Today is #GivingTuesday and we officially kick off our holiday fundraising campaign and participation in the Napa Valley CanDo's Give!Guide. We believe everyone in Napa County deserves safety and hope. Join us this holiday season and commit to ending family and intimate partner violence by making a donation.
Need another reason to give? Our board will match the first $5,000 donated via the Give!Guide! Your $1 means $2 for NEWS.
Join us this month as we explore one client’s journey with NEWS. We’ll explore the various challenges she faced and the services and support NEWS provided to get her and her family into a violence-free home. Please note: as this is a real client story, the name of the client has been changed and small details have been altered to protect the client’s privacy.
Chapter 1: Increased Stress Increases Violence
The pandemic has proven to us that additional stress can increase the risk and severity of family violence. For some, the stressors were present pre-pandemic. In late 2019, Olivia lost her family home to the wildfires, and she and her partner were forced to move with their five children – causing stress and financial hardship, exacerbating the physical abuse.
In January 2022, a climactic episode of violence prompted Olivia to seek separation and safety with her children. She attempted to protect her oldest son from her abuser by jumping between them, and subsequently endured the bulk of her partner’s wrath. As sometimes happens with domestic violence, her injuries were not yet visible, so law enforcement deemed her to be the abuser, and she was arrested due to the defensive marks he had on his body. Over the course of the next few days, her bruises began to manifest, telling the true tale of the abuse she had long endured. Eventually, charges against Olivia were dropped.
This is the first of five chapters of Olivia’s story. Join us next week to find out how Olivia found help. Commit to ending domestic violence and sexual abuse in our community by donating HERE.
If you are experiencing abuse or would just like some information, please call our help line, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We asked our Honorary Board Members Why They Are Thankful For NEWS
“NEWS plays a vital role providing support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse in our community. I am grateful for the work that NEWS does to ensure that survivors are able to recover, grow, and live healthy lives.”
~Congressman Mike Thompson, NEWS Honorary Board Member
THANKFUL FOR OUR SUPPORTERS!
The Annie and Richard Bennett Fund of the Napa Valley Community Foundation | Benevity | California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services | California Office of the Small Business Advocate | California Partnership to End Domestic Violence | City of Napa | City of Napa Police Department | Community Projects, Inc. | Drysdale Community Foundation | F&M Bank | First Dollar Foundation | Golden Rule Family Foundation | HCA Foundation | The Jule Grant Fund of the Napa Valley Community Foundation | Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Programs | The Napa Fund of the Napa Valley Community Foundation | Napa Valley’s CanDo Give!Guide | Napa County | Napa Valley Vintners | Mental Health Services Act in Napa County | M.S.
Grumbacher Foundation | Odyssey Group Foundation | Opus One | The Peter A. & Vernice H. Gasser Foundation | Pinpoint Foundation | Phelps Foundation | Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center | Redwood Credit Union | The Silverado Farming One Percent Fund of the Napa Valley Community Foundation | Soroptimist International Chapters of American Canyon, Calistoga, and St. Helena | Syar Foundation | Vollmer Family Foundation | Winiarski Foundation | Women’s Foundation California | United Way Bay Area
As we head into the holiday season, I am reminded that everyone is worthy of a safe, loving relationship, a warm home free from violence, and the empowerment to determine their own future. As we share time together, enjoy meals around the holiday table, and start to participate in the joy of giving, my thoughts turn to how grateful I am to be a small part of NEWS. The staff and volunteers are there during the darkest times of crisis for families undergoing the unthinkable. NEWS helps during this incredibly difficult time and beyond the initial
crisis. I am also grateful for the generous donors who support this important work. Without you, NEWS wouldn’t be able to provide the high-quality care that our clients need. I hope that someday that the services that NEWS provides would no longer be needed, that families can have healthy loving relationships, and that women and men no longer fear sexual violence. Until then, I am grateful that the residents of Napa County can turn to NEWS when the unthinkable happens.
