• A NEWSLETTER FROM WOMAN INC •
*March 2013*
Building Strategy & Organizing To End Abuse in LGBTQ Communities
On February 21 to 23, Lily Krutel, Volunteer Coordinator, Paola Souto, Latina Program Manager, and Jill Zawisza, Executive Director, attended the 11th annual Q&A for Advocates National Training, organized by the Northwest network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian, and Gay Survivors of Abuse (NW Network) in Seattle, Washington. The NW Network works to end violence and abuse by building loving and equitable relationships in their communities and across the country. During the training, WOMAN Inc representatives were able to engage in anti-violence analysis, strategies, and practices to better serve LGBTQ survivors and communities.
Some of the sessions of the conference focused on understanding domestic violence through an anti-oppression lens, encouraging self-determination and survivor-centered safety planning, legal issues for LGBTQ survivors, and community engagement. For the first time, the NW Network offered a day-long summit on sex-positive advocacy, aiming to create individual skills and organizational capacity.
It was a very interactive and intense training, and Lily, Jill, and Paola brought back new ideas, skills, and practical tools they hope to adapt to WOMAN Inc, increasing the meaningful support we offer to LGBTQ survivors. This 3-day conference has already proven to be beneficial to our day-to-day work and helpful as our programs evolve.
Staff Highlight--Blase Hents
40 Hour Domestic Violence Advocate Training
Force By Design Strengthens the DVIRC Project
Pacific Gas and Electric Company Donates $2,000 to WOMAN Inc
WOMAN Inc Program Support Staff
The "Peace at Home" Campaign Continues
*Annie Fisher (left)
Annie joined WOMAN Inc in April 2012 and shortly after went through our 40-hour training process. Annie has been a dedicated volunteer in our Children's Program, our Outreach Program, and our Social Media efforts. She approaches her work here with warmth and humor, and is super reliable and bright. We're so thankful for all the work she does to coordinate our outreach & community education, to support children of DV survivors, and to promote healthy relationships and our services to the community! Learn more about Annie in an interview on the WOMAN Inc blog.
*Helen Harvey (right)
Helen also joined the agency in April 2012. She was part of the same training group as Annie. Before jumping into direct service work, she was a huge help in preparing for training by providing admin support to the volunteer program. Since completing the training process, Helen has been a thoughtful, patient and resourceful presence on our crisis line each week. She recently began the training process for support group facilitation, and we're so excited to see her grow into this new skill set! Learn more about Helen in an interview on the WOMAN Inc blog.
How long have you been working at WOMAN Inc?
I first came to WOMAN Inc over ten years ago as in interim accountant during a time of transition. Having grown up with domestic violence, I was inspired by the program services offered and stayed on for a few years building a relationship with the team at WOMAN Inc providing direct service to the community. I was contacted last year to help WOMAN Inc during another transition where I have been able to offer my expertise in the administrative/financial aspects of the agency.
What do you do at WOMAN Inc?
My role encompasses the financial, HR and IT aspects in supporting the team at WOMAN Inc.
How did you come into this profession?
I have been of service in the nonprofit world for the last 20 years.
In 1992, on a trip to Dharamsala, I met His Holiness the Dalai Lama and began practicing Tibetan Buddhism. Eight years later I was ordained losangmonlam, a monk of the Tibetan Buddhist monastic tradition by Choden Rinpoche in California, later taking full ordination with His Holiness Dalai Lama in a ceremony held at his temple in Dharamsala. I continued to practice, study and teach in the San Francisco Bay Area, under the guidance of Geshe Ngawang Dakpa.
I wasn't born to any of this. The first years of my life were shared with a family of five brothers in a farming community on the edge of the Red River Valley in North Dakota. After graduating high school in southeastern Minnesota, I went on to pursue my undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. And, not until I was just shy of finishing my M.B.A Degree at Boston University, did I finally honor my inner quest to seek answers. My journey began by traveling the world to connect with a wide range of people from all walks of life and traditions. Three years later, I returned to the United States having discovered, among many other things, my joy at being an artist--a painter and sculptor.
In January of 2010, I made the decision to resign my community life as a monk and return to offer service in the larger world community. I re-joined WOMAN Inc in 2011.
What are you looking forward to as WOMAN Inc continues to grow?
I have been very inspired by the team at WOMAN Inc and in particular their culture of collaboration in program services and organizational development. Given my experience with more traditional nonprofit organizations, I find the collaborative culture key in embracing the community moving forward.
What do you enjoy most about working at WOMAN Inc?
Embracing community at many levels, from the team we work with, the community of supporters and volunteers as well as the extensive community WOMAN Inc reaches in creating a better future for all.
For the past few years, WOMAN Inc has had the honor of working with The Riley Center in order to provide a collaborative 40 hour DV training to our staff, volunteers, and community members. This time around we welcomed a new facilitation team: Jenny McKenzie from The Riley Center and Elena Strasser from WOMAN Inc stepped in to run things and support participants through this intense learning experience.
WOMAN Inc is looking forward to this newest group of volunteers supporting survivors through our Crisis Line, Latina Program, Children's Program, Outreach & Community Education, and more! Congratulations to Lindsay, Shontay, Djoke, Aiste, Colleen, Lucy, Justine, Carolina, Gabby, Mina, Jenny, Cheryl, Katya, Diana, Stephanie, Caitlin, Kabria, Kate, and Joy!!! And a special thank you to all of the amazing advocates from The Riley Center and WOMAN Inc, and partner agencies throughout the Bay Area, who help us to provide three quality trainings each year. We couldn't do this without your support!
For more information about the training and/or volunteering with WOMAN Inc, please send an email to Lily: volunteercoord@womaninc.org
In 2010, Force By Design partnered with WOMAN Inc to create the Domestic Violence Information and Referral Center (DVIRC) website. As an online interactive community network, the DVIRC provides a safe space for member Bay Area domestic violence service providers to share, network, and access updated information so that effective and appropriate resources and referrals could be offered to domestic violence survivors. Today, over thirty agencies utilize the system.
In 2012, the Blue Shield Foundation awarded WOMAN Inc a two-year grant to expand the system beyond the Bay Area. The DVIRC will soon be utilized by domestic violence service providers in Ventura County and Del Norte County. The expansion could not have happened without our partnership with Force By Design, the technical brains behind the project. For three months the team at Force By Design, led by Philip Faulconer & Keith Hardwicke, collected feedback given by users of the system and implemented changes to the website that will better facilitate the use of the website.
"We're excited to have worked on the enhancements to the DVIRC because the website serves such an important purpose. Technically, the website is a great example of using the Salesforce.com platform to quickly deliver solutions in the non-profit space. Working with the WOMAN Inc team was a pleasure and we're looking forward to the system being available for the new service providers." ~ Philip Faulconer
Thank you, Force By Design. We are very grateful for the extraordinary work and hours and hours of support your team has provided to the DVIRC project.
This month, WOMAN Inc received a check for $2,000 from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). In 2012, PG&E and 7x7 Magazine held a competition to find out who San Francisco would vote for as their favorite charity. Our agency was named Favorite Women's Empowerment Group, and we were voted as being one of San Francisco's Top Seven Charities for 2012. The money donated to our agency will be used to support our 24-hour crisis line and our Latina Program, a program providing case management services to monolingual Spanish-speaking survivors. Thank you, Pacific Gas and Electric Company for your generous gift!
Our agency is also now featured in the February issue of 7x7 Magazine. Pick up a copy today and see for yourself!
Our agency is thrilled to welcome Tania, Catherine, and Amelie (from left to right) to the WOMAN, Inc. team! These three new staff members joined our agency to provide much needed assistance in our different programs after at least one year of volunteering at WOMAN, Inc. Now Catherine helps the Latina Program providing much-needed bilingual support, from case management services for Spanish speaking survivors to the support of our Echando Pa'lante group. Amelie helps ensure that the Domestic Violence Information and Referral Center (DVIRC) is well-maintained and running smoothly for all DV advocates who access the system. And Tania keeps our core staff team on track with program reports, coordinating Crisis Line shifts for volunteers, and just as overall agency support. Catherine, Amelie, and Tania bring with them a dedication to our agency's mission, determination to support survivors, and perhaps most importantly, a great sense of humor! We're so lucky to have you all on board!
San Francisco's "Peace at Home" campaign continues. Numerous community members have reported that they have seen these signs on MUNI trains and MUNI stations. WOMAN Inc would love to know how many times you have seen these signs featuring our 24-hour crisis line number around town. If you spot one of these signs, let us know about it via Facebook and send a picture of it to socialmedia@womaninc.org.
The "Peace at Home" campaign is a year-long public awareness campaign geared towards raising awareness of domestic violence and heightening the public's knowledge about services for domestic violence survivors. Part of the campaign involves providing ads in English, Spanish, and Chinese on high-traffic MUNI and walking routes throughout San Francisco. The ads feature a diverse array of survivors and a message that reads "Domestic Violence is a crime, and no one deserves to be abused. You have options. San Francisco Responds 24 Hours A Day." Printed cards bearing the artwork and hotline numbers in multiple languages will be distributed at schools, libraries, and recreation centers as well.
Moving to End Domestic Violence Doggie Walk
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2013
Time: 12 noon--brown bag lunch, 12:30 pm--doggie walk
Location: We will meet at Dolores Park in the Mission District in San Francisco. We will be meeting by the picnic tables next to the Children's Playground.
Details: An extension of the Running to End Domestic Violence Campaign, WOMAN Inc has created a Moving to End Domestic Violence Wellness Group to continue to connect with the community, encourage healthy lifestyles, and support WOMAN Inc services. Wellness is a holistic concept that takes into account both physical and mental wellness. With this in mind, the Wellness Group will promote wellness through physical activity, eating healthy, greater connection to community, and healthier relationships. Pets are great companions, and it has been proven that they increase health and have positive effects on our well-being. Sadly, they also can be greatly affected by domestic violence. The doggie walk aims to celebrate the pets in our lives and remind us all that they too need to be taken care of when violence occurs. Make sure to check out our Facebook Doggie Walk event page to learn more details about the Moving to End Domestic Violence doggie event.
Lip Service West: Women, Writers, Reality
Location: 50 Mason Social House, 50 Mason Street, San Francisco
Details: Lip Service West is hosting its first themed event in honor of Women's History Month, bringing together the hottest names in Bay Area literature, including Lauren Becker, Hollie Hardy and many others, to highlight women writers and women's issues.
Entrance to the event is FREE and a portion of the bar and all other DONATIONS will go to support sexually exploited youth through the non-profit MISSSEY (http://www.MISSSEY.org) They have a few spots left if you want to be a part of the event. Submit a true, first-person story today: http://www.lipservicewest.com/submissions/
Since 2010, Lip Service West (www.facebook.com/LipServiceWest) has provided Bay Area writers, professional and amateur alike, with a forum to share their work, unfiltered, uninterrupted, and unapologetic. The stories are all true, and no subject is off limits. Pairing gritty, real, and raw writing with live performance, Lip Service offers audiences the rare glimpse into the personal lives of the artists. The event is produced by Joe Clifford, author of Choice Cuts, and Justine Lewis and Sarah Brett.
SFWAR Annual Walk Against Rape
Location: The Women's Building, 3543 18th Street (at Valencia), San Francisco
Details: SFWAR's 8th Annual Walk Against Rape will be held on April 27th this year and will once again raise awareness about the need to end sexual violence in our community. The walk will start at The Women's Building and will make its way through various parts of the Mission District. This walk is also a chance for participants to raise funds for SFWAR.WOMAN Inc is excited to be participating in this event for its April Moving to End Domestic Violence campaign. For more details about the walk and to register with the WOMAN Inc team, visit: http://www.sfwar.org/walk/index.html
The Vagina Monologues--A Performance to Support WOMAN Inc
Date: April 25-27 (subject to change)
Time: TBA
Location: CEMEX Auditorium, Zambrano Hall, Stanford University. 641 Knight Way, Stanford, CA 94305
Details: Stanford students present a performance benefiting WOMAN Inc. And what a performance it will be: the famous Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler! Stay tuned for more details.
Take On Urban Adventure
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2013
Location: TBA
Details: It's time to get out and really explore your city! Get together with family and friends to compete in this high stakes urban adventure. You and 1-3 partners must solve clues that lead you through the city, where challenges await. Make sure you bring money and a camera because you never know what you may need to get you to your next challenge, or out of one. The team that completes the challenges first wins the top prize of $1,000! The second place team wins $300 and third place wins $200. WOMAN Inc gets 10% of the proceeds of the event! More details about the event here: https://www.facebook.com/TakeOnYourCity/
The following in-kind gifts (new or gently used) will help WOMAN, Inc. to support survivors of domestic violence in a holistic and relevant manner:
Small rolling luggage case for laptop
Digital camera with video
Gift Cards for Walgreens, Safeway, Ross, local restaurants, etc. (For survivors and children who must flee without funds).
Motel Vouchers (for those survivors who may only need one night in a confidential location until they can find a shelter or leave town).
Muni Passes, Muni Passport or Muni single ride tickets, or BART tickets
Room/Cubicle Dividers
People willing to throw a Party With Purpose Party for WOMAN, Inc. For more details, please contact outreach@womaninc.org or leave a message at (415) 864-4777 ext 317
WOMAN Inc Facebook Followers - https://www.facebook.com/WOMANInc
To learn more about contributing to our wish list or making other types of donations, call Jill Zawisza at 415-864-4777, Ext 306.
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