Celebrating Pam Matthews’ 10 Years of Service

Thank you Pam Matthews for 10 years of service to The WellHouse!

Wellhouse Board Member Pam Matthews

WellHouse Board Member Pam Matthews has served our organization since inception. As we celebrate her 10 years of service, we sit down to ask Pam for an inside look into the beginnings of The WellHouse. We are so grateful to Pam for her time building and shaping our organization, and we wish her all the best in her retirement!

How did you come to be involved with The WellHouse? 

“In the fall of 2009, I went to India on a mission trip with my church, Shades Mountain Baptist Church. I had not been drawn particularly towards helping trafficking survivors; rather, I attended this trip in service to the group traveling because I was an experienced traveler.

Once in India, we went to the ‘Red Light District.’ Seeing the women there, in that condition, was shocking and heart-breaking. God told me then that the same thing was happening in my backyard, to go and find it, and that you don’t have to go to India to help women and children who are being trafficked. So in 2010, at the Shades Mountain Baptist Global Impact Celebration, I asked around about ministries helping trafficking survivors, and there were none yet formed.

There was one woman present who knew there were women being trafficked in Birmingham, and she wanted to do something about it. I tried to speak with her and offer my help, and at first she did not trust me. It turned out that she was a survivor. After about six months of me pursuing and proving myself to her, we became friends. She founded The WellHouse, I agreed to sit on the board, and we went through a lot as The WellHouse was birthed and grown.” 

How have you seen The WellHouse change over the years?

“I can remember one of the houses that was gifted to The WellHouse was in pretty terrible disrepair, and recruiting a small group of volunteers to go take out the carpet. We were afraid we’d be stuck with used needles and drug paraphernalia while ripping it out. Because it had no air conditioning, we worked on that and put in window units. We did floors, we painted everything, and helped the women move in. There were four at the time. When we moved them in, the shower curtain rod wouldn’t fit on one side. So, I took laces out of my tennis shoes and tied it to make it fit, so that they could take a shower.

Board Member Pam Matthews

“The WellHouse has changed a lot since then. 

“It's gone from trying to figure out where the next meal for the women will come from, dealing with not having air conditioning, and stuffing them all in my car to go to church… to a beautiful campus that provides onsite Bible studies, appointments, healthcare, recovers IDs, and so much more.” 

What is your favorite WellHouse moment? 

“There is not one favorite, but for me, it’s all the memories from “back in the day.” Piling the girls in my car to go to church, pulling up carpet, laying sod, raking leaves, painting, paying for a dumpster to come haul away after a house workday, taking residents to medical appointments, cooking, and having Bible study. Some women knew and could quote scripture better than I could. I just loved being in close relationships with them and back then, we were small so we kind of did it all ourselves. You get a front row seat because you are the seat, you know. You don’t really know what you’re doing and at any moment something could go wrong. 

“I still have pictures in my head of names and faces and wonder how they are. 

“So it’s all that. Good stuff. It was a great investment of 10 years for me. I am so thankful and blessed to have had that front row seat watching God change the lives of survivors as well as those serving them.”

What are your hopes for The WellHouse moving forward? 

“Replication.”