Therese Bartholomew

It was her brothers 2003 murder that drastically changed her path. A former high school dropout and teen mother, Therese is now a filmmaker, speaker, and activist for victims and offenders. Released in April 2009, Thereses memoir, Coffee Shop God details her struggle to adjust in the weeks and months following her brothers untimely death. The book is the companion piece to The Final Gift, documentary the essays are the victim voice and the film, the survivor. Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, calls Coffee Shop God a moving account of the authors struggle to make sense of life, faith, and humanity after the tragic loss of her brother.

Bartholomews film, The Final Gift, follows the filmmakers pursuit to find meaning in her life after her brothers murder. Her vision for the film grew out of her desire to meet and understand the killer. In December 2010, that meeting occurred and was filmed in a South Carolina prison. The meeting was the first victim offender dialogue in South Carolinas adult system involving a violent crime. The film addresses universal ideas of forgiveness and redemption as well as the larger societal questions how do we make peace with crime, support the victims, and restore the offenders? Therese states, Its about finding faith and humanity in dark and unexpected places and then being willing to see possibilities.

Therese speaks on faith, forgiveness, and restorative justice. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina and holds a Masters in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.