The Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS) needs a new shelter. There’s just no getting around it. Last year we had to turn away more than 40 women and their children because there simply was no room for them at our aging 12-bed Leesburg facility. That meant we had to say “sorry” to one out of every three women who had come to us looking for somewhere to sleep and feel safe.
Of course, LAWS is still able to help such individuals in many other ways: our prevention programs and legal services provide support to approximately 1500 victims of domestic abuse every year. That’s why we understand how critical it can be to provide safe haven to those in imminent danger, or who have been made homeless by domestic violence.
You may not know it but our little shelter has the distinction of being the only dedicated domestic violence housing for survivors of sexual assault or other abuse in all of Loudoun County. That’s right. LAWS is it! The only option that a victim of domestic abuse has to keep away from their abusers -- night by night -- as they seek alternative solutions for getting on with their lives. At our shelter an abused woman can regain her footing, focus on building new skills, begin the all important recovery process that gives her the confidence and knowledge to start over. Children who stay at the LAWS shelter also feel more secure, go to school free of worry about their moms, and are no longer subjected to violent scenes that can negatively impact their own behaviors for generations to come.
We’re asking your help this year towards purchasing or building a larger shelter. Our goal is to more than double our capacity to 30 beds. We may not get there this year, but with your help we hope to raise funds that give Loudoun a better shelter by 2012. This Gala is a bigger event than ever before, but the need is also bigger. You have only to read the sad facts on domestic violence in Loudoun County and nationally to know this.
How can you help? By enjoying this year’s Gala as a major sponsor of the event, as a purchaser of a table for your company or simply by attending.
If you would like to donate an item for the auction, please email Paula Grace. Thank you very much! |