IN THIS ISSUE: An update on our executive director recruitment; learn about our back to school drive; an introduction to the True Hand Society; Save the Date for our upcoming iPledge Campaign; and more!
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Dear Friends and Advocates,
For some, this summer may have felt like a reprieve from some of the harsher realities we faced during the colder months. Maybe you’re even enjoying a last jaunt to the shore as the summer winds down.
For others, changing mask guidelines and the Delta variant remain top of mind as you return to your office or prepare your children for the new school year.
It continues to be a difficult time for our community as we navigate unprecedented challenges together. But I hope you’ll find time for some relaxation and self-care in these last weeks of summer. It might be as simple as taking a walk, enjoying iced coffee with a friend, or cuddling on the couch with your grandchildren for a movie night. It’s these simple moments that refresh and bring strength and joy.
Women Against Abuse is here to ensure people experiencing relationship violence also have the opportunity to enjoy these moments and build memories they can look back on with fondness.
Our summer eNewsletter contains updates on our search for Women Against Abuse’s next Executive Director and President, an invitation to our upcoming iPledge Campaign, and more!
Thank you for being such a valued part of the Women Against Abuse community.
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As you have probably already heard, we are in the midst of an executive leadership transition. Jeannine L. Lisitski, who had been our visionary leader for 12 years, moved on in May, and the Board of Directors is in the midst of recruiting Women Against Abuse’s next Executive Director and President. We are consulting with Bridge Partners, which specializes in cultivating diverse leadership, for this important recruitment process.
Bridge Partners has connected with more than 300 people related to our search - including approximately 100 potential candidates. The Board’s Personnel/ Search Committee has selected and vetted candidates who will be moving forward into the interview process. Interviews are taking place this month, with the goal of hiring this Fall. We hope to be able to introduce you to our new leader in the coming months; and in the meantime, our leadership team and Board of Directors are adeptly guiding the organization through this season of transition.
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The youngest survivors in our care are preparing to return to school. Will you help them start strong by donating a gift card through our back to school drive?
Because of COVID-19 protocols, we are asking for gift cards instead of donated supplies this year to make it safer and simpler to distribute among clients.
We need gift cards to:
Staples
Target
Walmart
Old Navy
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iPledge® is Women Against Abuse’s citywide public awareness campaign that calls on everyday Philadelphians to take a stand against relationship violence during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year’s theme, Safer Together, will shine a light on some of the most vulnerable survivors of intimate partner violence – refugees and undocumented members of our community – who must overcome significant barriers to accessing safety and support.
The 2021 iPledge® Campaign will celebrate Women Against Abuse’s partnerships with Nationalities Services Center and HIAS PA, and the critical work these organizations are doing to integrate domestic violence intervention and prevention into their culturally-relevant programming.
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For this edition of Donor Spotlight, we are pleased to feature the Leave Philly Alone campaign, which donates $10 for every t-shirt sold to a local small business. If you haven’t seen their merch yet, you can check it out at leavephillyalone.com and select Women Against Abuse as your beneficiary! The Leave Philly Alone campaign was created by TRUE HAND, a creative studio featuring graphic design and custom tattooing by appointment in Fishtown. So without further ado, meet Mike Ski, owner of TRUE HAND.
Mike, what is your motivation for supporting Women Against Abuse?
The Leave Philly Alone (LPA) campaign was born as a response to seeing our favorite small businesses and friends around Philadelphia drastically impacted by the Covid-19 shutdown… and seeing the outpouring of support from the people who enjoy them and recognized the importance of making sure they could get thru it. The campaign was a success in that it created a direct and easy path for people to support those businesses on a wide-scale while also encouraging shelter-in-place.
After the initial launch, we added several local organizations that have always been doing important work in Philadelphia, and Women Against Abuse was a first string addition. Our past support for Women Against Abuse had resulted in some very heartfelt stories that spoke to the very real results in these donations, and we were personally very moved by this.
Knowing that those affected by the work of Women Against Abuse was so heightened due to quarantine, it was an obvious choice to highlight Women Against Abuse as a beneficary for LPA.
What impact do you hope your investment will produce?
Women Against Abuse has very real and tangible ways to measure the impact of the money donated and I feel this helps communicate that there are real-life people behind every one of these metrics. We’re just honored to have the success of the LPA campaign as a way that a larger audience can help support the ongoing good work of Women Against Abuse.
What would you tell other companies thinking about getting involved in our work?
We would absolutely encourage other companies to not only choose to support Women Against Abuse’s mission, but to also find ways to incorporate these types of supportive efforts in their ongoing business practice. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about LPA and thank you for your hard and important work!
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Our Legal Center – which has grown exponentially in recent years to include a 34-member team of attorneys, paralegals, telephone counselors, court advocates and other staff – has maxed out its office space. We are in the process of moving from the 5th to 15th floor in the Land Title Building to gain 2,000 square feet of space. We have received free rent from the Sheriff’s Office for over two decades, and this generous partnership will continue.
Construction to outfit the expanded office began in June, and we anticipate being fully operational in the new space by the end of September! This much needed expansion will make such a difference to the survivors of domestic violence who are counting on us – especially as Philadelphia Family Court has now resumed in-person services.
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Thanks to your advocacy, the Senate passed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (“VOCA Fix”), with an impressive vote of 100 to 0. The strength of our collective voices was evident during floor debate when Senators supporting the VOCA Fix discussed some of the insight they gained after speaking with victim service providers, including those in Pennsylvania! |
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The bill helps to secure billions in victim services funding, and was signed into law by President Biden on July 22, 2021. Thousands of direct service agencies such as domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child abuse treatment programs use VOCA funds to support and provide resources to victims of crime throughout the nation. Learn more about the impact of this passage through NNEDV’s press release: here.
You can get more involved in other legislative priorities by visiting our Take Action Center where you can learn more about how to take immediate action on issues that impact survivors of domestic violence.
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Take a listen to this panel interview we participated in for Focus on the Delaware Valley with Lora Lewis on 99.5 WJBR. We were grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness to domestic violence alongside Lutheran Settlement House and Laurel House of Montgomery County.
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Click on the images below to link directly to the corresponding posts.
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Women Against Abuse does not discriminate on the basis of gender. To request a copy of our Title IX policy or to make a complaint, contact our Title IX Coordinator, the Vice President of Human Resources, at 215-386-1280. |
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