Beaches support group works to empower women during hard times

When Belinda Brownlee lost her daughter to an act of violence, she found strength in the women who lifted her during the dark days that followed. The experience inspired the Jacksonville Beach woman to establish a nonprofit group as a source of motivation and support for women in need.
Save Our Women – or S.O.W. – also serves as a lifeline for women who have experienced domestic violence and need encouragement to let them know they are not alone. It is a mission that remains close to her heart. Brownlee established the group in March 2018 after her daughter, Tearra Garrett, 23, was murdered during a domestic violence situation. Inspired by the kindness shown to her, she longed to extend the same comfort to women of all walks of life to let them know they are not alone.
“I felt the need to help other women that have been in domestic violence situations or need motivation. During that time, some of the women lost their children, so we became closer because they knew what I was going through and it was OK. Cry if you have to cry, mourn if you have to mourn, but know that we’re here for you and you’re not alone,” said Brownlee, who was raised in a family of strong women. Her grandmother had 13 granddaughters.
 “I felt the need to kind of bring women closer so we could help one another in different situations. We could just reach out and help each other. There’s a lot of women out there who don’t have guidance or anywhere to go or who don’t want to sit in a big group and go around the table.”
Since its inception, S.O.W. has been a guiding force for women to come together and share stories, develop friendships and lift up one another in an inclusive atmosphere. Brownlee was also honored with the Positively Jax Award for her outreach efforts.
“The mission was also to be fun so you didn’t feel like it was something you were forced to do. We have Save Our Women meetings, kids are welcome to come. Actually, men are welcome to come too because they may need to hear what women go through sometimes. Some men may want to know how to better themselves with women and they may not know how to do it. We encourage it.”
Brownlee hopes S.O.W. will help other women find their voice and combat the fear and isolation prompted by the COVID-19 virus when getting together socially is not an option.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of people saying they’re about to go crazy,” she said. “One of the ways is social media, send positive quotes to each other, send pictures with your children, let other women know it’s OK and you’re going through the crisis together. Pick up the phone and reach out to each other.”
A self-trained artist, Brownlee also encourages women to embrace their creativity and share their talents.
“It’s a creative world out there. Don’t just lock yourself in the house. Create a recipe, draw something, redecorate your house, customize things to keep yourself occupied so you don’t go into a depression. Reach out to your friends and give each other ideas,” she said.
Brownlee recently released an E-book on Amazon.com titled “Locals Never Quit – Don’t Be Discouraged: You Are Destined to Become Who You Set Out to Be.”
Brownlee hopes to celebrate the group’s anniversary with her circle of friends. An event planned this month at the Neptune Beach Library will be rescheduled once the social distancing restrictions are lifted. The “Sister Circle” will be open to all women from all walks of life to discover how they can work together to break the cycle of violence, improve the community and make each other better.  
Said Brownlee, “We’re just women who want to put our heart and our minds into making the community better. Whatever can we do whether it’s baseball games at the park or family fun day with the kids or helping each other share our voice. The only thing holding us back now is the virus, but I’m not going to stop.”
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