Editorial: Holiday Giving
Empowering survivors to get what they need when they need it
Domestic violence occurs every day, every week, every month of the year, not only around the holidays. Help us empower survivors to make their own decisions, decisions that are right for them at the right time. (Please scroll down to the bottom of this page to find out who has already come on board!)
Just as we never know when survivors will need our—and your—help, we can never know what they will need.
- A co-pay for the doctor and flu medicine, in February.
- A bus pass to get to a job interview, in April.
- A pair of baby shoes to replace the old ones forgotten in the hurry of fleeing the home, in July.
- A couple of nights of safe shelter, in October.
They never know. We never know. The best we can do is be prepared and flexible.
Survivors are in crisis, not poverty
The survivors who are most in need of assistance are those who are escaping violence from the hands of their partners. The immediate crisis dictates they need safety rather than material things. When lives are at stake, physical things matter little.
- A woman with a full-time job feels helpless when she can’t afford a bed or cookware or towels because the only resources she had went to securing a new, safe rental apartment.
- A girl feels helpless when she had to leave all her toys behind and can’t get new ones because she and mom will be moving again soon.
- A man and his three children feel helpless when they fled across the country from his girlfriend who threatened them with a gun.
Help us empower those who feel helpless through no fault of their own to get what they need when they need it.
Holiday giving that gives beyond the holidays
Survivors need financial resources to buy items they need in the time of crisis. For survivors, life is not about the ideal holiday present, it’s about overcoming basic hurdles in life. The smallest things make a world of difference when they come at the right time. Your gift card, gift certificate or monetary donation will help us empower survivors at the time of their need, not just during the season of giving.
Give at the holidays so that we can help throughout the entire year. In fact, giving is a wonderful act no matter what the time of year. We have established the Survivor Empowerment Fund, which will, with your support, begin disbursing funds on December 15th, 2007. Your gift card, gift certificate or monetary donation will become a part of this Fund. We will keep you informed about the difference your contribution made here, on our website. Please scroll down to the bottom of this page to find out what the Fund has already received! Meanwhile, our Holiday Ornaments will guide you through what your contributions will achieve!
Contributing to the Survivor Empowerment Fund will minimize the time and energy you use during the holidays while maximizing the effect of your donation!
Specialized community resources
Our focus is on empowering all individuals and families to have safe and healthy relationships because we believe such relationships best prevent intimate partner violence.
There are other agencies in our community that have the storage capacity to accept and keep your in-kind donations. For example:
- Oregon Food Bank for food
- Dress for Success for clothes
- Community Warehouse for furniture
- Domestic Violence Resource Center for domestic violence-specific services
We each specialize in providing services needed in the community. Together, and with your contributions, we give a hand up to those who need it most when they need it most.
If you have items you wish to donate and don’t know where to go, Donors Resource connects donors like yourself with organizations that need your items.
Your support matters
It is because of people like you that we are able to help individuals and families develop safe and healthy relationships. Thank you!
Please check back frequently for updates about our new Holiday Giving Program!
As of December 19, the Survivor Empowerment Fund totals $5,074.21. Here’s a list of contributions so far, starting with the most recent:
- United Methodist Women, Hillsboro: $115 in assorted gift cards
- Quest Diagnostics Inc.: $355 in assorted gift cards
- United Methodist Women, Portland: $200 in Fred Meyer gift cards and $41 in Tri-Met public transportation tickets
- Nancy Hochman: $20 Fred Meyer gift card
- Orthopedic Fracture Clinic: $920 in assorted gift cards (food, fuel, toys, movies, etc.)
- Employees of Providence Medical Group - Scholls: $50 in Shell gift cards and a $20 Powell’s Books gift card
- Health Physics Northwest: $375 in Fred Meyer gift cards
- ABATE of Washington County: $500 in cash
- United Methodist Women of Hillsboro: $10 gift card
- Barbara Endecott: $50 in Fred Meyer gift cards
- St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Beaverton: $1,145 in grocery and Fred Meyer gift cards
- Textron Financial: $603.21 in assorted gift cards
- R. Allen and Barbara Deck: $30 in Target gift cards
- Employees of the Department of Human Services, Washington County: $5 phone card
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More stories:
Volunteer Spotlight: The Rindel Boys
House Rules: Monika’s House Shelter as a Temporary Home
Invitation: Free Holiday Concerts with ISing Community Choir
Journeys of Survival: Vicki B.
