N-0 Housing Priority Status Legislation Proposed to NYCHA

New York, NY - December 15, 2014

The Center Against Domestic Violence joined fellow domestic violence supporters on the steps of city hall on December 15, 2014 to show support for Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda’s announcement of the new proposed legislation to grant equal housing priority for victims of domestic violence. The new legislation will require N-0 equal housing priority for women residing in HRA domestic violence shelters.

It currently stands, that victims of domestic violence and intimidated witnesses do not have the same priority status as other homeless. Although there is a housing priority for victims of domestic violence and intimidated witnesses, it is not as high a priority as that given to homeless families. Even though families residing in domestic violence shelters are homeless, they are not eligible for the same homeless priority housing.

That is why Senator Klein is proposing to introduce this legislation to grant homeless domestic violence victims same equal housing preference as other homeless. As Senator Klein stated, “Domestic violence victims are being discriminated against within the homeless shelter program. The fact that they aren't given the same preference - is ridiculous.” This will ease the transition for victims from domestic violence shelters, to regular housing. It will also help prevent victims from returning to their batterer, for fear of being completely homeless.

Judith Kahan, CEO of the Center Against Domestic Violence and founding co-chair of New York City’s Coalition of Domestic Violence Residential Service Providers, “wants NYCHA to open their doors to all battered women with the same housing preference as other homeless people. We urge the legislature to pass Sen. Klein’s bill.”

35 years ago, the Center Against Domestic Violence was the first organization to work with NYCHA on making battered women a priority for public housing. It was of vital importance that women affected by domestic violence were granted equal access to housing from NYCHA once they leave the shelter. We have continued to fight for equal preference housing over these past 35 years; however, equal access priority has changed face within legislation throughout the years.

Read alternative media coverage Here >>

The bill will be introduced in January. Please check back later for further information.

Bronxnet Interview with RAPP Coordinator Debra Hayes

Watch Saint Catherine Academy student interview CADV Relationship Abuse Prevention Program coordinator, Debra Hayes, on what an abusive relationship is and what to do if you are in one.

Debra has been working in the field of preventative violence for 12 years. She currently works with students as a RAPP coordinator, helping teens prevent and end violence.

Watch HERE>>

Giving Tuesday 2014

#GivingTuesday is almost here! Tomorrow, on Tuesday December 2nd, the Center Against Domestic Violence will be participating in Giving Tuesday. Please show support on this generous day! The holidays can be are a hard time, but it is always difficult for families dealing with the trauma of domestic violence and the hardship of starting a new life. Please donate funds for gift cards so parents we shelter can purchase holiday presents for their children.   We're asking you to help ease the financial burden of buying gifts so that survivors of domestic violence can celebrate this December!

Visions & Voices, Off Broadway - This Weekend!

The Caring Committee of EILEEN FISHER presents a benefit to raise funds for the Center Against Domestic Violence and AutismSpeaks.org: 

Purchase Tickets.

All proceeds benefit the Center Against Domestic Violence and AutismSpeaks.org.

Visions & Voices, Off Broadway

November 1st, 2014

Irvington Town Hall Theatre 

85 Main St., Irvington, NY

Thank you for your support!

Becky's Marathon Blog: Twenty Six . Two

If you've been following our marathon team hashtag #RunForCADVNY on Twitter, you may have seen blog posts from our runner Becky. Becky's blog, "Twenty Six . Two," is her "step by step account of a non-runner's marathon training."

We love reading it and we hope you will too!

You can find Becky's marathon blog HERE.

Tickets Still Available - Join Us!

We still have a few tickets left for our breakfast on October 23rd.

The panel will address domestic violence and how the Center and others utilize the arts to help survivors heal.

Please join us to learn about domestic violence so you can help raise awarness about this critical issue that affects one out of four women.

Click Here to purchase tickets. 

Click Here to learn more about the breakfast.

Click Here to read more about our panelists.

The ticket includes a buffet breakfast and general seating access to the panel discussion. All proceeds from ticket sales support the Center's life saving work. We hope to see you there - get your ticket today!

Challenge Ends Tomorrow - We Need You Now

The Purple Purse Challenge ends before noon on Friday, October 3rd! Please give what you can before the deadline by clicking Here.

We are proud to have been selected by Allstate to participate in this fundraising challenge. All funds raised support our life saving services, including our financial empowerment education. Financial abuse happens in 98% of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to keep a victim trapped. 

By supporting the Center, you help domestic violence survivors and their children rebuild their lives.

The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge is a fundraising campaign to end domestic violence. Allstate will donate $500,000 to ignite public awareness and fundraising for charities benefiting domestic violence survivors. The amount of money we raise determines how much we receive from Allstate.

Thank you for your support! Together we can end domestic violence in our communities.

Donate now.

Help Raise Awareness for Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One out of four women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime, making it an issue we desperately need to talk about and work to end. 

Our October Breakfast, Transforming Lives Through the Arts, will address domestic violence and how the Center and others utilize the arts to help survivors heal. 

Please join us on October 23rd to learn about domestic violence and help us educate others. 

We hope to see you there. 

Click Here to learn more about the breakfast.

Click Here to read more about our panelists. 

Click Here to purchase tickets.

We're Halfway There!

Congratulations to our 2014 TCS NYC Marathon team for collectively raising over 50% of the team fundraising goal! They have 5 weeks left to raise the remaining 50% -- let's get to work!

October Breakfast Artist: Jovan Martinez

We are honored to have Jovan Martinez speak and perform at our October Breakfast! Jovan is a poet and former Relationship Abuse Prevention Program peer leader. Jovan won the 2012 Rap 4 RAPP contest to raise awareness about our Teen RAPP program.

Come see Jovan at Transforming Lives Through the Arts!

In the meantime, watch her winning Rap 4 RAPP:

Remembering Why We Run

On November 2nd, the CADV Marathon team will run a combined 131 miles in the TCS NYC Marathon. For our team, this is more than just a race -- each runner has committed to fundraise $3,000 for the Center's Relationships Are Elementary program.

Learn more about the team and support them here.

We'd like to stop and reflect on why our runners have spent these past months working so hard. While training to complete 26.2 miles next Sunday, our runners simultaneously raised funds to support the Center's Relationships Are Elementary program.

RAE arms third, fourth, and fifth graders with the tools they need to avoid becoming victims or perpetrators of teen relationship abuse and bullying.  The earlier we reach students, from both violent and non-violent homes, the better chance we have for laying the groundwork for healthy relationships.

We run because we believe that youth-based prevention programs are the solution to stop domestic violence in the future. We hope you'll support our marathon runners in solidarity with that belief. 

October Breakfast Artist & Panelist: Ewa Grochowska

We're very grateful to have Ewa Grochowska participating in our October breakfast! Ewa will be featured on our panel and her pottery will also be on display.

A potter, sculptor, and domestic violence awareness activist, Ewa is committed to helping others achieve a life free from abuse. Her organization, Freedom4Ewa, donates time and supplies to children living in domestic violence shelters. Proceeds from her pottery support these endeavors.

Ewa says,

"Creating art allows children to express their emotions in a positive way. It gives them control of something in their life, and it gives them something to be proud of." 

Come learn about Ewa's work and see her beauitful pieces at Transforming Lives Through the Arts!

Click here to learn more about Ewa. 

October Breakfast Artist: Sue Rock Originals

We're thrilled to have Sue Rock Originals at our October Breakfast! Sue Rock Originals will display textile arts and photos of Center participants.

Sue Rock Originals provides sewing and textile arts workshops for the survivors in the Center's Spanish Speaking Support Group. Sue explains,

"Women come to our textile arts studio and learn to sew, knit, embroider, crochet, and create their own clothing. The women obtain wonderful skills, but more importantly, a sense of hope."

Come see Sue Rock Originals' textile arts at Transforming Lives Through the Arts!

Read more about Sue Rock Originals here.

Last Chance for Early Bird Tickets - October Breakfsat

We have a limited number of Early Bird Tickets available through this Tuesday, September 23rd. 

The ticket includes a buffet breakfast and general seating access to the panel discussion. All proceeds from ticket sales support the Center's life saving work. We hope to see you there - get your ticket today!

Click Here to purchase tickets. 

Click Here to learn more about the breakfast.

Back to School with Backpacks from Saving Angels

Fall is here, and the children living in our shelters are heading back to school. The families fleeing violent homes arrive at our shelters with next to nothing; most children lack backpacks and basic school supplies. 

We are deeply grateful for Jennifer Lee and Saving Angels for donating backpacks (filled with school supplies!) to the children living at our shelters. Thank you, Jennifer, for ensuring these children are ready for school! 

Purple Purse Challenge Update

Thank you for your generosity and enthusiasm over these first few weeks of the Purple Purse challenge!

We've already raised a few thousand dollars to support our life saving services. The Center operates three full-service shelters for survivors and their children, provides survivor advocacy and outreach to the greater NYC community, and develops and runs groundbreaking anti-dating violence and anti-bullying education programs for NYC elementary through high school students.

Every donation makes a difference, no matter how small. 

The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge is a fundraising campaign to end domestic violence. Allstate will donate $500,000 to ignite public awareness and fundraising for charities benefiting domestic violence survivors. The amount of money we raise determines how much we receive from Allstate.

To help now, please Click Here and give whatever you can. 

If you want to go one step further, Go Here and click 'Fundraise for This Campaign.' In seconds, you'll have your own fundraiser that you can share with all of your family and friends so that you can raise money for our cause too. 

Healing Domestic Violence Through the Arts

In July, Women’s Second Start shelter staff performed a domestic violence awareness recital for residents from all three of our shelters. Shelter Director Earla Lloyd, LCSW, uses creative movement performances by staff to help domestic violence survivors understand, discuss, and heal from their experiences.

The recital is one way that Lloyd uses creative movement to help residents heal. Lloyd will discuss this staff performance, as well as weekly group therapy movement sessions, at the Center’s October Breakfast, Transforming Lives Through the Arts. We invite you to join us on Thursday, October 23^rd for breakfast and a panel discussion about domestic violence and the healing power of art.

The video “La Bella y La Bestia” (Beauty and the Beast) and songs like Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love” and Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter” were used to tell a story, demonstrating the realities of domestic violence from the beginning of an abusive relationship through the survivor’s empowerment.  This event demonstrated that violence occurs in all cultures, and that children are victims too.   

As the movement pieces showed the emergence of the empowered survivor, the audience’s mood changed.  Teary eyes were dried and the shelter residents began to cheer on the performers; the residents recognized their own transformation from victims to survivors in the dancers’ journey. The recital ended with the audience joining staff on stage in celebration of freedom from abuse.

Click here for more information about the October Breakfast.

Why Survivors Remain in Abusive Relationships

One of the most frustrating and disheartening aspects of the Ray Rice domestic violence situation is the media and individuals on social media asking Janay Rice, "Why don't you just leave?" Unfortunately, this type of questioning and blaming domestic violence survivors happens all the time.

Below are some reasons why survivors remain in abusive relationships. Usually there is not one specific reason, but a combination. Reasons often include:

·        Fear that leaving will precipitate even more violent incidents of abuse directed toward themselves or their children;

·        Emotional dependency on the relationship, accompanied by feelings of low self-esteem and self-blame;

·        Lack of financial resources and employment income necessary to establish and maintain an independent household;

·        Concern about the effects of separation or divorce on the children (i.e., a “broken” home will jeopardize the children’s future);

·        Concern about the loss of economic security and benefits, such as retirement income and health insurance;

·        Feelings of love toward the abusive partner, coupled with the hopes that the relationship will improve and the violence will cease;

·        Denial of the potential for severe abuse, rationalizations and excuses for the abuser’s behavior, as well as the inability to assess accurately the risk of the situation.

(Adapted from C.K. Ragan).

Statement from CEO Judy Kahan on the Ray Rice Domestic Violence Situation

It’s been impossible to avoid the Ray Rice domestic violence story.  My deepest sympathy goes out to Janay Rice and all people affected by domestic abuse.

One out of four women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime, making it an issue we desperately need to talk about and work to end. I am grateful for the awareness such a story brings to the issue of domestic violence.

It is the Center Against Domestic Violence’s mission to end domestic violence in our communities. In the midst  of the spotlight the Ray Rice case shines on domestic violence, I want to highlight and remind you of one of the Center’s core beliefs: abuse is a learned behavior and, with education, all people can lead lives filled with healthy, meaningful relationships. This is why we field so many prevention and education programs.

Our Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP) reaches 27,000 intermediate and high school students on 15 NYC public school campuses. Through workshops, individual and group counseling, and peer leadership training, RAPP works to stop teen dating violence now and prevent domestic violence in the future. The Center pilots Relationships Are Elementary, a healthy relationship education program for elementary school children. Focusing our efforts on younger children creates a better opportunity to break the cycle of violence. The earlier we reach students, from both violent and non violent homes, the better chance we have for laying the ground work for healthy relationships.

Let us concentrate on what we can do to prevent and stop domestic violence in the future. Everyone deserves a safe, violence-free life.  

Meet the Panelists of Transforming Lives Through the Arts

On Thursday, October 23rd, the Center will host its annual Domestic Violence Awareness breakfast. We're excited to welcome a diverse group of panelists who will discuss art's healing power for domestic violence survivors. Here's an introduction to our expert and inspiring panelists:

• Marcella Goheen wrote and starred in The Maria Project, an acclaimed, one woman, Off-Broadway play that tells the story of Maria Salazar, Goheen’s grandmother who was murdered by her grandfather. Ms. Goheen has since founded the Brooklyn-based Maria Project, whose mission is to dispel the myth, create awareness, and alleviate the shame around domestic violence and sexual assault. The Maria Project’s “Maria’s Voice Featuring Savion Glover” will begin its North America tour in October 2014.
   
• Ewa Grochowska is a potter/sculptor and domestic violence awareness activist, helping other survivors along their journey to build a life free from abuse. To accomplish this, she donates her time and supplies to provide art programs to children living in domestic violence shelters.
   
• Rachel Hass is a Licensed Social Worker and Play Group Therapist at Bank Street College of Education for the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice, where she facilitates trauma-based interventions for children, teachers and families in early childhood centers throughout the city. Hass previously facilitated the Art Enrichment Program at the Center Against Domestic Violence.
   
• Earla Lloyd, LCSW, is Director at the Center’s Women’s Second Start shelter. Lloyd developed the shelter’s ExpressIt and Creative Movement program to help her residents heal from domestic violence and other traumas. The program has two components: ExpressIt movement pieces performed for shelter residents by staff and Creative Movement expressive sessions for shelter residents. Lloyd believes that movement is a key communication tool and a catalyst for healing.
   
• Terri Muuss (moderator)  is an actor, director, teacher, motivational speaker, life coach and social worker who specializes in the use of the arts as a healing mechanism for trauma survivors. She teaches a course at Rutgers University to social workers entitled Youth Development Through the Written Arts and her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Her poetic memoir Over Exposed (JB Stillwater, 2013) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and her one-woman show Anatomy of a Doll  was named the “Best Theatre: Critics’ Pick of the Week” by the New York Daily News and has been performed throughout the US and Canada since 1998. www.terrimuuss.com

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to the breakfast.


We hope to see you there!

We're Out to Get $100,000 to End Domestic Violence

Announcing CADV's Participation in Allstate's Purple Purse Challenge

We're super excited to let you know that we're part of The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge, a fundraising campaign to end domestic violence. 

Allstate will donate $500,000 to ignite public awareness and fundraising for charities benefiting domestic violence survivors. The charity that raises the most throughout the Challenge will get a $100,000 donation; second place gets $75,000; third $50,000; fourth $25,000; and 5th-10th $10,000 each. We're out to raise as much money as possible for our cause so we can win the $100,000 grand prize donation. 

We definitely need your help. We'll send emails throughout the Challenge, asking for you to give. Every donation makes a difference, no matter how small. 

To help now, please Click Here and give whatever you can. 

If you want to go one step further, Go Here and click 'Fundraise for This Campaign.' In seconds, you'll have your own fundraiser that you can share with all of your family and friends so that you can raise money for our cause too. 

Please email CrowdRise at PurplePurse@CrowdRise.com if you have any questions at all and they'll help solve everything.

Thanks so much for your support.  

Throwback Thursday: Save RAPP Rally 2013

CADV's Teen Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP) has been helping teens for over 13 years. In 2013, for the fourth year in a row, Mayor Bloomberg has proposed cutting all funding for RAPP—one of the nation’s most successful school-based domestic violence prevention and anti-bullying programs. RAPP students and supporters showed their solidarity with the program in a rally outside City Hall.

See more photos from this and other RAPP rallies at our Facebook page.

CADV staff are excited to join RAPP students in front of City Hall.

 

 

"Young people are responsible for all change. I came out [of my office] because I heard you -- thank you for disrupting the City Council." - Councilmember Letitia James

RAPP peer leadership program graduate Denisha explains how RAPP opened doors for her. 96% of RAPP peer leaders go on to college.

Tickets Now On Sale

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are available through September 23rd.

Click here to purchase tickets, 10 seat tables, or become a sponsor. 

Learn more about our event and panelists.

We hope to see you there!

Save the Date - More Info to Come!

Throwback Thursday: Herstory Quilt Celebration

Center Against Domestic Violence and Sue Rock Originals teamed up to mark Women in History month at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

The quilts were created by volunteers at Sue Rock Originals Brooklyn studio on the third annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. At this Brooklyn event, 100 volunteers created quilts and afghans to present to women in Center Against Domestic Violence’s historic Brooklyn shelters.

See more photos of the event on our Facebook page.

Throwback Thursday: Denim Day 2011

Students from the Relationship Abuse Prevention Program participated in Denim Day 2011. Denim Day, which is observed annually on a Wednesday in April, was inspired by an Italian Supreme Court ruling that overturned a rape conviction based on the fact that the rape victim was wearing tight jeans. The justices felt that the victim must have helped her rapist remove the jeans, thereby implying consent. The day after this ruling, women in the Italian Parliament came to work clad in jeans in solidarity with the victim. Ever since, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a visual symbol of protest against destructive misconceptions around sexual assault.

See more photos of Denim Day 2011 (and other annual Denim Days) on our Facebook page.

 

Happy First Day of Marathon Training

Our marathon team started official training today! We wish all of our runners an easy and rewarding training journey.

Team member Andrea shared this beautiful picture from her run this morning:

See more from the team by following our #RunforCADVNY hashtag on Twitter!

Throwback Thursday: Stop Street Harassment Rally 2013

In April 2013, RAPP students joined Councilmember Julissa Ferreras and a large number of community activists, elected officials, and organizations for the annual Rally Against Street Harassment in honor of International Anti-Street Harassment Week. Organized by Hollaback!, an organization that was created to end street harassment, the rally drew more than 200 participants who raised awareness on what street harassment is, who it affects and how to fight it. It was a great afternoon and we are proud to stand up for this important cause!

 See more photos on our Facebook page.

Throwback Thursday: RAPP Field Day

RAPP Peer Leaders from our Manhattan high schools got together for a picnic and field day. They got to know students from different schools, participated in team building activities, and celebrated the end of the school year. Visit saveteenrapp.org for more information about the groundbreaking Relationship Abuse Prevention Program, and find more photos of this event on our Facebook page.

 

Introducing Our #RunForCADVNY Marathon Team

We're so proud to have five strong, dedicated women fundraising for us and representing us during the TCS NYC marathon in November. Meet there here!

You can follow our fundraising and training efforts at our Twitter Hashtag #RunForCADVNY! We'll be posting pictures and status updates of our journey to collectively raise $15,000 and complete 131 miles.

4 months to go!

Throwback Thursday: Save RAPP Rally 2010

Supporters of the Center's Relationship Abuse Prevention Program, which partners with NYC high schools to provide counseling, education, and outreach on abusive relationships, rallied outside City Hall to protest the possibility of RAPP being cut from the NYC budget.

See more photos on our Facebook page.

Amazon Smile: You Shop, Amazon Gives

We're thrilled to announce the newest way to support CADV: shopping with Amazon Smile!


With Amazon Smile, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to CADV. The shopping experience, prices, and products are exactly the same - you just have a new excuse to shop on Amazon :)


To get started, click here and sign into your Amazon account or create an account. Search for "Center Against Domestic Violence" in the box on the right and select us as your charity.


Every time you shop, you are contributing to ending violence.


Please spread the word! Thank you so much for your unwavering support.

From CEO Judy Kahan, on violence against women and the Santa Barbara killings

All our sympathy goes out to the families and loved ones of the victims killed senselessly in Santa Barbara this past weekend.

I have been searching my heart to find words to make sense of these killings. In his own words, Elliott Rogers – the killer - describes how seeing men, minority men especially, with white women made him mad. His hate speech was so frequent and virulent that he was known to groups that track hate speech, like the Southern Poverty Law Center. Rogers’ mother reported him as a risk to himself and society four weeks before the killings. UC Santa Barbara has such a history of crimes against women that young women rarely walk around campus alone.

There are issues of misogyny, mental illness, weapons ownership, a culture of violence, #YesAllWomen, male privilege - all mixed up in one hate filled life – the life of a man who saw the deaths of others as just retribution for being unpopular.

To make this crime an issue of the killer’s mental health does not help unless we are willing to tackle the difficult issue of mental health care in America. To hinge our actions on gun control may feel good, but half of the killer’s victims were killed with a knife, and although more than half our citizens favor stronger gun control, our elected officials don’t enact effective gun control legislation.  Taking on the culture’s views about women and violence? That is a large part of the Center Against Domestic Violence’s charge.

The Center Against Domestic Violence was founded on the principle that a woman – a person – should feel as safe in her home as she felt on the street. Our founders worked for legislation that made domestic violence and marital rape crimes in New York State and New York City. In recent times, we raised our institutional voice to support the Violence Against Women Act’s reinstatement, including its hate crime provisions.  

The Center believes that everyone has the right to a life free of violence; that domestic violence victims can transform their lives and become survivors; that violence is a learned behavior, and with education, all people can lead lives filled with healthy, meaningful relationships; and, finally, that the key to ending violence is to begin prevention programs at a young age. Our programs are based on these key beliefs and work together to accomplish our mission, ending domestic violence in our communities.

These programs, especially the school-based Relationship Abuse Prevention Program and Relationships Are Elementary, teach about healthy relationships by teaching about the worth and complexity of human beings. In an elementary school stopping fourth grade bullying, a high school organizing teens to end teen dating abuse, or a shelter giving a battered woman the tools to head her family, the Center affirms each human’s right to a life free of violence.

-Judith Kahan

CEO, Center Against Domestic Violence

College Sexual Assault Rally

On Monday, May 12, the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault joined NYC Public Advocate Hon. Letitia James for a press conference, which addressed the mishandling of sexual assault cases at 55 colleges and universities nationwide. Citizens and officials, including CADV CEO Judith Kahan, supported James as she called for a few important changes:

- The NYPD must establish a department liaison to higher education campuses within NYC to improve response to sexual assault.

- All colleges and universities must report the number and nature of sexual assaults on their campus each month.

- All colleges and universities must work with a local rape crisis center to ensure that victims have access to care and resources.

Mary Haviland, Executive director of the Alliance Against Sexual Assault, stated before the rally:

"I am heartened to see more attention and resources go to this issue. I applaud the Public Advocate for taking this issue seriously and calling for concrete improvements in assistance for students who suffer sexual violence."

See more photos of the sexual assault rally, as well as of other events, on our Facebook page.

Public Advocate Letitia James

Rally supporters holding signs

CADV CEO Judith Kahan

Mary Haviland, Executive Director of NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault

Why We Ride: Relationships Are Elementary

On May 4th, the CADV Bike Tour team will ride a combined 400 miles through all 5 boroughs in the  TD Five Boro Bike Tour. For our team, this is more than just a bike tour -- each biker has committed to fundraise $1,000 for the Center's Relationships Are Elementary program.

Learn More about the team and support our bikers!

The Center believes that youth-based prevention programs are the solution to stop domestic violence in the future. Focusing our efforts on young children creates a better opportunity to break the cycle of violence.

The bike team is specifically fundraising for our Relationships are Elementary  program. RAE arms third, fourth, and fifth graders with the tools they need to avoid becoming victims or perpetrators of teen relationship abuse and bullying.  The earlier we reach students, from both violent and non-violent homes, the better chance we have for laying the groundwork for healthy relationships.




Thank you to our bikers, who each committed 40 miles and $1,000 to support this program!

Support our bikers and our programs here. 

Why We Run: Spanish Speaking Support Group

On March 16th, the CADV Half Marathon team will run a combined 65.5 miles through Manhattan in the  NYC Half. For our team, this is more than just a race -- each runner has committed to fundraise $1,500 for the Center's Survivor Advocacy and Community Based services.




Learn More about the team and support our runners!




Part of the funds raised will benefit the Center's Spanish Speaking Support Group, which serves Spanish speaking survivors of domestic violence. The women are in all different stages of rebuilding their lives: some used to live in one of our shelters, some are still living with a batterer, some are living on their own without having ever been to emergency shelter.




Most new participants are invited by a friend or acquaintance who attends or has attended the group. The group grows organically in the community through word of mouth recruitment by fellow survivors.




The two case managers who run the group encourage the women to integrate into their communities and to learn to independently negotiate their environments. At each meeting, the case managers run a workshop to teach skills that will empower the survivors to live independently and healthily. Workshop topics include budgeting, safety planning, safe housing, parenting skills, and women's health. There are also workshops on yoga, self case, and clothing design, to build self esteem and encourage emotional healing. Because many attendees are immigrants, the group covers topics pertaining specifically to immigrants, such as how to obtain a U Visa.




Many of the group members utilize the Center's other services. (These services, which include 1-on-1 counseling, safety planning, and referrals, are also supported by the Half Marathon team!) This holistic approach helps survivors become safe and independent.




The communal aspect of the support group is its most important feature. Some research indicates that the most useful tool for victims of domestic violence is the support group. The group experience allows individuals to see how the same patterns of power and control take place in all abusive relationships. This knowledge helps them to understand the dynamics of their abusive relationship more clearly. The group also reduces feelings of isolation and allows participants to develop supportive relationships with each other. Friendship building is encouraged at teach meeting.


We care deeply about this program and are so grateful to our runners for committing to help provide a space for survivor empowerment.

Support our runners and the Spanish Speaking Support Group here.