25 in ’25: Emily DuBose shines the light for women in recovery

It’s Dec. 6, 2021. Emily DuBose is eating pizza with 15 other women, some of whom are in recovery from substance use disorder. This gathering is impromptu, but the women will reunite repeatedly.

These meals become more organized, and the invitee list grows. What was once monthly becomes weekly. The community establishes itself as an organization, and DuBose registers it as a nonprofit. They move into a larger building, complete with a kitchenette and gathering area.

Fast forward to August 2025. DuBose and 120 active volunteers are supporting around 500 women in recovery. Every Tuesday, they enjoy a meal together at The LightHouseRVA, now well into its fourth year of operation.

“It’s been a very exciting, humbling, joyful journey to get here, and it’s thanks to so many hands of wonderful people,” DuBose said.

DuBose’s journey toward establishing TLHRVA began while working as her church’s mercy coordinator. In that role, she connected her church with community organizations and met people she later invited to dinners. She realized her friends yearned for a community and opportunities to experience joy while in recovery. 

DuBose had never experienced addiction, so she doubted her ability to help in a meaningful way. Still, she couldn’t ignore the “stirring” she felt to create a space for the women she cared for.

DuBose’s catalyst came in the form of a podcast. A friend sent her a link to an episode featuring Nashville’s Thistle Farms — a program supporting women who were trafficked. The women’s stories inspired her to attend a two-day workshop in Tennessee for those interested in the organization. 

One idea stuck with DuBose well after the workshop: “It started with one woman with a vision, and four women who needed a place to spend the night.”

Upon returning home, DuBose asked herself, “Why not?” She requested her friends' help in organizing that December dinner, and the idea took off from there.

“It’s just really been amazing, and I’m just super thankful to have just been involved and have this amazing community of strong women,” DuBose said. “The women are a community of heroes.”

As TLHRVA grew, it expanded its offerings. The first add-on was the Sunshine Boutique, which offers women appointments to take home brand-new or lightly used clothes, all hanging on racks and complete with attached tags. The garments are either donated by individuals or retailers.

The boutique includes shoes, which are mostly sourced from fellow non-profit Shood. Once a year, Shood transforms TLHRVA’s space into a shoe store. There, the women are sized and given a new pair of kicks.

The Sunshine Boutique looks to support the women it serves with dignity. DuBose said these women may have never had new shoes or known their size, but the boutique and its related events change that. 

All interested boutique-goers must make appointments, but patrons aren’t required to frequent TLHRVA’s events — the boutique is open for all who need it. 

Besides the boutique, TLHRVA offers women free bedding, towels, menstrual products and toiletries — including shampoos for different hair types. Women entering recovery facilities often only have the clothes on their backs, so TLHRVA provides the essentials to help them on their journey. These toiletries come in “love bags,” which also include handwritten affirmations from volunteers.

Tucked in the corner of the building’s main gathering room is also a resource cart. It contains several bins with sheets of information helpful to the women in recovery. One bin contains help on where to get medical care, while another has a list of places that employ former felons. Each bin is something different, and they are readily available to all of TLHRVA’s friends.

Since it moved into its new building in January, TLHRVA also added a mini library to the mix. Each book is lined up on shelves in rainbow-colored fashion. Big gatherings can overwhelm the community’s newest members, but the library offers these women tranquility while they adjust to a new environment.

The new space also hosts various events, ranging from workshops about substance use disorder — open to all community members — to Alcoholics Anonymous gatherings.

“We just hope that when we leave someone,” DuBose said, “that we leave you feeling full and like you matter.”

“The opposite of addiction is connection.”

DuBose has been learning how to operate a nonprofit along the way (she’s now learning how to write grant requests). TLHRVA currently doesn’t receive government funding, and is entirely run off donations from individuals, businesses or foundations. DuBose said she’s deeply grateful for the organization’s successes and credits most of it to the volunteers.

Volunteers often get more out of the experience of being in the community than the women in recovery. It’s a community where everyone is a giver and receiver.

“It’s not like ‘here’s a group of volunteers, and here’s all of our friends,’” Volunteer Leader Kellie Hilb said. “There’s really no line. It’s just all blurred together.”

DuBose compared TLHRVA to a tapestry, made up of many separate friends, but when it’s woven together, “it’s what it’s supposed to be. It’s a beautiful picture of community.” Many women who move on from TLHRVA reconnect with the women they’ve grown to care for — including one who fulfilled her dream of opening a flower company, then led an activity using flowers. Often, DuBose hears attendees call Tuesday meals “the best time of the week.”

“We like to think of ourselves not as a program, but as a family,” DuBose said. “No matter what your situation is, no matter how you ended up coming to us, as long as you’re committed to your recovery, you’re always welcome here forever.”

This article has been corrected to reflect the time of the Tuesday meals.