2012–2013 • Impact Report
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inspiring CHANGE 2012–2013 • impact report STAND! FOR FAMILIES FREE OF VIOLENCE Main Office: 1410 Danzig Plaza, Suite 100, Concord, CA 94520 Business Line: 925.676.2845 | 24-Hour Crisis Line: 1.888.215.5555 www.standffov.org ADDITIONAL LOCatIONS 2086 Commerce Avenue, Concord, CA 94520 | 925.827.0212 3220 Blume Drive, Suite 177, Richmond, CA 94806 | 510.236.8972 315 G Street, Antioch, CA 94509 | 925.706.8477 Inspiring change: At home Inspiring change: Resilient and strong and in our community Back in 2010, when we finalized the strategic decision to merge with the Family Stress One thing that has impressed me in my time as board chair is the incredible resiliency of Center, bringing together the complex issues of domestic violence and child abuse into the human spirit and the power each individual has within them to overcome, to grow, to one comprehensive agency felt, at times, like a giant leap of faith. Since the 1970s, each believe, and to love. agency had built its own knowledge, expertise, reputation, and leadership in its field. But because of that expertise, we knew that these inter-related issues can only be solved We see it in the people we serve. Women and men who are systematically beaten down together, by treating the family as a whole. by the person they love, yet who find the resolve to rebuild their lives, stronger and more confident in themselves than ever. Children who have been traumatized by abuse, neglect, We didn’t know exactly what the new, integrated agency would look like, and we didn’t or exposure to violence in their home, yet who will just be kids again when given safety, know how the uncertainties connected with government funding and the economic and who will not repeat their parents' mistakes when given the chance to heal. People who downturn would unfold, but we committed ourselves to leading a new path in our mission to end the cycle of have abused others — who in most cases were themselves traumatized as children — accepting responsibility family violence. for choosing violence and learning how to disrupt the cycle of abuse. Today, we can look back at the past three years and see how far we have come in changing the way we work in The families and individuals behind our work inspire us to be the best organization we can be. The 10,000 order to best lead change in our Contra Costa community. This has been a time of learning, of looking in new individuals we served last year galvanized us to face proactively the changing tide of public funding for safety ways at what we know, of reflecting deeply on who we serve and how we serve them, and about the role each net services by trimming costs to preserve core, life-saving programs and seeking new sources of revenue. We member of a family plays in the dynamics of violence, abuse, and neglect. With the help of many generous restructured service delivery to make better use of trained volunteers — to answer the thousands of calls to our partners and supporters, we have navigated that uncharted territory. Today we know that we are stronger 24-hour help line, to lead our 272 support groups across the county, to provide 96 educational presentations in together. the community. Our intentional work on change in our own agency reminds us of the powerful influence family violence has on Throughout this report, you will see glimpses of the many ways in which STAND! inspires change in individuals, other critical community issues. Beyond individual families, we see how healthy relationships affect community families, and the community. We look forward to engaging more people and organizations to respond to the safety, health, education, and local economies. Those ripple effects — from home, to neighborhood, to epidemic of violence by standing together with us. community, to region — begin with the individual families we serve. Sincerely, We know that STAND! cannot address all the challenges of safety and violence in our region, but the massive need compels us to do more. Our goal is to inspire more people to end the cycle of violence with us. Our history tells us that together, we can. Laurie Wolkow Chair of the Board of Directors In partnership, Gloria J. Sandoval CEO INSPIRING CHANGE IN issue: 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. solution: 180 women and children who had nowhere else to turn found a safe haven FAMILIES at our emergency shelter. With a limited income and scarce resources, Caratina supported her husband and their two young children. She met her husband shortly after moving to the U.S. A few years into their marriage, her husband began to physically, emotionally, and financially abuse her. Isolated from relatives, afraid of deportation, challenged by language barriers, Caratina tried to make it work. One fall night, police responded to an abusive incident at Caratina’s home. They connected Caratina to STAND!’s 24-hour multilingual crisis line. She and her children were taken to a safe place for the night and then moved into our shelter the next morning. Caratina found security, comfort, and resources with help from dedicated and skilled staff at The Rollie Mullen Center, which was a safe haven for her family. She was able to communicate with her Spanish-speaking advocate and work with a STAND! domestic violence liaison who partnered with Bay Area Legal Aid to help Caratina obtain her U-Visa. Caratina and her family also participated in therapy and staff helped her secure transitional housing so that the family could begin to rebuild their lives and find stability, free from abuse. As any parent would understand, seeing your children happy and carefree is of utmost importance. Caratina credits the staff for making this possible despite all the changes that their family was going through. “The staff at STAND! have been supportive, friendly, and respectful, making it a safe place for the kids to play and for us to bond as a family.” Beneath Caratina’s soft-spoken exterior lies a truly courageous woman, a survivor of vast and unimaginable challenges and a pillar of strength for her family. The services that she found at STAND! complemented Caratina’s resolve to move forward and brought hope for a peaceful future. When they are happy it means that they are forgetting why we are at the shelter and are simply being kids again. “ -Caratina“ 1 INSPIRING CHANGE IN issues: Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to repeat the abuse as adults. Every 10 seconds a report of child abuse is made. solutions: DELTA project engages men in non-violent solutions. INDIVIDUALS 200 mothers and fathers learned non-violent parenting skills. “It was love at first sight,” says Harold Blair when talking about his instant connection to STAND!. Nearly six years ago Harold became involved with STAND!’s DELTA project, a coordinated community response to family violence that focuses on engaging men and boys in preventing violence before it happens. When DELTA mentors commit to the group, they also take on a declaration that serves as the guiding principle for their interactions in the community and in their personal lives: “I believe in treating women and girls with honor and respect. I know that violence is neither a solution nor a sign of strength. I believe that real men lead with conviction and speak out against violence against women and girls. I believe that I can be a role model to others by taking this pledge.” However, violence was the norm in Harold's childhood—Harold's father would abuse whoever his girlfriend was at the time and would also turn to abuse Harold as well. At 10 years old, Harold witnessed his father severely injure a woman by pushing her down a steep staircase. Harold knew, even at such a young age, that relationships need not be this way. He tried to escape his abusive father, but without support and access to help, he was forced to endure the violence. Harold eventually found his own way. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he become a dedicated social worker in San Francisco who met face-to-face with as many as 186 clients each week. Now retired, Harold is still as busy as ever, doing what he knows best—helping others. After joining DELTA, Harold crossed paths with James and Anthony, two young boys who, along with their mother, were being severely abused by their father. Staying true to his DELTA pledge, Harold helped the boys escape. With Harold's help the boys found a new permanent and safe home with their current foster mom, Tanya Gonzalez. Harold also continues to help them navigate the challenges of young adulthood. The DELTA group provided valuable assistance, offering advice, teaching the boys important life skills, and helping them meet financial challenges. Both Anthony and James have found healing and strength through support from their new family and from Harold, who is like a father to them. Today, Anthony has straight A’s, is on his high school wrestling team, and was offered a full scholarship to UC Berkeley. With his plans still in flux, he hopes to attend UC Santa Barbara to study robotic engineering. James joined the Marine Reserves and is now working full-time. Following Harold’s lead, James received extensive training from STAND!, became a mentor to other young men, and was the second youngest Men of Merit award recipient in its Harold was there when we needed him. seven-year history for his work in preventing violence among his peers.