budget as was proposed by
Gov. Nixon.


 ·         Link here to view bills under the Joint Information menu, then
Joint Bill information tab on the Missouri General Assembly website (
www.moga.mo.gov).


 Primary budget bills of interest to MCADSV members


Below are the primary appropriations bills of interest to MCADSV and its
members:


 ·         House Bill 11 :Department of Social Services (DSS)


This bill contains the $1.9 million increase in federal funding for
domestic violence services in the Family Support Division of DSS. These
federal dollars are drawn from the state's block grant of  Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds. HB 11 provides state funding for
domestic violence services at $4.75 million,  federal funding of $3,716,524
(includes the increase), for a total of $8,466,524 for FY2014.


 ·         House Bill 8 : Department of Public Safety (DPS)


This bill does not make any funding changes to two grant programs in DPS:
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants remain at $7.5 million in federal funds;
and Services, Training, Officers and Prosecution (STOP) grants remain at
$2.49 million in federal funds, which includes Sexual Assault Services
Program (SASP) grants. There is a $1 million reduction from current funding
in the line item for the State Services to Victims Fund (SSVF) grants, for
a total of $4 million. The SSVF grant reduction reflects a reduced
collection of crime fines, which are the source of the grant funds. The
Crime Victims Compensation funding, which includes the Sexual Assault
Forensic Examination (SAFE) program, also was reduced by $1 million for a
total of $9.83 million.


 ·         House Bill 10: Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)
and Department of Mental Health (DMH)


This bill retains current funding for the Rape Prevention and Education
(RPE) grants at $889,134. This includes a small amount of federal funding
for sexual assault services grants.


 ·         House Bill 9:  Department of Corrections (DOC)


Funding to implement the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is not
broken out as a specific line item in HB 9, but that detailed budget
information should be available in the coming weeks.


 Next Steps: MCADSV will continue to alert members to needed actions on
appropriations


House appropriations committees for each state department will make their
recommendations during the week of February 18 for any budget changes in
appropriations bills filed by Rep. Stream. Those amendments will be
reviewed and voted on by the full House Budget Committee. Bills passed by
the House Budget Committee then proceed to the full House for floor debate
and passage. Appropriations bills move next to the Senate for its
Appropriations Committee review, amendment and passage prior to full Senate
debate. The final state budget must be passed in the exact form by both the
House and the Senate by May 10, 2013.


 The February edition of The MCADSV Legislative Update soon will be sent to
members with full details on legislation, and needed advocacy with
lawmakers, to address rape and domestic violence.


 Hope this state budget news gets your weekend off to a good start!


Atara of Sound the Alarm Outreach/STAO Radio

Free of the shackles

(Embedded image moved to file: pic31759.jpg)
http://act.humanitysteam.org/images/butterfly%20hands.jpg


Now is the time to break free of the shackles from the past that have
prevented you from achieving your full potential. What are those shackles?
We all create limiting beliefs, usually at a very young age, that cause us
to judge ourselves and others in a less than empowering way. We have been
brought up in a society that tends educate us in a way that makes us feel
inadequate and powerless. Once you stop and consider your past, isn't it
quite easy to recognize how these limiting beliefs have held you back from
living in a way that creates tremendous benefit for you and everyone you
touch.
What if you were able to free yourself from all of those limiting beliefs?
What if instead you recognized your true nature as a perfect and powerful
being that is eternally connected to the source of all intelligence? That
loving intelligence is always available. The illustrious beings who have
changed history by bringing more love and light into the world have been
directly connected to this unlimited creative power. What is preventing you
from connecting in the same way? The invitation is always open to everyone.
It is simply a matter of deciding to live in the most empowered and
enlightened manner so that your life can become completely fulfilling, for
you and for the world.

U.S. Senate to vote today on VAWA--still time to ask your Senators to VOTE YES on VAWA, without harmful amendments * Missour's Senators

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on S.47 today, the bill to reauthorize
the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Debate is liely to begin this
afternoon.


If you have ot already made calls to Missouri's Senators, below is
information from the National Network to End Domestic Violence that
provides details on how you can quickly connect with them to urge passage
of VAWA reauthorization—call the toll-free U.S. Capitol switchboard and you
will be connected.


·Missouri Senator Roy Blunt needs to hear from advocates in Missouri that
we need his vote in support of S.47 without amendments.





·Missouri's Senator Claire McCaskill is a co-sponsor of S.47, so calls to
her office are Thank You calls





Also below is a link to C-Span2 if you are interested to watch and listen
to the U.S. Senate debate on VAWA this afternoon.












Ask your Senators to VOTE YES on VAWA, without
harmful amendments




UPDATE: The Senate vote on VAWA was postponed until
TODAY, Monday, February 11.  You still have time to
call your Senators!





S. 47 now has 62 co-sponsors – due in large part to
all of your calls!  This should guarantee VAWA's
passage in the Senate.  However, there is a
possibility that amendments could be introduced that
could slow down forward movement on the bill.  Please
call your Senators TODAY and urge them to vote yes on
S. 47, without harmful amendments!





Call the Capitol switchboard at 888.269.5702 and ask
the operator to connect you to your Senators.  If you
don't know who your Senators are, you can look them
up here.  When you're connected to their offices,
tell the person who answers the phone:





1)            I am a constituent from (city and
state) and my name is _________.


2)            I urge Senator____ to vote yes on S.
47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize
the


Violence Against Women Act – and to oppose any
harmful amendments that are introduced.


3)            Thank you and I look forward to hearing
that the Senator has voted for VAWA.





You can also watch the vote unfold live on CSPAN at
http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/








We are optimistic that a strong bill will be passed
out of the Senate – and then we can turn our
attention to the House and to getting a final VAWA
that safely and effectively protects all victims!





Thanks for all that you do!

Action Alert: Call Sen. Blunt to vote for VAWAreauthorization on Monday, Feb 4

       VAWA 2013 Reauthorization bill to be considered in U.S. Senate on
Monday, February 4


·         Call or email Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt to
ask him to vote for S.47, VAWA reauthorization, without
amendments


 The U.S. Senate is scheduled to consider the reauthorization of the
federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), S. 47, on Monday, February 4


·         Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled the
VAWA debate for 5:30 p.m. (Eastern). A vote will likely occur Thursday,
February 7.


·         Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill (D) is a co-sponsor of S.47;
Missouri Senator Roy Blunt (R) is not.





Action Alert for Missouri advocates—Please forward to your supporters,
colleagues, families and friends


Call or email Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and ask him to vote for S. 47,
without amendments, to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.





·         Reach Sen. Blunt at 202-224-5721 or by email at
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-roy


·         Or, you can call the Capitol switchboard toll-free at
888.269.5702 and ask the operator to connect you to Senator Blunt.





1.       Introduce yourself as a constituent from (city) and the domestic
violence/sexual assault program you are affiliated with or support;


2.       Ask for Sen. Blunt's vote to pass S.47, the bipartisan Violence
Against Women Act reauthorization bill, without amendments;


3.       Say thank you and that you look forward to hearing that the
Senator has voted for VAWA.





If asked, briefly say why, in your own words, VAWA must be reauthorized:


a.       VAWA is the cornerstone of our nation's response to
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and
stalking, and because of VAWA, millions of victims have
received lifesaving services and support. We need to continue
and strengthen the work to end violence against women, and S.47
gives us the tools we need in Missouri and nationwide.





VAWA Reauthorization Basic Facts


S.47 has two primary sponsors, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Mike
Crapo (R-ID). The bill  now has 60 bipartisan co-sponsors, which should
guarantee its passage. However, there is a possibility that amendments
could be introduced on the floor next week that would attach non-germane
provisions to VAWA and could slow down forward movement on the bill. This
is why we are asking that no amendments be passed on S.47.





The Leahy/Crapo bill, S. 47, combines some VAWA programs and reduces the
total authorized for VAWA funding.  The Leahy/Crapo bill does not
constitute a cut to current funding.  S.47 does not include the U-Visa
increase that created procedural difficulties in 2012. It is hoped that
this issue will be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation
later this year. The bill also includes the bipartisan version of the SAFER
Act that passed the Senate last year and addresses the backlog of sexual
assault evidence. The bill excludes some amendments added by the Judiciary
committee after introduction last year that did not relate directly to
VAWA.





Fact Sheets on specific VAWA provisions


The following resource materials are available from the website of the
National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV):


·         Immigration:
http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/VAWA_Immigration_Factsheet_S47.pdf


·         International Marriage Broker Amendments:
http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/IMBRA_Factsheet_2013.pdf


·         Tribal:
http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/VAWA_113th_TribalProvisions_Factsheet.pdf





A list of the current VAWA reauthorization co-sponsors is available here :
http://nnedv.org/docs/Policy/2013_VAWA_S47_CoSponsors.pdf





LET'S GET VAWA REAUTHORIZED!!


Atara Estes, CEO/Founder/Mentor/Motivational Speaker of Sound the Alarm
Outreach

Get good from it

Get good from it
Instead of worrying about how difficult it is, focus on how good it can be.
Instead of being intimidated by the challenges, choose to be energized and
inspired by them.
Whatever the situation may be, you can get good from it. Keep that
potential goodness at the center of your awareness, and advance confidently
in the direction of the best possibilities.
People will doubt you, laugh at you, complain and oppose you. Yet none of
that really matters so much, because even when they do, you can get good
from it.
There's no need to fret about what might or might not be. Simply make the
commitment that whatever may come, you will do whatever is necessary to get
good from it.
Always, there is much goodness in life. Better yet, there is the
possibility for much, much more.
You are wonderfully able to bring that new goodness into being, no matter
what. Take this day, this life, this moment, this situation, and get good
from it.