Foundation Connections

As a 2024 NBCCF Rural Scholar and a current master’s student at Montreat College, Melissa Marlowe is preparing to graduate in May 2026 with a clear vision for her work. “It has been challenging in the internship, but one of the most important things I am finding is my voice and how I connect with the clients,” she says. Her voice has been shaped by years of lived experience and empathy for people finding their way through hardship.

In Marion, North Carolina, Melissa serves as the Second Chance Act Program Director with Freedom Life Ministries, an organization that supports justice-involved individuals and those facing mental health and substance use challenges. “It was [while] serving as a case manager that I realized I needed to learn how to help the justice-involved participants effectively.”

Her story is one of healing and determination. “I am a 64-year-old Nana of five,” she says. Her early life was marked by trauma and instability, including domestic violence, alcoholism, and sexual assault, but those experiences became the foundation of her work. Counseling helped her begin to heal, and now she’s helping others do the same. “It has been a journey of finding out who I am and healing my childhood trauma that no longer defines me,” she says. “I will graduate when I am 65 and feel that my best years are ahead.”

Faith is central to Melissa’s philosophy as a counselor. “I feel that God has called me to this time and place to work with those who carry stigma, not as a value, but as creations of God for a purpose.” Using that philosophy to inform her work at Freedom Life Ministries, she sees transformation unfold one relationship at a time.

Her education has amplified her confidence and skills. With the impact of Hurricane Helene significantly impacting mental health services, Melissa believes her ongoing training in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) and her work toward becoming a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) will work hand-in-hand with Freedom Life Ministries’ broader mission to bring services to places where they have been very limited or non-existent.

Receiving the NBCCF Rural Scholarship gave Melissa the confidence that she did not realize she needed. “It helped me know I was on the right path and that financial needs were being met.” That support allows her to focus on what matters most—building access to care and helping people find their voice.

Melissa knows how difficult the road to becoming a counselor can be. “It will be hard, but what you learn about yourself will significantly impact you and your future clients.” She adds, “It can be humbling to know it is not just one generation you can affect, but the future of their families.”

When asked what success as a counselor looks like to her, Melissa explains that it “looks like a participant having a life-changing moment where they can move forward, not backward,” she says. Her short-term goal is to complete her degree and continue expanding access to services. Long term, she hopes to serve for another 20 years, giving her clients “a voice that changes their lives and the future of their families.”

She also envisions new initiatives, programs that support parents in the foster care system and create paths toward reunification rather than separation. “How do we help the parents become what they may not know they can be?” she asks. It is the kind of question that reflects both her empathy and her drive.

Melissa is clear about the challenges rural communities face. She believes healing begins with being seen. “It starts with building a relationship. Seeing them and not their mental health issues has to come first.”

Every morning, Melissa begins her day with prayer and reflection. “It keeps me grounded and reminds me that, at the end of the day, I have done all I can, and tomorrow is a new day.” That daily habit sustains her as she works to bring healing to others.

“My life has been a journey to where I am today,” she says. “My life ahead will be one of joy and hope, helping change families and their future generations.”

Read more articles »