This Week we Celebrate Violence Prevention & Bullying Awareness Volunteerism!
In cooperation with the Women's Resource Center and New Hope
How do violence prevention and bullying awareness volunteers make an impact?
- It is estimated that three out of four Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. And If we are fortunate not to know a victim of domestic violence, we are still affected by it: in the U.S., the cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services (Center for Disease Control & Prevention), and the annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is estimated at $727.8 million, with over 7.9 million paid workdays lost each year (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2009). Since we are all affected by Violence, we should all work toward ending it - and volunteering is a great way to do that!
- In a study of bullying, teasing, and sexual harassment in school, the American Association of University Women found that 83% of girls and 79% of boys report having experienced harassment at school, with over one in four students experiencing it "often." Children who are bullied can experience low self esteem, depression, missed school days, lower grades and productivity, or even suicide. By volunteering for Bullying Prevention Awareness, you can help reverse this trend and create a more supportive, accepting environment in which children can learn, live and grow.
- We all have unique talents and abilities which we can use to help others. As Maya Angelou reminds us, "Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are - cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes." By volunteering for Violence and Bullying Prevention Awareness, you can become a role model and inspire others to do the same.
- The rewards of volunteering for Violence and Bullying Prevention Awareness are priceless and directly impact the community in which we live. Whether you spend an hour, a day, or volunteer regularly, you come away from the experience knowing that you helped foster everyone's right to a peaceful coexistence within a positive, safe, and supportive community and that YOU played a part in ending Violence and Bullying!
- Non-profits which provide Violence and Bullying Prevention Awareness cannot do it alone. They rely on the help of volunteers to achieve our mission and need your help!
Congratulations to this week's "Patriots Difference Maker" - Breanna
Breanna P., VolunteerBreanna began volunteering with New Hope in June 2010, and has exhibited enthusiasm in getting involved in a variety of capacities from the start. Breanna has volunteered at fundraising events, has organized the collection of various items for donations, assisted with outreach events, and volunteers regularly in the Uxbridge District Court to help administer the SAFEPLAN program (helping survivors navigate the intimidating process of obtaining restraining orders needed to keep them safe). She also consistently covers numerous shifts for New Hope's SANE program, traveling to local hospitals to offer support and information to survivors dealing with the aftermath of sexual violence. She has responded to a number of SANE calls, spending countless hours in the emergency room supporting, advocating for, and providing information and resources to victims. Breanna is extremely passionate and compassionate, and has a solid understanding of the complexities of Domestic and Sexual Violence. She continuously seeks out opportunities to strengthen and deepen her understanding of these issues, and on her own accord, has attended trainings and other initiatives to help her better serve survivors. For her tireless, behind-the-scenes efforts to help others, she was also reported in two separate news articles in a local newspaper, one describing the community's "True Santa's" during the holiday season and the second titled "A Line of Support for Domestic Violence Victims." Breanna is invaluable to a number of New Hope's programs and her dedication is appreciated and admired.
What violence prevention and bullying awareness opportunities can I pursue?
How you can Volunteer and Help the Women's Resource Center (WRC)?Many times a person, community group, or school would like to help the WRC but aren't sure how. Did you know that victims of domestic violence often reach out to friends and family before seeking help from formal domestic violence organizations? With that in mind, the first thing everyone can do is to learn more about domestic violence.
This short video provides valuable information. Please watch it, and share it with your friends, family, and colleagues. Second, familiarize yourself with the services available to victims in your area.
Our website, www.wrcnbc.org/ contains information on the many services the Women's Resource Center offers.
Finally, consider one of the following ways to help victims & survivors in your area:
- Donate. Donations may be given to support a specific program, an event, or to honor or memorialize a person. For more information, go here.
- Host an event. Whether you ask friends to bring a gift card donation to your next dinner party or have a benefit yard sale, events are a great way to raise much-needed funds to support services for victims in your area. For more idea and information, go here.
- Volunteer or intern. Use your talents and time to help staff at the local domestic violence agency. At the Women's Resource Center volunteers help with everything from answering hotline calls to sprucing up counseling rooms with a fresh coat of paint. For more information on getting involved, go here.
- Organize a drive. From art supplies and diapers to toiletries and used cell phones, hosting a drive at your local school, church, or community organization is a great way to help domestic violence victims. Check out our Wish List for more ideas.
- Recycle your old cell phone. Cell phones are either refurbished for use as 911 phones for victims of domestic violence or recycled. Each phone turned in earns cash grants for the Women's Resource Center to use toward programs and service. For more information, go here.
- Adopt-a-Family. Our holiday program offers you the opportunity to provide assistance during the holiday season to families who are victims of domestic violence and are struggling to start their lives over.
- Be an advocate on social media. From Facebook http://www.facebook.com/WRCNBC to Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/WRCNBC social media is a great way to show your support for victims of domestic violence and the Women's Resource Center. For more information on being an advocate through social media, go here.
How you can Volunteer and Help at New Hope
- Organize a collection/drive at your workplace or within your neighborhood, school or community (for example, used cell phones, paper products, toiletries, office supplies, arts & crafts supplies, gift cards, donations, etc.).
- Volunteer for a New Hope event or initiative.
- Become an "Ambassador" of New Hope, Inc.! Help us create more awareness and reach more people by "Liking" us on Facebook, by attending our vigils and events, and by helping to spread the word and break the cycle of violence.
- For more information and a complete list of volunteer opportunities, please visit www.new-hope.org.
The Patriots Charitable Foundation is proud to work in conjunction with the Women's Resource Center and New Hope for "Violence Prevention & Bullying Awareness Volunteerism Week"
WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTERThe Women's Resource Center (WRC) of Newport and Bristol Counties in Rhode Island was founded in 1977 to provide comprehensive domestic violence intervention and prevention services that educate, advocate, and shelter any individual in need of assistance. Each year we help women, children, families, men and the elderly to obtain the services they need to secure their physical, mental, emotional and financial safety from domestic abuse.
NEW HOPENew Hope's mission is "
Ending Domestic and Sexual Violence in Our Community." New Hope offers crisis intervention services, violence prevention, life transition opportunities, and works to promote behavioral changes to reduce violence in the 54 Massachusetts communities New Hope serves. New Hope's violence prevention programs include: educating middle, high school and college students about the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships; offering the Child Assault Prevention Program (CAPP); providing education in schools on topics such as bullying, harassment and teen dating violence; educating members of law enforcement, businesses, civic organizations and other community members on domestic violence, stalking and domestic violence in the workplace; and an intensive Department of Public Health-certified Batterer's Intervention (RESPECT) program which holds batterers accountable and works with them to prevent future incidents of violence. New Hope's crisis intervention services include: a toll-free 24-hour hotline, 2 confidential emergency shelters for survivors and children fleeing violent homes, counseling for survivors and their children, safety planning, assistance for survivors seeking restraining orders in 7 district courts, a visitation center for parents requiring supervised visits with their children because of domestic violence, civilian advocates in 2 police stations, a housing stabilization program, and more. For more information, visit
www.new-hope.org. To become involved in New Hope's "What Are YOU Willing To Do To End Violence?" campaign and for Words to Inspire You...Facts to Empower You...and Music to Move You, visit
www.facebook.com/NewHopeInc.
