In This Issue:
Local Tragedies Bring Issue of Domestic Violence to Forefront
Newly renovated house donated to the Domestic Violence Resource Center!
Thank you to Beaverton Women’s Club for their three-year sponsorship of two bathrooms, and the Beaverton & Washington County Rotary for their sponsorship of a bedroom at Monika’s House Shelter
Mauss Company, CPA: Champion Sponsor
“Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, they just have the heart.”- We need volunteers!
Local Tragedies Bring Issue of Domestic Violence to Forefront
We’ve seen in our community this month that domestic violence is a matter of life or death.
Edit: November 29th, Fatal Shooting in Hillsboro: 40 year old ex-boyfriend murders 20 year old ex-girlfriend
November 28th, “A husband killed his wife and shot her adult son before shooting himself Friday evening in Forest Grove, police said.”
As of a few days ago, Ashley Kendall has been in “extremely” critical condition after being shot in the back by her husband. Teresa Marie Beiser was murdered by her husband, who then committed suicide, in Tualatin on Nov. 10th. That same week in Bethany, domestic violence escalated to a murder-suicide and now Mukesh Suthar, Varsha Suthar and their son are dead. The week before, Tameka Medina, her boyfriend, Ceantwaun L. Barr, and their son, Ashawn Medina-Barr, were all shot to death in Portland.
This is the most extreme conclusion of domestic violence. Unfortunately, it is not an entirely uncommon one. Four people are murdered each day by their intimate partner in the US. That’s the statistic. This November, in our community, we see the faces and families that make up that heart-rending number.
And it’s frightening. But there is help. This last week our counselors saw twice as many new people come in for services than is usual for a week. If you think you might need help, but you’re not sure, or don’t know what to do, or you do know you need help—please call our 24-Hour Crisis Line at 503.469.8620 or Toll Free 1.866.469.8600. You’re not alone, and there is hope.
(Want to help us help others? Please donate today. We’re facing the largest decrease in financial support we’ve seen in years.)
Violence isn’t some act of nature or God, it’s the action of a human being: a part of our community. The important thing we as a community can do is bring to light that domestic violence is a community issue, not a private issue. It’s something we all need to talk about, not sweep under the rug. We are all effected by the violence; in our schools, in our workplace, and in our circle of family and friends. We all need to take responsibility for creating an environment where unhealthy relationships and violence are not tolerated. It’s not about “why does he/she put up with that” or “why didn’t he/she leave” it’s what can we all do to support one another? Through building greater awareness by talking about this issue as a community, learning about the cycle of violence and warning signs, and taking steps to support people to have safe and healthy relationships-we’ll break the intergenerational cycle of violence. It will take time, effort and dedication, but in the end, lives will be saved.
Our counselors, advocates and staff would be happy to come help lead a conversation about any of these issues with your group, organization or business. Be a part of the movement to organize the community so that everyone can be safe, loved and respected.
Call Sarah Mati at 503-926-3241 or email sarahm (at) dvrc-or (dot) org to talk about what would be a fit for your group today. We offer several free and bilingual presentations, download our list of presentations here.
Everyone has the right to love, respect, and LIFE. Together we can, we must, break the cycle of violence.
***
Newly renovated house donated to the Domestic Violence Resource Center!
Martin & Lori Rausch approached the Domestic Violence Resource Center this summer with a big idea. They had completely gutted and renovated their house and wanted to make a difference in the community by making it a resource available to those in need. But, they wanted to partner with an organization to help those in need of transitional housing receive the support they needed to help them get to the next step.
After much research and leg work, they decided to partner with the Domestic Violence Resource Center and donate their home to become a new transitional housing program. In Martin’s words, “Through a set of circumstances that only God could have arranged, we ended up owning a house that we didn’t know exactly what to do with and a God-given desire to help those who need a second chance to get back on their feed and move forward in life. Partnering with DVRC to make this house a transitional home perfectly matched what God had put on our hearts with a real need facing people who have been hurt by domestic abuse.”
This beautiful house needs community support to become a home for those in Monika’s House Shelter who need a longer-term solution to help them on their path towards independence.
We need donations of sturdy, quality furniture to help outfit the house. We need a couch, chairs, table, twin size beds, dressers, bookshelves… not sure if it’s a fit? Please call Sarah Mati, Community Outreach Coordinator, at 503-926-3241 or email sarahm (at) dvrc-or (dot) org to talk about what might work.
We also need your financial support. We need to raise $7,840 to support this new service—If you’d like to be a part of establishing this new program, please donate today! If you have any questions or would like more information please contact Sarah Keefe, Comm. Outreach/Ed./Development Coordinator at sarahk (at) dvrc-or (dot) org or call 503-640-5352 x 308 or 503-926-3245.
***
Thank you to Beaverton Women’s Club for their three-year sponsorship of two bathrooms, and the Beaverton & Washington County Rotary for their sponsorship of a bedroom at Monika’s House Shelter
First room sponsorships at Monika’s House Shelter completed
Thank you to the Beaverton and the Washington County Rotary for the sponsorship of a family room at Monika’s House Shelter.
The Beaverton Rotary replaced the old, damaged carpet with a new floor and area rug, put in new window coverings, supplied new furniture, furnishings, and made the room absolutely beautiful. Work on the room was completed in early November thanks to the Rotary and its member’s hard work and dedication to stepping up as champions for survivors of domestic violence.
Thank you to the Beaverton Women’s Club, who are sponsoring two of Monika’s House Shelter bathrooms for three years. Their sorely needed renovation was completed in early October—the floors were redone, walls repainted, new toilets and light fixtures installed, and other furnishings. When the people in Shelter saw the finished bathrooms one of them commented “it’s like walking into a spa!”
These community organizations have spent much time, energy and passion to improve Monika’s House Shelter (built in 1999) and help keep it a great environment for survivors in need. Thank you to the Beaverton Rotary and Beaverton Women’s Club.
Is your group, business or church interested in sponsoring a room? Several bedrooms and community areas are still available. Please call Sarah Keefe at 503-926-3245 or 503-640-5352 x 308, or email sarahk (at) dvrc-or (dot) org for more information.
Mauss Company, CPA: Champion Sponsor
The Mauss Company, CPA, steps up to support the Domestic Violence Resource Center
The Mauss Company was a Champion Sponsor of our annual event this year. Thank you for their tremendous support!
The Mauss Company started in January of 2004, when founder Amy Mauss decided she wanted “to be a better mom and accountant”—so she decided to go into business.
Amy started the company with her husband so she could continue to be a “hand-holder” with her clients. The Mauss Company is built on the philosophy that she is not just her client’s CPA, but also their friend. “It’s important that as a CPA I take a personal approach.” Her clients don’t need to worry about the bill when they call to talk with her, the bill is for when the project is done. “Clients are family,” says Amy, “and family comes first.”
The Mauss Company specializes in services for small businesses, ranging from “Mom and Pop shops to 100 million dollar a year” operations.
You can contact Amy Mauss, CPA, at:
The Mauss Co., P.C.
14665 SW Klipsan Ct.
Tigard, OR 97223
(503) 939-4709 cell
(503) 590-9359 fax
“Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, they just have the heart.”- We need volunteers!
We really need people to donate a few hours of their time to get our annual mailing out or help us at an outreach event!
Are you available during the day or evening, December 2nd through the 4th, Wednesday-Friday? Or, are you available anytime between 10 am and 6 pm on Saturday, Dec. 5th or Saturday, Dec. 12th? Volunteer activity would take place at our new Clinical Services Office at 3800 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Ste. 272, in Beaverton, OR.
We need a small army of volunteers to stuff envelopes, brave paper cuts, and get our annual mailing out the door anytime a volunteer is available Dec. 2nd through the 4th, between 10 am and 8 pm. This mailing is vital to sustaining our free services!
We need a few volunteers to spend 3-4 hours wrapping gifts at Borders (on Walker & Cedar Hills Blvd. in Beaverton) as an outreach and fundraising activity for our agency Sat., Dec. 5th & 12th. Can you help?
Give the gift of time this holiday season and help support our services to survivors in the community. We need at least 20 people to help with this project! Please contact Sarah Keefe at sarahk (at) dvrc-or (dot) org or call her at 503-640-5352 x 308, or 503-926-3245 to schedule a time to come in. Last year we had 11 amazing volunteers who worked for three hours each, and got 2/3 of the mailing out the door. This year we need twice as many! Please help!
