As another year ends, we reflect with deep gratitude as we continue to navigate the challenges ahead. We’re incredibly proud of our staff and all they have done to show up for our community both as front-line workers and behind the scenes.
In recent years, the needs of our community have grown larger and more urgent. Intimate partner violence increased significantly – by over 8% in the U.S. – since the pandemic began. Systemic racism and hatred have escalated in ways that we never thought possible. The growing costs of goods and services have made life harder for the people we serve and our employees.
Through it all, we’ve pressed forward to keep our promise to the community, stay relentlessly focused on short- and long-term needs, and be there for those who need us most. We expanded our clinical program and offered more individual counseling sessions to meet greater needs. We increased our minimum wage from $15 to $19 an hour while continuing to find ways to support all of our employees through hybrid work schedules and self-care initiatives.
In October, we celebrated our 20th Annual Women For Racial Justice Breakfast. This was our first in-person event since March 2020. The incomparable Angela Davis was our keynote speaker, and we had a record-breaking 530 people in attendance.Just this month, we distributed $47,674 worth of needed gift items and gift cards through our Sponsor-A-Family Hope for the Holiday Program. The donors who make this happen were so thoughtful and caring! 286 women and children from 70 families benefitted from this incredible outpouring of generosity.
We remain deeply committed to our mission to eliminate racism and empower women through our three program pillars – Ending Gender-Based Violence through emergency residential and wrap-around community services for survivors, Empowering Girls through STEAM Education and Violence Prevention Education, and Advancing Racial Justice through coalition-building, education, and policy advocacy.
Thank you for walking alongside us on this journey. We can only do it with you. We genuinely believe that together we can move the needle forward, continue to find joy in the struggle, and make this world a better place for those facing injustice and inequity.
From our family to yours, we wish you a safe and relaxing new year filled with gratitude, joy, and hope for the future.
In peace and partnership,
Here are some highlights from another successful year:
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