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IN THIS ISSUE: Save the date for our virtual edition of Dish It Up; meet our newest Board Member; check out our refreshed advocacy agenda; and more!

Dear Friends and Advocates,

This winter has been particularly difficult for many of us, as we continue to isolate from loved ones to lessen the spread of COVID-19. The importance of community - something we miss so acutely these days - has never been clearer.

That's why I am so incredibly grateful to each of you for being a part of Women Against Abuse's community of supporters, advocates and partners in the effort to end intimate partner violence.

I hope you'll take a moment to read our winter newsletter, which offers information about our upcoming virtual edition of Dish It Up, the opportunity to meet our newest board member, a peek at our refreshed advocacy agenda, and more.

And take heart: despite the cold temperatures and the abundance of snow we've received in Philadelphia lately, spring is coming!

In Solidarity,
Jeannine L. Lisitski, Ph.D.
Executive Director & President
Women Against Abuse

Cut off from family members, friends and community supports.  
  
Prevented from attending work.  
  
Limited to one’s home.  
  
These aren’t only a list of COVID-19 safety measures. They’re a glimpse into life with an abusive partner.  
  
Our 2020 Annual Report offers a look at the realities of intimate partner violence during the past year, as our society navigated unprecedented challenges, and the ways in which we at  
Women Against Abuse pivoted to meet clients' evolving needs. 

Women Against Abuse’s Dish It Up fundraising event – which has featured local women chefs for more than 12 years – will look a little different this year! While the event will be VIRTUAL, it will carry on the same spirit of Dish It Up and will feature several exciting new elements for this unusual year. 

So save a spot on your calendar for us:
Thursday, April 29th  
5:30 – 6:15 PM EST (that’s right – we’re keeping it short!) 

Jackie Linton, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a seasoned senior executive and entrepreneur with a broad business background in human capital management, engineering, operations and marketing. In addition to leading JL HR Solutions, LLC – a full-service HR consulting firm – Ms. Linton is an Adjunct Professor with the Fox School of Business and the Center for Executive Education at Temple University. She is also the President of Philadelphia’s Regional Chapter of the Society of Human Resources Management (Philly SHRM).  We are excited to welcome Jackie to our Board of Directors, and pleased to share the following conversation to introduce her to you, our valued supporters.


Can you describe your motivation for joining Women Against Abuse’s (WAA) board?
First of all, I love the mission of WAA. Even though I have not been personally impacted, I have seen the impact that domestic abuse has on those involved, their children and the entire family. WAA is a first-rate organization doing great things on a number of fronts. Joining the board gives me the opportunity to support the dedicated people who are doing the work, to learn from them on ways that I can be more helpful, and to support a cause which I really care about.

I am also excited for the opportunity to be working with such a talented team who really have it “going on.” I feel like you give your best when you’re with other people who are doing their best.

You have such vast experiences. How do you hope to leverage these – particularly as Senior Advisor for NIMBLE (a consulting consortium that helps nonprofits, foundations, public agencies and socially responsible businesses adapt to environmental and strategic shifts) – to strengthen WAA and benefit clients?
My area of expertise, talent management, is one area where I feel I can definitely contribute. I bring both years of experience in HR as well as a broad network of HR colleagues. As a member of NIMBLE, we have assembled a group of multi-talented professionals who are experts in a number of areas such as fundraising, strategic planning, communication and talent management particularly focused on nonprofits and foundations. This talented group will be available to help us confront problems at WAA.

One thing that’s also really important to me is not to just be at arm’s length, but I really want to get involved. I started my career as an engineer, so solving problems is my calling card. And I feel like I could be of tremendous value in addressing challenges confronting WAA; thinking things through from a systems approach is something I really love to do, and I’m hoping it’s something I can do here.

What type of impact do you hope to make on the Philadelphia community?
I am always struck by the impact of personal interactions. It’s not always immediate. It could be years from now. You never know how you impact people, so you should always show up as your best. That’s sort of how I approach things. I always try to bring my best to whatever situation I’m in, whether I’m getting paid for it or recognized for it or not. If I’m there, I want to give it my best. And that’s the way I want to impact the community, one person at a time.

What would you like to share with WAA’s supporters?
My goal is to make life better for someone else. I work hard and give more than 100% to everything I do. I will bring this passion and energy to WAA as a board member and as a supporter. My guiding principle is that giving is better than getting. It’s the way I live. If I can give to someone else, I try always to do that, big or small. If you focus more on giving rather than getting, that in and of itself is its own reward.

This is definitely a cause worth supporting. It is something that knows no race or age boundaries. It could touch any of us at any time. And the more of us that are part of the solution, the more we can combat this deadly horrible issue.
Women Against Abuse is excited to release our new Public Policy Agenda which outlines specific public policy priorities that were identified through feedback gathered from our interdisciplinary Advocacy Committee, client-centered focus groups, and service provider discussion. This agenda includes a description of each of our top priorities as well as policy recommendations that will help us to achieve our collective goals. 
 
In the coming months, we will be meeting with city, state and federal elected officials to elevate the voices of survivors and the issues they raised and to ultimately work to secure additional resources to better serve our clients and survivors throughout the city.  
 
For a closer look at WAA’s new policy agenda, click here: Public Policy Priorities.
 
You can get more involved in the effort by visiting our Take Action Center and learning about ways to contact your elected officials to take immediate action on legislative issues that impact survivors of domestic violence in our community. WAA staff who are interested in being a part of the discussion in the future, consider joining the Advocacy Committee by contacting Whitney at wbrown@womenagainstabuse.org.
What is your motivation for supporting Women Against Abuse’s work? 
We learned of the efforts of Women Against Abuse through one of Charles’ work colleagues and attended an information session at his colleague’s home. The father of an abuse victim spoke that evening about his daughter who had been murdered by her partner. From this family’s tragic story, and the stories of others that we heard, we were compelled to lend our support to Women Against Abuse.

What impact do you hope to make? 
Since our initial involvement we have seen the remarkable milestones that Women Against Abuse has achieved in supporting victims of domestic violence. We hope to help keep Women Against Abuse at the forefront of this fight by being staunch supporters, and by helping to attract others to assist Women Against Abuse in carrying out its vital mission.

What would you tell other individuals considering making a gift to Women Against Abuse?
We would tell them to take a moment to look at what Jeanine and her team have accomplished to date to support the far too many victims of abuse. They have consistently and creatively expanded the outreach of Women Against Abuse, and were integral in creating a collaboration of agencies in Philadelphia to work together in a way found nowhere else in the country. There is no complacency here. We would, without hesitation, ask potential donors to help the organization to continue to be able to make a difference.

Women Against Abuse Legal Center Director Molly Callahan was interviewed for this NBC national story that looks at the impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence homicides.


Women Against Abuse Executive Director and President Jeannine L. Lisitski participated in this NBC story that was part of a series focused on domestic violence during the pandemic.
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.