Back in April, we brought you a piece from a new volunteer named Sumana, who had just completed her extended volunteer training with REACH. We thought we’d check in with her and see how her first few months of volunteering have gone. In my first three months as a REACH volunteer, I have the privilege of serving in two different capacities: first providing childcare for survivors’…
by Janiah Every summer, REACH runs a training for peer leaders at Waltham High School as part of our teen dating violence prevention program. The training is taking place this week, and to tell you about it, we’re sharing this reflection written by one of our seniors after the 2016 training. This summer I attended my second year of summer training for PAVE (Peers Against ViolencE,…
by Melinda*, REACH Survivor Speakers Bureau Recently I heard myself laugh and I was shocked and amazed. I thought, “Who is this person? Wow I recognize her, I recognize that laugh!” You see, I was not allowed to laugh for years and it took me close to 3 years after I separated from my husband to allow myself to laugh. In my abusive relationship, my husband…
As the school year comes to a close, we are saying goodbye to Emily, who is a Brandeis student who interned with us helping to run our Peers Against ViolencE (PAVE) program. Before she left, we asked her to reflect on what she’s learned over the past year. This is what she had to say. In the fall of 2016, my junior year, I joined…
By Colleen Armstrong, PEAR (Prevention, Education, Advocacy and Response) Program Coordinator at Salem State University and former Education Program Manager at REACH. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass health care legislation designed to roll back many facets of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) and implement a new system, the American Health Care Act (AHCA). This latest version of the bill allows…
By Sumana The spring edition of REACH’s extended training for new staff and volunteers just concluded, and we asked new volunteer Sumana to share her experience with you. I was eager to volunteer in support of domestic violence survivors, but knew next to nothing of what that entailed.
Anonymous For a while now, I have been supporting a friend whose sibling was in an abusive relationship. My friend, so near and dear to my heart, was struggling both in supporting her sister, as well as being around her abusive partner. The partner’s controlling behavior was concerning to say the least- monitoring texts, phone calls, and Facebook, instigating fights with her family members and then…
This week’s post is a guest post from Survivor M, a member of our Survivor Speakers Bureau. As a mom, one of my prouder moments is when someone tells me how polite my kids are. I am polite and like to think they learned from my example. My parents raised me to be polite and agreeable. They were Irish immigrants. They worked a lot and were…
We may still be in the thick of winter, but spring is right around the corner! Or, at the very least, REACH’s Spring Training is right around the corner. Generally, we offer this training for new staff and volunteers, but it is also open to community members who want to learn more about domestic violence. Last year, Officer Kathleen Poirier of the Wellesley Police Department joined…
by Paul Crocetti “Everybody’s happy there.” That was the joyous sentiment of an attendee of REACH’s annual Holiday Gift Party, as she waited for volunteers to bring her gifts. This year, 300 people – domestic violence survivors and their families – attended the party and 250 families received gifts through REACH’s Holiday Gift Program. The evening also featured crafts for children, a delicious dinner donated by…
