Purple Ribbon Award

Theresa’s Fund

Carol Graff

1442 Devoe Drive

Beavercreek, OH 45434-6717

February 25, 2023

To Whom it may concern,

I was honored to be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County when the construction of the first disclosed Shelter of Battered Women was completed. The center is closed in with a security fence and has a police substation on site. Debbie Matheson was in charge of the day to day operations of the center. Debbie was instrumental in insuring that the FVPC was and is a model of servicing domestic violence in a holistic manner.

I have observed Debbie Matheson expand and develop programs for both in-house clients and outpatients. I have seen how her concern in preventing domestic violence by implementing a program for high schools instructing youngsters about healthy relationships.

Debbie Matheson is an outstanding example of a public servant and is worthy of recognition for her many years of service impacting Greene County Ohio.

Sincerely,

Carol Graff Board Member Emeritus

February 27, 2023

Re: Letter of Recommendation for Debbie Matheson, Greene County, Ohio

It is my personal honor to recommend Ms. Debbie Matheson as the Domestic Violence Executive of the year by your organization. Debbie has devoted her entire life to transforming lives, one person at a time.

I joined my first non-profit Board in 2014 and Debbie Matheson was one of the main reasons I agreed to serve. While her leadership style has always been somewhat “understated”, I knew she was there for all of the right reasons and Debbie was following her life’s passion to serve those in need. However, that life’s work, which continues today, almost came to an abrupt end as I was transitioning into the Board role of President in 2016. Upon learning of her dear mother’s terminal diagnosis, Debbie submitted her “resignation” to me over the phone as she wanted to become her mother’s primary caregiver 24/7. It was certainly a very difficult choice that Debbie thought she had to make due to her devotion to both family and her work. With very little debate, the Board moved quickly to do some “responsibility shuffling” that would allow Debbie to focus on her family for those six-eight months while maintaining connected to the Center and its work. The community is forever grateful that Debbie did not resign her role and that she returned with an even stronger commitment to growing the Center’s services in order to meet the demand.

Thanks in advance for your review and favorable consideration of recognizing Debbie Matheson for her many years of excellent leadership!

Best regards,

Eileen F. Austria President, EFA Solutions, LLC

FVPC Board Member (2014-2017)

FVPC Board President (2016-2017)

February 24, 2023

I wish to whole heartedly endorse Debbie Mathison for the “Program/Shelter Executive of the Year” for 2023.

Ms. Mathison has been with the Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County, OH for her entire professional career. She started as a volunteer while in college and has grown with FVPC over the years. She knows, and likely at one point performed, every aspect of the operation and is deeply devoted to the Mission of addressing domestic violence in our society.

I first encountered Debbie when I joined the Board about 2008 and was immediately struck by her composed, professional demeanor and competence in the obviously emotionally stressful position. At that time she had been with the organization nearly 20-years and was in a deputy director role, while also carrying a counselling case load.

During the time I served as Board President [2009-2012], the organization encountered a ‘fiscal crisis’. The Director had proposed an annual budget, which the Board adopted at the end of the prior year; however, by spring I discovered that the Director had, without my knowledge, drawn down the entire ‘strategic reserve’ held at the local Community Foundation to meet payroll. Obviously, outflow was exceeding income and the organization was on the brink of insolvency.

The budget the Director had proposed was the classic ‘hockey-stick’, wherein she was gambling on successful fundraising in the final months of the year to break even. I began spending time on-site and soon became concerned about the capability of the Director. She had been hired from outside the ‘non-profit sector’; consequently, was not conversant with fundraising, operations management or, obviously, financial management. She also lacked clinical qualifications; moreover, she did not have the confidence of the staff.

The Board determined the organization needed new leadership. Fortunately, following an abbreviated search process, we found an excellent successor in Debbie. She was intimately familiar with all aspects of the operation, had the respect of the staff, and was an accomplished grant writer & manager. While Board engaged in an emergency ‘capital campaign’ to stabilize the situation, she soon had the ship on an even keel and solid footing by making tough operational changes and extraordinary personal effort, all the while maintaining her counselling load and, also, pursuing an additional degree and certification thus qualifying the organization for additional reimbursements.

She is fiscally conservative by nature and disciplined in her ‘work-to-grant’ personnel management practice; over the years, under her leadership, the organization has a accrued a healthy strategic reserve and is currently venturing cautiously in expanding its operation. Most recently the organization has assumed responsibility for the county’s rape crisis counselling function. The entire tenor of the organization changed in the past decade, all due to Debbie Mathison’s leadership. She has earned credibility and respect across the community, thereby, enhancing the awareness of domestic violence and support for FVPC from various public and private entities, as well as, the general public. Debbie Mathison personifies domestic violence prevention services in Greene County. It has been my privilege to observe her professional growth and success over the years.

Sincerely,

Jerome P. Sutton

February 26, 2023

Purple Ribbon Award Committee

Dear Evaluation Committee,

Debbie Matheson is the Executive Director of the Family Violence Prevention Center located in Greene County Ohio (Center). The Center is a full service organization providing comprehensive holistic services to victims of domestic violence. It is with pleasure that I support her nomination as the recipient of the Purple Ribbon Program/Shelter Executive of the Year conferred by Theresa's Fund. In fact, reading the purpose of the fund sounds like a program created for someone exactly like Ms. Matheson. As a Board of Trustees member for the past ten years, my association with Debbie has shown her efforts to fit perfectly into the kind of work that Theresa’s Fund wishes to highlight and honor.

As the newly appointed Executive Director ten years ago, she faced an organization that needed exceptional efforts to get the Center back up and running after several serious organizational needs became apparent – funding, organizational staffing, facilities issues, and Board of Trustees reconfiguration just for starters! As a current employee there, she was well aware of the needs and shortcomings and went to work immediately to take on unbelievable challenges and constraints to build the current organization.

Due to Debbie’s efforts, the Center is now recognized by the staff, the Board of Trustees, Center residents, clients, supporters, community leaders and functionaries, donors and volunteers, as a well-run organization, a refuge, and the place to go for professional help and support for victims of domestic violence and those affected by it. Under her leadership, the Staff and Board are clear in their mission and have facilitated her efforts and ideas to continue not only the already active programs, but also to incorporate several new programs to address future domestic violence in Greene County such as Domestic Violence Intervention Programs for batterers, Healthy Couples educational classes and Workplace Violence training. In 2006, the agency became certified by the Council on Accreditation and the Certified Rape Crisis Center for Greene County in 2019 both prestigious accomplishments.

The past two years Ms. Matheson’s outstanding character and talents have been additionally challenged by the COVID pandemic which caused the same issues to the Center as to other organizations – funding shortfalls due to inability to conduct in-person and annual fundraisers, staffing shortages, an increase in domestic violence and the resultant additional residents in the Center, and the extra vigilance needed during this time to manage the health of the staff and residents. To address these issues, Debbie applied her usual competent and effective methods to overcome adversity, yet again. She met with the Staff and the Board of Trustees for ideas. As a result, the Center developed fundraising techniques and possible new sources to make up for the short fall. Debbie expanded intern programs to help with staff shortages, and she reviewed all professional and medical guidance and implemented those special procedures. Fortunately, the supporters came through with a simple ask for funding, a clear indication of how the Center is viewed in the community.

I mentioned that the Center is a Certified Rape Crisis Center. Ms Matheson again looking into the future recognized the potential and approached the Greene County Commission to see if it would help the Center address this growing need for Rape Crisis Intervention and Support. Debbie understood the huge

S. Morgann

(937) 903-4801 undertaking this kind of effort would take. Her understanding of the needs of the community to be satisfied, she proceeded to garner help from the Board of Trustees and countless community partners both city and county officials and professionals such as builders, real estate people etc. She also recommended that the facility be at an entirely different location from the Center for the benefit of the Center’s future clients surviving this growing problem. Her untiring efforts to work all of these issues and months of planning and negotiations resulted in the County Commission approving over $1million from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to enable the Center to build or buy a new facility to make this happen.

All of these accomplishments wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if you had not observed her personal dedication. She does all of these things for the survivors of domestic violence. Not for her own personal gain or notice. Her motives are totally true, authentic and unpretentious. I saw what she took on in the beginning when it seemed insurmountable – and for the following years I’ve seen her address the most difficult situations with energy, honesty and grace. She is undoubtedly deserving of this award. I humbly ask that she be seriously considered.

Sincerely,

Rebecca S. Morgann FVPC Board of Trustees Member

28 Feb 2023

Subject: Letter of Recommendation, Debbie Matheson, Director of the Family Violence Prevention Center, Greene County, OHIO

To whom it may concern:

Ms. Debbie Matheson is the Director of Family Violence Prevention Center (Center) in Greene County. I have known Debbie for over twenty years in this capacity. During this time, I have witnessed firsthand the Center's impact on the most vulnerable citizens in Greene County. Greene County, Ohio is comprised of more than 170,000 individuals. In 2022 alone, the Center handled 432 crisis hotline calls, provided 8,509 various services with 3,604 clients and was able to deliver over 8,000 nights of safety for 82 adults and 63 children. These are people who have no other alternative for their dire situations. Her leadership in managing and guiding the Center has made a major difference in breaking the cycle of relationship and sexual violence in our communities.

The Greene County Commissioners believe in Ms. Matheson and her 2022-2026 strategy for the Center so much, we allocated $1M for purchase and renovation of a new 4,300 SF facility. With this additional space, the Center will soon be able to offer more outreach services to the abused; helping them cope, thrive, piece their lives back together, and teach them about healthy relationships.

The Center depends on most of its funding from grants and donations. Consequently, Ms. Matheson spends an inordinate amount of time on both. Her diligence and dedication led to $936,523 in grants, $50,000 foundation grants, and $147,705 in donations secured in 2022. Events like the Spring Fling, Superhero 5K Run, and others not only bring in funds, but also brings much needed visibility to the Center and its services. Without her efforts, the Center would be unable to provide the services and resources it does to our abused population. Given all her responsibilities and limited staff, it wasn't unusual for Ms. Matheson to work 60-hour weeks, and sometimes, sleep in the Center while covering the hotline and shelter 3rd shift.

Ms. Matheson is a one-of-a-kind giving and driven individual. I cannot tell you how many thousands of lives she has positively impacted and/or saved. I can think of no one more deserving of this award than Ms. Debbie Matheson.

RICK PERALES President, Greene County Board of County Commissioners