Thank you so much for your interest in empowering domestic violence survivors.
We are proud to announce the new Survivor Empowerment Fund!
Why did we establish the Survivor Empowerment Fund?
The Fund helps empower the survivors we serve to make their own decisions, decisions that are right for them at the right time. Just as we never know when the 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.
How did the Survivor Empowerment Fund get started?
After careful consideration and planning, in December 2007 we established the fund to empower survivors of domestic violence. The Fund’s creation deliberately coincided with the 2007 winter holiday season and replaced past holiday giving programs.
What are the benefits of the Survivor Empowerment Fund?
In developing this fund, we were striving for a donation plan that was best for our clients, our agency, and our donors!
Our new program achieves several important goals:
- Empowering our clients to get what they need, when they need it.
- Community giving that can help throughout the year.
- Donating to our agency has never been easier - minimal time and energy from you, maximum effect of your donation!
- Reduction of storage and transportation dilemmas.
How does the Survivor Empowerment Fund work?
The fund is a continuous collection of gift cards, gift certificates, and monetary donations which are set aside for survivors.
Survivors apply for gift card or cash assistance funding with a simple application, which is evaluated by a staff panel. Gift cards are then disbursed to survivors based on need and availability (monetary donations go toward needed items or services, such as car repair, insurance, or rent deposits). Each gift card is tracked by its serial number, so donors can find out who received it and why.
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 mission and storage capacity to accept and distribute your in-kind donations. Please see our in-kind donations page for more details.
If you’d like to adapt the holiday giving or survivor empowerment programs for your organization, you’re more than welcome. Please call Sarah Keefe, Community Outreach/Education/Development Coordinator, at 503.640.5352 x308.
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! As of October 3, 2008, the Survivor Empowerment Fund total collected since its inception in December, 2007 is $12,342.92, of which $6,774.16 has been distributed to clients in crisis. Here’s a list of our most recent contributions:
- United Methodist Women of Hillsboro: $545 in cash and $20 in gift cards
- Rose Loveless: $10 Fred Meyer gift card
- Shanya Luther: restaurant gift certificate
- Providence St. Vincent’s Cardiac Recovery Unit Nurses: $165 in assorted gift cards
- Washington County District Attorney’s Office: $25 restaurant gift card
- Bonnie Gretz: $40 in cash
- Laura Dellinger: $50 in cash
- Al Machemehl: $100 in cash
- Metropolitan Group: $550.50 in assorted gift cards and bus tickets
- Church of Christ The Latter Day Saints - Raleigh Hills Ward Relief Society: $655 in Target and Fred Meyer gift cards
- Oregon Women Lawyers - Washington County: $105 in assorted gift cards
- Anonymous (1): $395 in assorted gift cards
- Mountain Home United Methodist Women - Sherwood: $50 in cash
- Hillsboro Police Officers Association: $550 in Chevron and Target gift cards
- Linda Wedlake: $25 VISA gift card
- United Methodist Women - Hillsboro: $190 in assorted gift cards
- Quest Diagnostics Inc.: $355 in assorted gift cards
- Emanuel Lutheran Church - Cornelius: $100 in cash
- 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
- American Blimp: $206 in VISA gift cards
- Southminster Presbyterian Foundation: $200 in cash
- 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
- 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
- B.P.O.E. on Wheels: $50 in cash
- R. Allen and Barbara Deck: $30 in Target gift cards
- Employees of the Department of Human Services, Washington County: $5 phone card
- Bed, Bath & Beyond: $20 gift card
We invite you to join this growing list of contributors to the Survivor Empowerment Fund! If you’d like to donate gift cards, please mail them to the address listed below or bring them to our business office (call Rhonda at 503.640.5352 for directions).
Or make an easy, secure, and environmentally friendly monetary donation now. (don’t forget to note “SEF” or “Survivor Empowerment Fund” in the Purpose line).
Thank you for your support!
