As the school year gets into full swing, that means a couple of things for those of us here at REACH. First – backpacks! We are so grateful to our generous donors and to School on Wheels of Massachusetts for helping us assemble and distribute more than 200 backpacks to children of domestic violence survivors. Now that the mountains of backpacks around the office have dwindled…
In the midst of difficult times, we want to update you on our ‘big move’ and thank you so much for your support. We shared the beginning of our move process back in June and will continue to share updates as work progresses. We hope you saw the photo from the Cummings Foundation celebration back on June 8. Our Executive Director Laura R. Van Zandt was…
I am thinking about interdependence. I woke up on the 4th of July to beautiful weather and a day off for me and my family. How wonderful. And why: because of independence or because of interdependence? Do any of us function truly independently? Does anyone have all the capacities necessary to live a full life? When the framers talked about independence, they described the ability…
If you’re familiar with REACH, hopefully you know that we try to offer the best support possible to domestic violence survivors by being knowledgeable about, and sensitive to, the effects of trauma. But have you ever wondered how our advocates come to understand so much about trauma? Or how domestic violence advocates avoid burnout? How do they hear difficult stories day in and day out without…
“There is a stomach-turning predictability to it,” said Monica McLaughlin, deputy director of public policy at the National Network to End Domestic Violence. “Whenever we hear of events such as these, those of us who work on domestic violence know there will be a history of domestic violence uncovered.” I am one of those who work on domestic violence – and indeed when I heard about…
We are looking forward to sharing updates about our move project as it proceeds. It was fun to make and share the video we produced about how much we need this space. Have you seen it? If you have been to our current office recently, you know that we are busting at the seams. If you haven’t, the video tells the story. REACH is working with…
I’m thinking about space. I’m sure that doesn’t come as a surprise. REACH is moving to new office space – and we are thinking about that big move a lot. I’m actually thinking about the idea of space in a broader sense… what are our spaces and how do those spaces affect us? What happens in a space, how is it used? And what does a…
This week’s post is a Q and A with our friend Gabriel Fontes, who interned with us last fall and has stayed on as a volunteer. Gabriel is a student at Brandeis University and leads workshops on Bystander Intervention. Since we are coming to the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we asked Gabriel if he would talk to us about the work that he does….
I am thinking about men and masculinity. I attended the 10th Annual White Ribbon Day event in Boston on March 1. The Massachusetts coalition, Jane Doe Inc., has organized this event each year and each year it gets bigger. There are more people, more men, more young men, more men in public and leadership roles, and more stories: more stories about men witnessing abusive behavior as…
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…
