Amanda Roberts and Pam Mitchell, two Knoxville women who have formed an incredible bond over their faith and friendship, have become a pinnacle example of trust regained after life’s hard lessons.

Amanda and Pam were paired together as a mentor and mentee at the Knoxville-based nonprofit, Hand UP For Women, which is a life-management and career-readiness ministry that offers classes to program participants in the Knox County area.

Amanda, a program participant, and Pam, her mentor, say their success has been about trust and putting their faith in God, and each other. This trust has propelled them forward in an organization focused on helping women rise to their higher calling.

“I used to be so angry, and had no trust in women. After an encounter with God, and after prison, I met a girl my cousin knew who told me about Hand UP For Women and when I applied, there was just something about Miss Eva,” Amanda said of program director Eva Pierce. “I felt God’s love through her. And then I met Miss Pam, and she wasn’t fake; she didn’t try too hard, and she prayed about everything, as do I. Just being around her, she makes me want to do better, to be better.”

Amanda was released from federal prison in December 2023 after serving five years on drug conspiracy charges. She faced a tough life starting with her mother’s death when she was a toddler. Enduring abuse and homelessness, she lost and regained her faith in God and in herself. Now, as an administrative assistant and house manager, she thrives with Hand UP For Women.

Pam, who is in her second year of mentoring with Hand UP For Women, says her relationship with Amanda is genuine and she believes in her.

“When Eva connected us together, I prayed to the Lord, ‘let her see what I see,’” Pam said. “I’ve had a hard life, too, and when bad things happen and you don’t understand why, God will show you. The Lord has grabbed me, and held me, to use me to help young women like Amanda.”

International Women’s Day is March 8 and is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Amanda Roberts and Pam Mitchell are two women to be celebrated.

Information and quotes provided by Hand UP For Women,