Last Thursday started out like a typical day in the office. Then around 10:30 my cell phone rang with a blocked number. I answered, and much to my surprise, the caller identified himself as none other than New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft! He was calling with the exciting news that he was giving REACH a transformative gift of $100,000 to help us move to a new location.
I can now say that Robert Kraft called my cell phone on Patriots’ Opening Day 2015!
You may have seen the announcement in the news earlier this week that Mr. Kraft and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation are launching a $1.5 million effort to prevent domestic and dating violence, benefiting Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s office, Jane Doe Inc., and several local service providers. I’m excited to be able to tell you that REACH is also included in this effort.
This gift is the first step in an exciting effort to make REACH’s services more accessible to everyone. We have been in the same office location since 2001. At that time, there were about 8 of us, and we served approximately 50 survivors each year. We’ve grown a bit! We are now with a staff of 20, and roughly 300 survivors come through this office each year, among more than 6,000 people served annually through all of our programs. We have used every square inch of this space as best we can, but we are at capacity, and demand for our services continues to grow. A new location (hopefully closer to public transportation!) will make it easier for survivors to get to us, and we would have room to grow and serve even more people.
It’s time. It’s time to take REACH to the next level. Mr. Kraft’s investment enables us to take the first step on something we’ve been talking and dreaming about for a long time: finding and moving into new office space, being able to hire additional staff and serve more survivors, and widening our efforts at prevention. He has challenged us to find others who would join us in this effort, match his gift and make this project a reality.
Will you help us raise $100,000 by the end of October to match Mr. Kraft’s gift? It’s an ambitious goal. We need your help to make REACH an even warmer and more welcoming space that is easily accessible for all. Every contribution gets us closer! Please consider making a gift today.
Together we will reach beyond domestic violence.
