SISTERHOOD; simply put is the passion driving
local nonprofit No Ordinary Women (NOW). NOW
exists and functions both locally here in Western
North Carolina and globally with a common goal:
“to empower, equip, encourage, engage, and enjoy
each other on a personal and authentic level.” NOW
proudly partners with two special women’s groups in
Kenya (specifically in Nakuru and Nairobi). Together
through ethical fashion
(the marketing and sales of
jewelry, baskets, textiles,
and clothing) women in
Kenya are able to achieve
personal and community
related objectives and
dreams. “The growth and
the changes in the women
and what they are able to
do has been amazing,”
says Leah Mehaffey, NOW
cofounder, and Haywood
County native.
Growing up, Leah
attended a small church
and always felt a calling to
missionary work. “I knew a
lot of stories about people
who were missionaries or
traveled the world, but
didn’t know anyone in real life who had done things
like that. My path took me into church ministry, which
I loved. I was a children’s pastor locally for a little
more than 10 years,” Leah explains. While grateful and
thankful for her years with the church, Leah still felt
incomplete; something was not quite fulfilled within
herself. “During that, I still felt this longing and this
17
“It changed my entire life.
You’re never the same
after an experience
like that,” ...
...“It was very
overwhelming.
All of my senses were just
in overdrive.
Leah Mehaffey,
Co-founder of
NOW
“I would have never thought I was
living in an American bubble,
but I definitely was.”
EMPOWERING
ORDINARY WOMEN
TO LIVE WITH
EXTRAORDINARY
PURPOSE AND
MEANING