When we found out a couple of weeks ago that Kathy Wells was planning to retire from her position as executive director of SafeHouse, we were saddened that such an influential woman — one who has changed the fate of so many — was moving on.

But in her interview with the Reporter, Wells said SafeHouse, an organization that supports battered and abused women and children, is still “my passion, my ministry, my mission. I am only retiring, I am not walking away from the work.”

We were glad to hear that from Wells, whose work with SafeHouse has helped countless women and children find a better life away from their abusers. It’s likely her work has not only improved lives but has actually saved them as well.

Wells’ own story is just as compelling as those of the women and children she’s helped. During the five years of her marriage, her husband broke her nose, threw her down some steps, put her head into a gas oven and beat her severely when she was eight months pregnant with their daughter.

Her child gave her the strength to move on from that abusive relationship, and she serves as an inspiration to all who find themselves in the vicious pattern of abuse — it is possible to break that cycle, to get away and to change life for the better.

We thank Wells for all she has done for Shelby County and its residents, and we wish SafeHouse’s board of directors the best of luck in finding someone who can fill Wells’ massive shoes and live up to her tremendous legacy. It will be difficult, but Wells has worked hard to make SafeHouse an essential part of Shelby County. The next person who comes in should do so with ideas and determination to take SafeHouse to the next level.

We look forward to seeing who the next executive director of SafeHouse will be, and we pledge to continue to support SafeHouse moving forward.

The We Say is the opinion of the Shelby County Reporter editorial board.