When a woman leaves an abusive relationship it can be a long road to recovery. We look at an organization that aims to help these women get back on their feet.

Victims of abuse have some very basic needs. First and foremost is their safety. Once that's taken care of, there are other things that need to be addressed. And that's where the Eva Foundation comes in.

"Open up real wide and say, 'Ah...ah...'"

This may look like an ordinary visit to the dentist, but for Lisa Hill, the woman in the chair, the experience is nothing short of extraordinary.

"I can't even explain how excited I am. Every day I wake up and I look at Dr. Brian's name on my wall. And I cry, I'm just so excited about it," said abuse victim Hill.

What Hill is excited about is the prospect of a new life, thanks to the Eva Foundation. They've arranged to fix what years in a violent relationship have left behind: broken teeth and a hole in her palate that affects Hill's speech and shattered self-esteem.

"Self-esteem is key to being able to start your life over again. Oftentimes victims of abuse are beaten down...and believing that their worthless that nobody's going to want them...nobody's going to want to be in a relationship with them, nobody's going to want to employ them. Even to the point where nobody's going to want to be their friend," said Carla Culbreth of the Eva Foundation.

Culbreth is an Anchorage police officer who helped to start the Eva Foundation. She says she saw many women get the immediate help they needed at the shelter.

"But there was nothing past that because their resources are limited. So my friend and I thought, 'How can we help? What can we do? How can we reach out into the community to get some of the other services to start enhancing what the other shelters were doing?'" said Culbreth.

That was four years ago. And since that time they have reached out to so

many people who've said, "Yes," to volunteering their services: hair dressers, clothing stores, optometrists and dentists--like Dr. Brian Kruchoski.

"Our mission statement here is, 'Taking care of you way beyond your smile.' And so I know the Eva Foundation's mission is to restore self-esteem and self-confidence and what better way than to restore a smile?" said Dr. Brian Kruchoski of GentleCare Dental Center.

Hill sees that smile as key to getting her job back as a waitress and for the independent life that, after years of suffering, seems finally within her reach.

"I was telling someone the other day, it's just right around the corner. My life is changing. And it's all thanks to these people who are helping me," said Hill.

The Eva Foundation works with women, children and even men. They are always looking for people who can volunteer their time or services.

For more information, click below:

To contact Lauren, call 907-273-3186.