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IN THIS ISSUE:
Discover our latest news, including an exciting partnership with ROAR for Good, the debut of our new planned giving video, and the policies we'll be advocating for in the coming year.
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Dear Friends and Advocates,
It is a
challenging
time for our country, with fear, anger and sorrow over recent gut-wrenching mass shootings. The attack on Sutherland Spring's First Baptist Church and the shooter's history as a perpetrator of domestic violence underscore the
crucial
need for change. If we do not work together to reform policies and close lethal loopholes, domestic violence will continue to claim the lives of innocents.
Against this backdrop, Women Against Abuse is hard at work with partners from across Philadelphia
to make fundamental changes in the struggle to end domestic violence
. With the support of our community and advocates like you,
we can achieve our vision of a peaceful and safe community
.
In this issue of our newsletter, we're excited to:
- debut our new 1976 Legacy Society planned giving video,
- share our new Policy Agenda,
- introduce you to ROAR for Good's Athena, a wearable safety device,
- invite you to make a difference through our Holiday Gift Drive,
- spotlight the tangible ways one of our generous funders is making a difference for survivors, and
- recap our 10th Anniversary iPledge® Campaign.
Thank you for standing with us.
In Solidarity
,
Jeannine L. Lisitski
Executive Director and President
Women Against Abuse
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Women Against Abuse offers donors the opportunity to support its mission and services for survivors of domestic violence by making a planned gift.
As a member of the 1976 Legacy Society, you can be a part of a vibrant community of supporters making a lasting difference.
Contact us at 267-295-5900 to let us know if you have already included us in your estate plans or to discuss a possible gift.
There are a range of giving options that are easy to complete and can be tailored to your specific financial and estate planning needs. For more information, visit our website.
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During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Women Against Abuse debuted its new policy agenda, which highlights specific public policy priorities that were identified through feedback gathered from our interdisciplinary Advocacy Committee, client-centered focus groups, and our community-oriented Voices Against Violence Campaign. Creating this agenda was truly a group effort, and it includes a description of each of our top priorities, as well as brief policy recommendations that will help us to achieve our collective goals. We are excited to distribute this one page graphic with our networks and elected officials, and we encourage you to do the same.
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Our friends from ROAR for Good, a Philadelphia startup whose mission is to empower women and reduce assaults, will celebrate its third anniversary by donating 250+ Athenas - a wearable safety accessory - to our clients!
Athena is the first product from ROAR. Developed for women by women, Athena was designed as a non-combative safety device that connects users with loved ones when they need them most. It can also emit an alarm if the wearer is in danger.
Join us and ROAR at a special event to celebrate this partnership on Monday, November 20 at 6 pm at Saxbys Coffeehouse Headquarters, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 310 in Philadelphia.
ROAR will also
contribute 50% of its "Hear me ROAR" sweatshirt
sales made at the event to Women Against Abuse.
This event is open to the public and guests can register
here.
If you're not able to make it to the party,
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Looking for a feel-good way to make a difference for survivors this holiday season? Our Holiday Gift Drive is an easy and powerful way to benefit local families in the Philadelphia community!
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Baked salmon, lasagna, French toast and scrambled eggs, roasted turkey wraps...these are just a few of the dishes featured on the menus in the dining halls in Women Against Abuse's two 100-bed emergency safe havens. It takes a lot of food to serve the 1,200 women and children who find refuge at these facilities each year.
In fact, last year, we served a total of 179,957 meals!
And much of this is thanks to the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust, a
private foundation established by William Wikoff Smith in 1977 to make grants in the Greater Philadelphia region to
support basic needs, higher education scholarships, maritime heritage, and medical research primarily for Heart Disease, Cancer and AIDS. The W.W. Smith Charitable Trust recently awarded Women Against Abuse a $50,000 grant for food - the largest award it has made to us since our history of partnership began in 2010.
Mealtimes can be an especially triggering time for families who are acclimating to life away from home, so our dedicated kitchen team members (pictured above) work hard to ensure safe haven residents can enjoy fresh, nutritious meals in a welcoming atmosphere.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust for allowing us to prepare healthy, culturally-relevant meals for the people we serve.
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We were excited to launch Domestic Violence Awareness Month at our 10th annual iPledge® Campaign.
Hundreds of lawmakers, survivors and community members gathered on Wednesday, October 4, to speak out against domestic violence!
Bill Henley
, Meteorologist for NBC10's First Alert Weather team, returned as our Master of Ceremonies! Chanda, a survivor of domestic violence and former Women Against Abuse client, left the audience deeply moved by her story, which powerfully illustrated the far-reaching effects of intimate partner violence.
Douglas Smith, Vice President of State Government Affairs for Verizon Pennsylvania - the campaign sponsor - shared Verizon's commitment to survivors of domestic violence. Since 2001, the Verizon HopeLine program has collected more than 12.7 million phones to help survivors.
The event concluded with a powerful group recitation of the pledge against violence. If you missed the event, you can still sign the pledge here!
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