NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — For Trudy Rauch, making a difference started with just one person at her church.
"I was at the welcome desk, and a lady had come up to me and [asked] if I could help her find a cancer support group," Rauch says. "It turned out to be a lot harder than I thought."
After finally finding resources for her, Rauch thought of so many others who might be lost on the search for assistance.
"I realized that when you are in need... when you really are trying to reach out for help, it must be very overwhelming," says Rauch.
Two years later, 'abbalist.org' officially launched.
"'Abba' is 'God our Father', and it was the 'abba' list. And that's how it began. It's always stuck," Rauch says, when explaining the meaning behind the name of the site. "When people are in need, they have a place to look and try to find with some ease the support that they're looking for."
What started as just a website soon grew into a tri-divisional nonprofit. Along with the site, there's CAST- the Chesapeake Area Shelter Team. "That... is the overnight winter shelter, which we're now in our eighth season," Rauch says.
The other division is the Burfoot House - the first transitional home for homeless single women in Chesapeake. Rauch now oversees the house and says she knows she's found her calling. "My life's prayer is to do all... The Lord has assigned. I wanna make Him proud," says Rauch.
'Abbalist.org' identifies free resources offered by nonprofits and churches across Hampton Roads. There are twenty categories of support services to choose from - including abuse, cancer, homelessness, and food.