Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories highlighting the needs of local non-profits this Christmas season.

Last year Becky Haley bought a laptop for Christmas, but it wasn’t going under her tree.

The gift was a request on a Christmas wish list that Doll’s House board members, Haley included, agreed to fulfill that holiday season.

The Darlene Slater Rehabilitation Center for Women, known as “Doll’s House,” is a non-profit organization for women located in Brookhaven. Johnnie and Stephanie Turner established the center two years ago.

Darlene “Doll” Slater was Stephanie Turner’s mother; Slater dedicated much of her time to aiding women struggling to regain independence for a variety of reasons.

“When the girls got pregnant and didn’t have anywhere else to go, she took them in,” Turner said. “The homeless, she took them in. Basically it was women in transition.”

Slater died in 1991.

Doll’s House developed from Johnnie and Stephanie Turner’s work in ministry for prison inmates and children.

“We took the gospel to women and children who couldn’t receive it,” she said.

Doll’s House’s mission, Turner said, is assisting women who face various obstacles get back on their feet by establishing goals. Doll’s House serves women housed in the facility and in the community free of charge.

“People knock on the door for just about anything and everything,” Turner said.

To meet those needs, the center is funded by religious organizations and community support, Turner said. Doll’s House also accepts donations of just about anything. Atop the lists, though, are toiletries, clothing, toys and Walmart gift cards.

Haley said Doll’s House is different from any other Mississippi rehabilitation center.

“These women come there with nothing, and they don’t have to worry about paying for anything,” Haley said.

Since its creation, Doll’s House has relied on a wish list program and sponsors to make sure local women in need can provide gifts for their children. The wish lists are a combination of families’ necessities and wants, and community sponsors will supply some or all of the list’s items.

“It’s very important because the wish list gives the women who can’t supply these certain things to their children a sense of dignity,” Turner said.

This year Doll’s House has distributed more than 20 wish lists to sponsors, Turner said. If more sponsors come forward, the center can address more wish lists.

Haley, the co-owner of J&B Tile and Marble, said being a sponsor and advocate for women in need is rewarding.

“You receive a whole lot more joy when you give than when you receive,” Haley said. “It’s about not focusing on ourselves but focusing on others.”

Doll’s House accepts item donations and financial contributions. Donations can be dropped of at 1618 Highway 51 NE in Brookhaven. Financial contributions can be mailed to P.O. Box 3172 in Brookhaven, MS 39603.

To volunteer or be a Christmas wish list sponsor, contact the Doll’s House at 601-291-8757.