Vision & Voice
Sharing the vision to create safe and healthy relationships with our community.
Summer 2011
Dear Friends,
Philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and community
leaders have been talking a lot about the large number
of nonprofit agencies in central Texas – the most current
research found over 4,000 with 1,199 of those providing
health and human services. New nonprofits are
setting up shop, offering new solutions and innovative
approaches to old issues. Their launches are exciting
and draw attention and funds.
A part of me is thrilled to see new and different
approaches, and having more people working on
critical issues is great for our community. Another
part of me groans – more competition for limited
funding and more confusion for folks who are seeking
help. I groan because each year SafePlace successfully
launches something new and innovative. Our routine
practice is to study how we do our work and even when
it is really good, explore ways to be better and then
take some cautious risks to experiment. We have the
infrastructure and years of practiced wisdom to support
some risk and innovation. Often our new programs are
done in partnership with other stable, solid agencies
who, like us, can be trusted to deliver.
We are responsive, but quiet – too quiet sometimes.
You, our friends and supporters, often do not get to see
all of the exciting, new, and innovative things we are
doing because we just get too busy doing the work.
This newsletter focuses on many of the new, innovative,
creative things we have done the past couple of years.
Our pledge to you is to do a better job of telling our
story. Innovation doesn’t have to happen via a newly
emerging agency, it is here, researched, incubated,
and birthed by our best experts in
the sexual and domestic violence
field. Thanks to all of you who have
supported us or partnered with us
to bring these programs to life!
Read on, but hold onto your hats
and prepare to be awed!
“
Innovative (adj.)
1. (of a product, idea, etc.) Featuring new
methods; advanced and original
2. (of a person) Introducing new ideas;
original and creative in thinking
“Innovation is change that creates
a new dimension of performance.
All nonprofit organizations must
be governed by performance, not
merely good intentions… In the
social sector, as in business and
government, performance is the
ultimate test of an organization.
Every nonprofit organization exists
for the sake of performance in
changing people and society… In the
years ahead, America‘s nonprofits
will become even more important.
As
government
retrenches,
Americans will look increasingly to
the nonprofits to tackle the problems
of a fast-changing society. These
challenges will demand innovation.”
“
From our Executive Direct
~ Peter F. Drucker
In this Issue:
p 2 - Somatic Experiencing
p 3 - Reaching out to an isolated community
p 4 - Engaging Bystanders
p 5 - Toyota 100 Cars for Good
p 6 - 2011 SafePlace Celebration
p 6 - 2011 Good Guys Lunch
p 7 - Group Volunteers Make a Difference
Somatic Experiencing: Using by awareneto heal om trauma
SafePlace’s goal to empower
survivors includes offering a
menu of services that they can
choose. One of those many menu
items is our counseling program.
Counseling at SafePlace is designed
to meet survivors wherever they
are in the process of healing from
sexual and domestic violence.
By informing survivors about
the dynamics of interpersonal
violence and assisting them in
the development of goals specific
to their situation, survivors are
supported as they heal from trauma
and reclaim their lives.
Since its inception, the counseling
program has been dedicated to
exploring new and innovative ways
to support survivors impacted
by trauma.
One of the most
recent innovations is the use of
somatic experiencing.
Somatic
experiencing is a body-awareness
approach to trauma.
A basic
principle of somatic experiencing
is that trauma is in the nervous
system. When the nervous system
is affected by stress the result can
be anxiety, panic, restlessness,
chronic pain and a number of other
symptoms. Somatic experiencing
helps the survivor be more aware
of the body’s response and learn
basic skills to self-regulate.
Meet an Expert: Sue Snyder
Counseling Services Manager, Sue Snyder, has worked
in the domestic violence field since 1976. She began
working at SafePlace in 1992. She has a Masters of
Psychology and Social Work and has five additional
years of training in Somatic Experiencing.
Sue Snyder, Counseling Services
Manager,
said
“Somatic
experiencing
fits
well
with
SafePlace’s
empowerment
philosophy. It allows survivors
to self-regulate and become the
expert on their own needs.”
SafePlace counseling services are
provided from a family systems
approach. Family systems theory
suggests that individuals cannot
be understood in isolation from
one another, but rather as a part
of their family, as the family is an
emotional unit.
Somatic experiencing is just one
of the many tools that SafePlace
counselors have in their toolbox.
Currently, seven SafePlace staff are
involved in a three-year program
to become certified in somatic
experiencing.
Moving Fward in Challenging Time
This July, SafePlace is excited
to host a conference bringing
together members of various
communities, including sexual
assault and domestic violence
survivors, family members, mental
health and substance abuse experts
and practitioners, researchers
and community members with
histories of mental health and
substance abuse issues. The two
and a half day conference will help
“
promote trauma-informed mental
health, substance abuse and
victim services to people who have
survived the trauma associated
with sexual and/or domestic
violence. This national conference
is partially grant funded by the
Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA).
of these various communities
sit together in large and small
groups to learn from each other
and exchange ideas and create
recommendations on improving
trauma-informed
community
mental health, substance abuse
and victim services to survivors
of domestic violence and sexual
assault.
The importance of the conference
will be far reaching as members
For more information, visit www.
SafePlace.org/MovingForward.
Meet an Expert: Michelle “Shell” Schwartz
Michelle “Shell” Schwartz holds a graduate degree in
Psychology and is a Manager for Disability Services
ASAP (A Safety Awareness Program) of SafePlace.
Shell’s professional work is informed by over 20 years of
experience advocating for the rights of survivors.
“
The SafePlace Disability Services
Program has long been recognized
as a national leader in providing
care, information and training to
people with a range of disabilities
including
physical,
cognitive,
intellectual, sensory and mental
health, and their allies.
“Innovation, to me, means the ability of an organization to improve programs, services,
processes, and systems, in order to advance their mission in the community. Nonprofits should
constantly be in a state of equipping themselves to work smarter and better serve their clients.”
2
~ Karl Nichols, SafePlace Chief Operating Officer
Deaf Services: Reaching out to an isolated community
Survivors of domestic violence
and sexual assault face many
common issues, two of which are
control and isolation. For those
in the Deaf community, these are
particularly common.
Imagine
being controlled by your partner
who refuses to interpret for you,
or knowing that local police or
support agencies are not skilled
at communicating with you. The
isolation after leaving a partner
could be even more profound.
Many hearing people do not
understand the barriers Deaf
people face. Due to communication
barriers, people who are deaf may
not have had as much exposure to
sexual assault or domestic violence
issues. For example, online news
websites such as CNN do not
offer captioned coverage. Deaf
community members can miss
out on important information that
hearing people take for granted.
Years ago, recognizing the size
of the Austin Deaf community
(more than 50,000 people), a
local organization was created to
work within the Deaf community
on domestic violence issues.
However, the program was not
able to continue their work due to
funding issues. SafePlace realized
the needs in our community and
made the decision to take on this
important outreach.
feel as comfortable as possible
until an interpreter arrives.
Individual and family counseling,
case management services, and
parenting classes are also offered
in ASL. All services available
to the hearing community are
available to the Deaf, including
legal support, crisis hotline and
transitional housing.
SafePlace’s Deaf Services Program
has become a national leader
in providing culturally and
linguistically relevant services to
the Deaf. Few domestic violence
or sexual assault centers are
able to provide support to this
population – in fact, there are only
about a dozen domestic violence or
rape crisis programs in the country
prepared to adequately serve the
Deaf community.
One of the most important
aspects of the program is that all
Deaf Services program staff are
fluent in ASL and knowledgeable
about Deaf culture. Because of
this, communication barriers are
removed. Deaf clients express
great relief when they see our
program provides them with
someone who understands their
trauma with a full understanding
of all the unique issues they face.
When a member of the Deaf
community enters our shelter,
they have access to a welcome
video in American Sign Language
(ASL), designed to help them
For
more
information
on
Deaf services, please visit our
website
at www.SafePlace.org/
DeafServices or contact Wendie
Abramson at 512.356.1599 (direct
voice line), 512.482.0691 (TTY) or
[email protected].
Meet an Expert: Terese Rognmo
Resource Advocate/Educator, Terese Rognmo has been
working for Deaf Services at SafePlace since September
2009. She has been working with the Deaf and hard
of hearing population through internships and work
experiences since 2004. She has a Bachelor of Arts and
Master’s Degree in the social work field. She is Deaf and
is originally from Norway where she was born and raised.
View the SafePlace Services
ASL video on your smartphone!
The Deaf Services Counselor did an intake with a 6-year old girl who can hear; her mother is Deaf and is
on our waiting list. The girl was not interested in going to see a counselor because, she told her mother,
“Counselors are really mean!” When her mother told her that I can sign and that I can hear, the girl looked
at her mother and said, “Just like me?” “Yes, just like you,” her mother replied. This exchange shows the
depth of how Deafness, as a culture, affects not only individuals, but the families. And SafePlace is able to
now accommodate those families as we have always been able to do with families who can hear.
3
EngagingBtander
This year, the Community Education Department
is rolling out an innovative new approach to teach
others when, how and why they should intervene in
situations related to sexual and domestic violence.
There are two components of our new work - a
training entitled “It’s Time to Get Involved” and a
bystander dialogue project which facilitates small
group discussions on the issues. Both of these
components work with neighborhood groups, faithbased organizations, civic groups, and individuals to
examine their sphere of influence and begin to see the
places where they might be able to intervene.
A bystander is someone who sees a situation but may
or may not know what to do. The bystander approach
gives community members specific roles they can use
to prevent violence, including tactics on speaking out
against ideas and behaviors that support violence.
There are a number of reasons that we often do not
intervene. We assume “someone else” will step in.
We may fear repercussions or we fear we will look
foolish. We may not feel confident about whether our
actions will actually help or cause more harm.
As bystanders, the safest and most effective
opportunities we have to prevent violence are to
respectfully confront acts of harassment, degrading
jokes and comments. SafePlace is teaching how to
begin a conversation about what is healthy in our
homes, communities and workplaces.
In order to bring about social change, we must
first begin to challenge attitudes and behaviors in
ourselves.
Society
Community
Relationships
Individual
What will you do?
To learn more about our work engaging bystanders,
please email [email protected].
Socio-ecological model for creating social change
Indirect Dialue on Domestic Violence Proam
One of SafePlace’s quietest programs is also one
that generates profound change for individuals.
The Indirect Dialogue on Domestic Violence
program is a journey of women, who have survived
domestic violence, sharing their personal stories
of abuse with men in batterer’s intervention
groups. The goals of the program are to empower
survivors and to generate empathy in batterers.
The journey begins with lots of preparation. Women
work together to articulate their stories of abuse
and survival in ways that they feel both passionate
and comfortable with. Men in batterer’s groups
work together to learn how to listen openly to the
stories. Once preparation is done, the women tell
their stories to the batterers. They share their
experiences and how abuse has impacted their lives.
After the presentations, the women meet to process
what happened, how it felt, and what they experienced.
They observe what makes the men uncomfortable,
nervous or fearful. They often talk about the power that
comes from telling abusers what the abuse feels like on
4
behalf of those abusers’ victims and other survivors.
The men in the group are given homework to
write a letter to the women. They bring the letters
to the next group and read them aloud. For
many of the batterers, this is the first time that
they have recognized the impact of their abuse.
“It brought back lots of memories and reminded
me of what I did [to my partner]. It was sad,
I wanted to cry, but you know, men don’t
cry. I thought about it a lot as I drove home.”
“I actually got to feel what our significant
others or girlfriends felt and experienced”, “I
understand now how things I say and do hurt
people I love”, “[I learned] what women were
going through when they were being abused, how
it effected them, how long it takes to get over it.”
This program using restorative justice principles
creates opportunities for healing and change for
both the survivor and the batterers. Expansions
of the program are planned for the future.
How You Can Help
Toyota 100 Cars for Good
SafePlace has been selected as a
finalist in Toyota’s 100 Cars for
Good program which will award
100 vehicles over the course of 100
days to 100 deserving nonprofit
organizations based on votes from
the public (that’s you!)
Voting Day is Tuesday, July 19th! We will be up
against four other nonprofits who all will be collecting
votes from their supporters.
Toyota has made it easy for you to remember to vote!
Sign up today and receive an email reminder on July
19th!
Here’s how:
1. Go to www.facebook.com/toyota and click
“Vote today.”
2. Click “Allow” to access the 100 Cars for
Good app.
3. Click “View Contestants” on the menu bar.
Search for SafePlace and go to our page.
4. Click “Remind me to vote this day”, make
sure the correct email for your reminder
is displayed, then click “Allow” to set up
your email reminder to vote!
Tell your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors to
do the same and vote for SafePlace on July 19th! We
appreciate your support!
Summer Children’s Program Needs
With school out, the Children’s Summer Program is
kicking off. Each summer we provide fun and therapeutic
children’s programs to children who live in our family
shelter and transitional housing. This year we will serve
between 50-75 children and they need supplies to have
some fun!
Supplies needed include: swimsuits (only one piece
or tankinis – no bikinis) and swim trunks in all sizes
(including adult sizes for the older kids), towels, spray
sun block, goggles, dive sticks/rings, flip flops/sandals
(children and adult sizes).
Please drop off donated items at the SafePlace warehouse.
Directions can be found at www.SafePlace.org/Directions.
A great way to strengthen our service to the
community is a charitable bequest. Please remember
us in your will or living trust. For more information,
please visit www.SafePlace.org/PlannedGiving
or contact Susan Dunning at 512.356.1569 or
[email protected].
Find, Follow and Share
Social media is a powerful tool for nonprofits, especially
for organizations such as SafePlace who strive to help
people hurt by sexual and domestic violence, but also who
educate the public on the issues of violence and how we
can all work to end it.
Every time you share a Facebook post, retweet a link, or
join in a conversation about a media story on our Facebook
wall, you are helping educate your friends and followers
- and quite possibly helping someone learn about us who
may need our progams one day.
www.SafePlace.org
www.facebook.com/SafePlace.EndingSAandDV
www.twitter.com/SafePlace_ATX
www.youtube.com/512267SAFE
http://linkd.in/SafePlaceATX
http://bit.ly/SafePlaceYelp
http://bit.ly/SafePlaceFlickr
“
“
www.twitter.com/SafePlaceEvents
“Innovation, to me, means never being okay with just doing things the way we’ve always done them.
After 14 years of working at SafePlace, I’m always impressed with the consistent and wide-spread
belief that we can always find ways to do our work better, reach more people, etc.”
~ Coni Stogner, SafePlace Transitional Services Director
5
Eventf Go...
2011 SafePlace Celebration with
Erin Brockovich
2011 SafePlace Good Guys Lunch with
Vince Lombardi, Jr.
On
Thursday,
October
20th at the Alamo Drafthouse
South Lamar, SafePlace will
present a film screening of Erin
Brockovich with a question and
answer session by the subject
herself. On Friday, October
21st at the Austin Convention
Center, Ms. Brockovich will
share her message “Take It
From Me,” discussing how one person can make a
difference.
On Wednesday, July 27th,
SafePlace will present the first
annual Good Guys Lunch:
Healthy Families Begin with
Us featuring keynote speaker,
Vince Lombardi, Jr. This event,
held at the AT&T Education
and Conference Center, will
bring men together and share
information about healthy
families and relationships and
challenge participants to become leaders in creating a
safer community.
For more information,
please visit www.SafePlace.org/Celebration.
View the 2011
SafePlace Celebration video
on your smartphone!
We envision a room full of men--fathers, sons,
employees, bosses, partners and buddies--all there to
share and demonstrate their commitment to safe and
healthy relationships. It's high time we recognize the
good guys who are among us every day.
For more information,
please visit www.SafePlace.org/GoodGuys.
2011 SafePlace Denim Day
On April 27th, 5,950 participants wore their denim showing concern and commitment
on the issue of sexual assault. This was SafePlace’s 4th Annual Denim Day, created to
engage the community to visibly support survivors and open lines of communication
about sexual violence.
Denim Day began as a response to a 1998 court case in which a teenage girl in Italy
was raped by her driving instructor. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to jail,
and his case went to the Supreme Court of Appeals in Rome. The court overturned the
original ruling stating that because the victim wore very tight jeans she must have had to help remove them,
thereby giving consent to have sex.
Denim Day is a reminder and creator of awareness that there is NEVER an excuse for rape. Thank you to all our
wonderful participants for spreading the word!
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the 2011 SafePlace Field Day!
Emerson Process Management
St. David’s HealthCare | St. David’s Medical Center
Austin Fit Magazine | Austin Lifestyle Magazine | Exchange Club of Austin
“
“
Field Day Cheerleaders | Field Day Donors
Field Day In-Kind Sponsors | Field Day Relay Teams | Field Day Vendors
Grande Communications | H-E-B | Keller Williams Realty
LCRA Employees United Charities |Randalls Food Markets
SafePlace Board and Foundation | SafePlace Staff | SafePlace Volunteers
Stephen F. Austin High School | Yellow Cab Austin
“Innovation in dealing with the issues of sexual and domestic violence means that
we are constantly learning, constantly looking at how we can improve and always
looking to survivors to help guide us in our work.”
6
~ Melinda Cantu, SafePlace Family Shelter Director
Kud
!
Volunteer Frankie Fowler Celebrates 30 years
Public Interest Award
Frankie
Fowler
has
provided volunteer services
to countless numbers of
survivors and community
members through her work
for SafePlace.
Karrie Key, Legal Services Manager at SafePlace
received the Public Interest Award from the Travis
County Women Lawyers Association (TCWLA).
SafePlace also received a TCWLA grant to support our
legal advocacy services.
Recently, she was honored
for her service at a reception
held in the home of longtime
domestic violence advocate
and SafePlace Foundation
Board member, Lucy Baines
Johnson.
She was also
presented with a brick in the
entranceway to the SafePlace Resource Center.
SafePlace’s Legal Advocacy program provides
comprehensive in-court support, advocacy and
accompaniment services to adult survivors of sexual
and domestic violence who are seeking protective orders
and/or are involved in family violence felony cases in
Austin/Travis County. If needed, Legal Advocacy staff
may also provide support to survivors in misdemeanor
prosecutions of family violence crimes. In 2010, legal
advocates provided support to over 1,000 survivors of
sexual and domestic violence.
Frankie’s service is an inspiration to all of us and her
generosity, humor and grace make her a delight to
work with. She is truly a SafePlace treasure.
Group Volunteers Make a Difference
SafePlace welcomes volunteer groups to help with onetime only or ongoing projects throughout the year.
Volunteer opportunities include landscaping projects,
cleaning/maintenance projects, meal preparation and
delivery for our Life Skills Class, hosting a child’s
birthday party or hosting family night activities at the
shelter.
A volunteer’s donation
of time helps our
bottom line and allows
us to use our cash for
things like paying the
utility bill at the shelter.
We are also allowed to
count volunteer hours
as a match toward
qualifying for some
grants.
Some of the groups that recently volunteered include
Whole Foods, the Notre Dame Club of Austin,
Dell, National Instruments, JI Companies and
Life Technologies. These groups worked hard to
clean and spruce up the shelter and supportive housing.
Thank you volunteers!
To find out how you can make an impact, visit our
website at www.SafePlace.org/GroupVolunteer.
Karrie, who has been with SafePlace since 2007, stated,
“Working at SafePlace is truly rewarding. Domestic
and sexual violence is a major threat to public health
here and all over the world. It is a privilege to work with
this organization.”
Congratulations on your award, Karrie!
A Safe Place for Women
A Safe Place for Women,
by former SafePlace
Executive Director, Kelly
White, tells stories of
hope and healing from
domestic violence and
provides insights into the
perseverance of battered
women's programs. Kelly
draws on her personal
journey as a formerly
battered woman who
escaped to a shelter
and went on to become a leader of organizations
helping others do the same.
A big thank you to Kelly for sharing our message of
hope and healing!
If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please
visit Amazon.com or check one out in any of the
libraries in Austin/Travis county, courtesy of Ann
Benolken.
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Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Austin, Texas
Permit No. 634
P.O. Box 19454
Austin, Texas 78760
Vision & Voice is published
twice a year by SafePlace,
P.O. Box 19454, Austin Texas
78760. Bulk rate nonprofit
postage paid in Austin, Texas.
Brd of Direct
Robert Palm, Chair
Shawn Ball | Karen Bartoletti | Laura Bosworth | Cindy Brouillette | Zita Cassizzi | Sandy Cox
MaryLu De Hoyos | Betty Dunkerley | Lori Freedman | John Jones | Sherry Marlatt | Celeste Mendoza
Linda Neland | Dana Nelson-George | Kacy O’Hare | Michael Simons | Tom Stevenson | Nicki Tyler
Foundation Trustees
John Jones, Chair
Aimee Boone | Gretchen Ellis | Beth O’Hagan Fahey | Richard Fatheree | Theresa Garza
Luci Baines Johnson | Kimberly Kozmetsky | Frances Netherton | Kacy O’Hare | Patti O’Meara
Greg Ritzen | Leslie Roan | JR Ruiz | Courtney Sanchez | Laila Scott | Greg Skelton | Mary Stolp
John Strickland | Tricia Teegardin | Felicia Teel | Alexa Wesner | Caryl Yontz
Lifetime Trustees
JoLynn Free | Gregory A. Kozmetsky | MariBen Ramsey | Donna Stockton-Hicks
Executive Direct
Julia Spann
SafePlace exists to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change.
24-hour Hotline 512.267.SAFE (7233) or 512.927.9616 TTY for the Deaf community
www.SafePlace.org