How your year-end gift makes a difference in countless ways.
My name is Pam Jordan, and I am the Director of Community Advocacy at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence. I cannot begin to thank you enough for your ongoing support. You make it possible for REACH to help survivors transition from that first, brave call to our hotline, through safety planning and sometimes a stay in a shelter, to reclaiming their independence.
I began working with a young mother and her 5-year-old son earlier this year. For their safety and privacy, I’ll call her Maya. When we first sat together for her intake, I remember Maya saying,
“I knew I had to leave...it was the only way my son and I would ever be safe.”
When Maya first called the REACH hotline, her abuser was in jail. She was uncertain for how long and worried he would come back one day. With the loss of her abuser’s income, she had found herself unable to pay her rent and bills on her own. She and her child had been evicted and were forced to spend several weeks living in her car or moving from friend to neighbor and house to house.
It was such a difficult time for the two of them that she was tempted to go back to her abuser’s parents, despite her fear. Instead, Maya was able to enter the REACH shelter, and she and her son finally felt safe.
Survivors often feel they must give up their safety in exchange for security. Your year-end gift to REACH helps make sure they have access to both.
REACH’s shelter advocates helped Maya apply for housing and, after completing piles of paperwork and waiting several months, an apartment became available. Maya was relieved but worried. Building a new life from the ground up can be unbearably overwhelming and takes tremendous courage.
Because of you, Maya and other survivors do not have to navigate this process alone.
With the support of our Community Advocacy team, Maya and I began working together on her post-shelter life. Our team ensures 
the continued support survivors need while living on their own for the first time. We help create tangible plans for safety in new surroundings, explain court processes for restraining orders and other types of court hearings, help connect them to legal resources, and accompany survivors into the courtroom when needed.
Since Maya began working with my team, she has found a job, and we were able to help her access childcare and other community resources. She also joined one of our support groups where survivors can share and validate their feelings of mingled anxiety and hope with each other, while finding great comfort in knowing they are not alone.
Today, Maya and her son are settled in their new life. Thanks to support from donors and community partners, they have food, clothing, furniture, and bedding – all the basics they need to start over. It has been an honor to bear witness to Maya regaining control of her life in such a short time. She is determined and completely dedicated to her child.
Your support plays a vital role in rebuilding the lives of many survivors just like Maya.
This year, we’ve experienced a significant increase in survivor intakes. In fact, we’re experiencing increases in survivor contacts across all teams.
Our Child & Adolescent Therapist is working with Maya’s son and several other survivors’ children, helping them to understand the very first thing all children in abusive households need to know – that it is not their fault.
Our Prevention Team is addressing domestic violence in schools, the workplace, and communities. Our administrative leadership team encourages us and works to make sure we have the necessary resources to meet increasing survivor calls and intakes.
And that’s where you come in. As you can see, it takes all of us in our varied roles to help each individual survivor on their journey.
Won’t you join us by making a commitment right now to help sustain REACH this year?
As we look ahead to 2024, I am confident that, together, we can reach all survivors like Maya who just need someone to listen, believe, and give them a chance to find their way.
Thank you for your continued support. I wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Pamela Jordan
Director of Community Advocacy
P.S. The 20th Anniversary Reach for the Stars Gala will take place on Saturday, April 6, at Artists for Humanity in Boston. We hope you will join us to celebrate this milestone!
