Greetings!
You made the difference.
Last Thursday, we held our Holiday Celebration for our Shelter families, and the joy and gratitude were tangible.
Thanks to your generosity in sponsoring families, every mother and child at the Shelter received new clothing, multiple presents, and a holiday feast
, complete with a visit from Santa Claus. You brought joy to families at a time when not having a home can be particularly painful.
Along with celebrating the holidays, MSP is celebrating new growth.
Chandra Robinson, who joined our team as the Community Programs Manager earlier this year, was promoted to Director of Programs,
filling the shoes of Dr. Brynez Roane, to whom we are grateful for years of dedicated service to MSP
.
Chandra brings expertise, passion, and knowledge of MSP's programs to her new position, and we couldn't be happier to have her familiar face in this role.
We are also thrilled to introduce you to two new members of our team, as well as fill you in on exciting new partnership,
all featured below.
Lastly,
we are celebrating a growth of community engagement.
December was filled with local restaurants and companies contacting us to set up fundraisers and gift drives for our shelter.
Cafe Saint-Ex
,
Bluejacket
,
Vernon Martin's Salon,
and
Whelan Security
are just some of the local businesses who helped us end violence and empower lives through their generosity this season. The growing community engagement shows us that
our efforts to build awareness are making an impact
, and that our community is responding.
If you haven't already,
we hope you will join our local DC community and passionate supporters by giving to our Holiday Campaign
this December. We are less than $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000, and
a
gift from you will keep our critically needed programs available by providing shelter, food, and a
free 24-hour hotline
open to anyone who is in need. There is no better way to celebrate the holidays than by providing safety and shelter for the women and children who need it most.
Thank you for your support this December,
and we wish you and yours a joyful holiday season.
Warmly,
The My Sister's Place Team
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Santa visited our Holiday Celebration for MSP's Shelter families
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Gamma Phi Delta Sorority - Delta Pi Chapter sponsored three of our families for the holidays
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Welcome Toshira and Denisa!
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Toshira Monroe is elated to return to My Sister’s place in a new capacity as the Shelter Program Manager.
Toshira brings institutional knowledge of My Sister's Place's shelter and services to her new position as Shelter Program Manager. She is originally from Florida and has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education from the University of Florida, where she began her journey into the victim services field serving as an HIV Outreach Worker and Volunteer Coordinator. Shortly after moving to the District, she began working with My Sister’s Place as a Residential Coordinator and eventually a Lead Call Center Counselor. Before her return to My Sister’s Place, Toshira worked with the National Center for Victims of Crime as the DC Victim Hotline Supervisor. She takes pride in building and working in the DC community, establishing lasting relationship with service partners, and she looks forward to continued work with the DC community.
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Denisa Caballero is excited to join My Sister's Place as the Latino Outreach Coordinator.
She is a D.C native and outreach professional with extensive experience working with non-profit organizations at the local and national levels. She previously worked at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as an Outreach Coordinator, where she supported numerous prevention and education programs. Denisa has a background in marketing and domestic violence services, including serving as a Victim/Witness Coordinator intern with the Domestic Violence Unit at the Montgomery County State’s Attorney Office. She earned a Bachelor's in Communication from the University of Maryland, where she was awarded various scholarships and honors. Denisa is passionate about advocating for under-served and vulnerable populations and enjoys working closely with communities to empower them to create a positive and lasting impact.
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Chandra Robinson, our Director of Programs, (2nd from the right) at the Annual Benefit for the Anchor Fund
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Thanks to Chandra Robinson's strong community engagement, My Sister's Place is seeing a growth of local partnerships.
The Anchor Fund
began partnering with MSP in October, and has since supported multiple women in our shelter and RISE program with money for food, rent, and other needs. Amy Goldberg founded The Anchor Fund as a way to provide families escaping domestic violence with basic needs, such as food and housing, to help them reach longterm safety and stability. We are so grateful for the trauma-informed model the Anchor Fund uses, trusting our trained social workers to assess needs, and then providing a simple and survivor-friendly process for meeting financial needs.
We are also grateful to the Anchor Fund for introducing us to our now mutual partner
Room to Rebloom
. The mission of Room to Rebloom is to "empower low income victims of domestic violence by providing them with design services and other resources needed to create beautiful home environments and rebuild their lives." We are thrilled to have their staff begin working with our families in establishing safe and beautiful homes. When a mother has to leave everything behind to reach safety, Room to Rebloom is filling a major need in providing furnishing for these families in their new homes.
Lastly, we are thankful for the work of
Chicktime
, a partnership we are excited to renew for 2018. Each month, Chicktime provides structured family-friendly activities for the children at our Shelter, including most recently supporting our Thanksgiving and Holidays parties with activities and gifts for the kids. Chicktime "unites the love, compassion, and talents of local women with children who have been exposed to domestic violence," and their impact is evident from the excitement of our shelter children when they know Chicktime is visiting.
We are so grateful to end the year this way: with so many community members proactively coming together to address domestic violence.
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Support Mothers & Their Children This Holiday Season
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We are over 75% of the way to our $75,000 goal! Please give the gift of hope today, and provide food, shelter, and a 24-hour hotline to those in need this holiday season with a gift to our Holiday Campaign. We couldn't make our vital work happen with you.
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All of us at My Sister's Place wish you and yours a joyful Holiday Season!
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