peace on earth & at home

empowerhouse makes a positive difference By nancy kelly

As 2022 winds down, we look forward to 2023, a New Year full of hope, promise and wishes for a peaceful new start.

For many survivors of domestic violence and their children, a peaceful existence feels unattainable. At Empowerhouse, we empower survivors of domestic violence and their children to believe in themselves and build new lives filled with dignity, respect, safety, and hope. We give victims the time, space, and tools to heal their hearts, restore their connections, rebuild their lives, and renew their spirits. Every year, Empowerhouse's team works with thousands of courageous women, men and children who are longing for safety, support, and peace in their lives. In fiscal year 2022, we helped over 3,700 people in Fredericksburg City and Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties. We are grateful to you, our incredible community, who enable us to continue our compassionate, life-changing mission to offer much-needed shelter and vital resources to survivors and children healing from abuse. You help us fulfill our vision to create a diverse network of community members working together to promote safe relationships, homes, and communities. This summer, when Empowerhouse's Shelter was struck by lightning, which caused a fire, our community stepped up to support us as we cared for survivors and their children in alternate shelter and rebuilt our damaged Shelter. The Shelter provides a safe place to move forward to a better, more peaceful life. As we look to 2023, we reflect upon Empowerhouse's achievements during the past year: We responded to 2,012 confidential

Hotline calls, an ongoing 32% increase over pre-pandemic times. We enabled 39 adults and 69 children in our housing program to transition to a more stable environment. We shared our prevention education materials and information at 183 community events. We served over 260 people in our Shelter, over half of whom were children. We delivered our free, age-appropriate

Healthy Relationships

C l a s s r o o m

Presentations to over 3,400 area elementary, middle, and high school students, which covered topics like bullying, boundaries, equality and respect, and effective communication. In short, we made a positive difference to survivors and their children, and shared important prevention resources with our community to help break the cycle of violence. As we enter 2023 with a sense of excitement and promise, one way you can help end domestic violence is to join Empowerhouse for our fun, annual Empty Bowl event on Saturday, January 28th at Liberty Town Arts Workshop. Every attendee receives a fabulous handmade bowl from a local artist and a treat bag. All proceeds support survivors of domestic violence. Please go to empowerhouseva.org for more details. Thank you! May you and your family have the happiest of holidays and a joyful and peaceful New Year! If you, or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call Empowerhouse's free, confidential 24hour Hotline at (540) 373-9373.

Nancy Kelly is the Development Director of Empowerhouse.