History:

Elegant Doves International, Inc. (EDI) is a faith based tax-exempt nonprofit dedicated to helping women and teen girls heal from the emotional scars of incest abuse and post-abortion trauma. The vision for the ministry originated in 1988 from a personal experience of its founder, Linda Michelle Trainer. At the time, Ms. Trainer was a young adult in crisis seeking support to deal with the trauma of incest abuse. Upon contacting a local crisis hotline, instead of receiving help, she was given a long-distance number to call that had a recording on the other end. This experience affected Ms. Trainer so greatly that she organized an educational workshop at a local home for unwed pregnant teens to help prevent them from experiencing the same unnecessary detours to seeking help in a crisis.

Over the next few years, EDI’s emotional and educational support systems continued to expand to include other organizations focused on empowering women and teen girls suffering from the trauma of sexual abuse. EDI was formally incorporated in 1992 after moving from Michigan to Atlanta. In 2006, the organization’s mission expanded to include emotional healing and support for women and teen girls who had experienced abortions, enabling the ministry to reach out to more women and teens. EDI obtained its tax-exempt status in 2008, and since then has steadily expanded its programs and services to include prevention programming as well as intervention.

Vision Statement   
To see women and teen girls healed from the emotional scars of incest abuse and post-abortion trauma.
 
Mission Statement
To encourage, educate and equip women and teen girls through workshops, support groups, mentoring, and crisis hotline assistance to overcome the effects of incest abuse and post-abortion trauma and break the cycle of sexual abuse in families.
 
Values
Elegant Doves is committed to and believes in operating according to the following principles:

Commitment—We are dedicated to walking alongside others through the entire healing process.

Encouragement—We acknowledge, celebrate, and build up those to whom we are called.

Excellence—We provide quality services to those who come to us for help.

Faith-based—We operate according to biblical values.
           
Pro-life—We believe in the sanctity of life and that life begins at conception.

Stewardship—We are committed to being good stewards of the resources provided to us; whether they are time, talent, treasure or influence. 
 
Foundational Scriptural Verse
“‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord. . .” (Jeremiah 30:17 NIV)

To contact Elegant Doves, email Linda Michelle Trainer at info@elegantdoves.org. You can also find out more via their web site at www.elegantdoves.org.