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IN THIS ISSUE: An invitation to our upcoming Open Board Meeting; a new grant from Bank of America; recent media coverage; and more!
As spring begins its transition into summer, we see new beginnings all around us. This is especially true at Women Against Abuse, as we continue to pivot to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, prepare to renovate one of our emergency safe havens, settle into our new and expanded Legal Center office, and embark on a strategic planning process that will equip us to achieve our mission in the years to come.

Even as we embrace these new beginnings, we keep ourselves firmly rooted in our unchanging commitment to survivors of domestic violence, steadfast in our resolve to end this threat to public health and safety.

Our work would not be possible without you, our valued donors and partners. I hope you will join us as we discuss our many new beginnings in more detail at our upcoming Open Board Meeting. More information about this virtual event is below.

En Solidaridad,

We hope you can join us for our annual open board meeting.
 
Join us to learn more about what we've been up to, and
what the future holds for our organization.
 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22ND
6:30 PM ET
VIRTUAL
Once you register, you will receive a link to join us on Zoom.


We wanted to share the exciting news that we just wrapped up an advertising campaign on Septa! Throughout the spring, our advertising footprint strategically targeted areas that have experienced higher rates of domestic violence homicide. Our ads were featured on the Broad Street Line, as well as buses serving the East Division in North Philly and Kensington neighborhoods.
 
This was a unique opportunity for us to reach out to people experiencing relationship abuse, and we are grateful to be able to raise awareness to our life-saving programs and the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline.

The 14th Annual Dish It Up was a delicious success, raising more than $204,000 for Women Against Abuse's life-saving services.
 
Nearly 300 advocates, supporters and food afficionados gathered at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday, May 18th for the well-loved chef competition. Justine MacNeil of Fiore won Best Purple Dessert and Julie Kline of La Colombe won Best Purple Dish! 

We were thrilled to honor Troy and Tommi Vincent as our
2022 Advocates of the Year. Troy and Tommi shared their stories,
and gave a rousing call to action to help bring an end to domestic violence.
Belén Smole, an Emmy award winning anchor for Telemundo62, was our host for the evening! And Board Chair Leslie Miller Greenspan and Board Member Dr. Argie Allen-Wilson led an exciting live solicitation that raised nearly $24,000 on the spot for
Women Against Abuse's life-saving services.
 
We are so grateful to everyone for their incredible support!
Dr. Argie Allen-Wilson is an Emmy-nominated and award winning relationship and family therapist with more than 20 years of experience, Co-founder & CEO of Connections Matter LLC and F.A.I.T.H Connects LLC (Family and Individual Therapeutic Healing). She is also an author and highly sought after expert in the field who often appears on the Today Show, MSNBC, CNN, and Good Day Philadelphia.

Dr. Argie has served as host of our annual iPledge Campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and recently co-facilitated a live "text to pledge" solicitation at Dish It Up that raised nearly $24,000 on the spot for our work. We are excited to welcome Dr. Argie to our Board of Directors!

Can you describe your motivation for joining Women Against Abuse’s board?
My motivation for being a part of the Women Against Abuse board is to be a significant contributor of a movement that is making a difference in the lives of women, men, children, and families negatively impacted by domestic abuse. The ultimate goal is to eradicate this epidemic of domestic abuse in our region, but we need major resources to stay on the front lines of this issue. As a board member, I am fully committed to helping to lead the charge to provide support to those in our community impacted while continuously focusing on the goal of bringing an end to domestic abuse.

You have such vast experiences. How do you hope to leverage these to strengthen Women Against Abuse and benefit clients?
As a member of the Program Committee lead by our fellow board member Sandy Sheller, I believe that I am equipped to use my 25 years of experience as a mental health clinician and administrator to support the clinical and administrative team creatively and innovatively with comprehensive programming that supports the families who come through the doors of Women Against Abuse. Additionally, finding innovative ways to support the staff who provide services to our families will be an important part of our initiatives for the Program Committee as well. I believe that self-care and a commitment to personal and mental health wellness is essential for any provider of social services in order for them to be healthy enough to care for the people they are charged to serve. Lastly, I’ve spent many years working with families as a relationship therapist as well as using national, local, traditional, and social media platforms to highlight ways to successfully address these issues. I will
continue leveraging those relationships in the clinical realm and the media world to shed light on this important issue while highlighting the decades of work that WAA is doing to support, enhance and save lives in our communities.

What type of impact do you hope to make on the Philadelphia community?
I believe that I along with my fellow board members and the entire WAA team can make a major positive impact on the City of Philadelphia. We have the will to make a difference and I personally and professionally am committed to continuing to work on gaining the resources to execute on the necessary steps for positive impact. The fall out of this COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the community members of Philadelphia. As a therapist, I have a front row seat to the trauma that families are experiencing on a daily basis. From this vantage point, I believe that I am prepared, ready, willing, and able to make a positive impact within the Philadelphia
community. I love this city where I was born, raised and where I have spent the majority of my adult professional life as a mental health provider, academic administrator, and media personality. As a board member, a therapist, co-owner of a therapy practice and non-profit that focuses on mental health issues in our community, I know that we can make a difference in Philadelphia by healing families one relationship at a time and changing lives one courageous conversation at a time. As a change agent for humanity, I believe that we can, will and must change the culture and atmosphere of violence in the City of Philadelphia. The next generation is depending on us to roll up our sleeves and do the work to create impact and change. WE can’t let them down. Let’s collectively do this together.
Pennsylvania legislators are in negotiations to secure funding for domestic violence services as well as many other social services programs in the next fiscal year.  
 
The state budget process appropriates money from various funding streams and distributes it to state agencies and programs. In Pennsylvania, the budget includes a line item for domestic violence services, as well as other line items that fund programs that serve survivors of violence. Each year, there is a risk that these important funds will be allocated elsewhere and this year, legislators must also consider the additional costs of the COVID-19 pandemic and rampant gun violence in our community. 
Over the last few weeks, the policy team at Women Against Abuse has been meeting with members of the state legislature to ask that they prioritize funding for domestic violence services and develop a comprehensive budget that protects the most vulnerable. 
 
Now is the best time for you contact your elected official and tell them to reaffirm their commitment to vulnerable members of your community! Take action to ensure that survivors seeking resources are able to receive the help they need here. 
We are thankful to Bank of America for a recent $50,000 grant that will support our life-saving services. This is the second such grant that Bank of America has awarded to Women Agianst Abuse. The first came during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020 - a strategic support that helped us stay on the frontlines during a particularly challenging time.

Bank of America's support is unrestricted, meaning that we can use it for whatever is most needed within our organization. This rare flexibility is incredibly helpful in allowing us to be strategic and innovative as we adapt to our clients' changing needs. Thank you, Bank of America!


We were pleased to be chosen as one of the nonprofit beneficiaries of the myWalgreens cash rewards program! You can donate your myWalgreens cash rewards to Women Against Abuse thru 08/31/22. You’ll earn unlimited 1% Walgreens Cash rewards when you shop at Walgreens, and you can choose how much to donate. It’s that easy. Whether you’d like to contribute $1, $5, or more of your Walgreens Cash rewards, you’ll be making a big difference. It really adds up!

  • Joanna participated in a plethora of interviews in the weeks leading up to our Dish It Up fundraising event, including this one on NBC10 as well as this one on Telemundo62 with Belén Smole, who hosted Dish It Up!

  • 2022 Advocates of the Year Troy and Tommi Vincent appeared on Good Day Philadelphia to raise awareness about domestic violence and urge the community to support our work! Check out the interview here.


Click on the images below to link directly to the corresponding posts.

You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @WomenAgnstAbuse and Instagram @womenagainstabuse
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.