IN THIS ISSUE: Our Executive Director and President receives an award for her work pioneering Philadelphia's response to relational violence; our supporters open their hearts to families in need during our  Holiday Gift Drive; and Shared Safety looks back at the year that was in a new progress report.

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A s we enter our next decade as an organization committed to stimulating safer, healthier communities, we are laser-focused on living out "advocacy in action." We've expanded our prevention programming to put greater emphasis on educating teens and young adults about healthy relationships, invested time and resources into Shared Safety - Philadelphia's response to relational violence, and will continue galvanizing our community to protect federal funding for survivors of domestic violence. 
 
In this issue of our quarterly newsletter, we hope to empower supporters like you with the tools you'll need to advocate for survivors of domestic violence at the local and national level. Now more than ever, your voice can make a difference in the progress towards a society that is free from domestic violence. Thank you for standing with us! 

Sincerely,
Jeannine L. Lisitski
Executive Director and President
Women Against Abuse
What if you could make a difference in the lives of domestic violence survivors while enjoying savory samples from the city's most celebrated female chefs?  Now you can!  Join Women Against Abuse and its community of advocates and friends for  Dish It Up, Philadelphia's Premier Female Chef Competition , on Wednesday, March 29th, 2017 at  Cescaphe Event Group's Vie .  This year's event promises to be a delectable evening of celebrating our progress and preparing for a future free from domestic violence! Don't delay - we expect Dish It Up to sell out quickly this year, so head to our website now to get your tickets. We'll see you on the Purple Carpet!

On January 26th, 2017, Women Against Abuse's Executive Director and President Jeannine L. Lisitski received the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal's Human Rights Social Innovator Award for her vision and leadership in pioneering Shared Safety, Philadelphia's response to relational violence. 

Learn more about Jeannine's award.
Philadelphia_s iconic Love Sign on a nice day
Women Against Abuse is proud to be part of Shared Safety. Discover the work that Shared Safety's partner organizations accomplished together last year in the newly-released 2016 Progress Report .

Read the 2016 Progress Report on our website.
During Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we are especially grateful to Verizon for its generous support of our teen dating violence prevention work. Verizon has been a valued community partner since it became the founding sponsor of the iPledge® campaign in 2008 through its HopeLine  by Verizon  Program, which donates no-longer used mobile phones, batteries, and accessories to survivors of domestic violence.  

Learn more about Verizon's commitment to empowering survivors.
Our recent Holiday Gift Drive was an overwhelming success. Between November and the end of 2016, Women Against Abuse received more than 3,000 toys  and gifts from community members for children and adults affected by domestic violence. We also received more than $90,000 in financial donations that will support the quality programs we provide to survivors as they heal from abuse and rebuild their lives. We asked some of our supporters why they give, and here is what they had to say:

"I have been giving for over 10 years. I started while I was at PHMC and have been giving ever since!"

"It's important for families of color to donate, and I think it's also important to think about culturally appropriate gifts for the family." 

"This is a new tradition I'm starting this year with my daughter. We wanted to help a family with young children. [The Holiday Gift Drive] will be something nice to do with my daughter each year."

For over forty years, your generosity has made our work possible. Thank you for your continued support during the holidays and throughout the year! 

Special thanks to Toys for Tots, Dechert LLP, and the Philadelphia Police South Street Mini Station for their generous support.
Women Against Abuse
215-386-1280