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Dear Friends of SAFE Shelter!

I am so excited that we are launching our first newsletter in many years! We have so many activities going on and I’m anxious to share them with you. We are just wrapping up the first week of our on-site, Camp ROCK. This 8-week camp is for children in the Shelter and those in our Follow-up/After Care Program. Camp activities include field trips, which in the past have included, the Jacksonville Zoo and the Charleston Aquarium. They take trolley rides through downtown Savannah, visit museums, and have picnics in the park.

New this year is the organic garden started by a SAFE Shelter Auxiliary Board Member, Lorraine Boice. With the help of a friend who is a Master Gardner, Lorraine has created a beautiful “garden of dreams” space on the side of the Shelter. The children have been given lessons regarding “good bugs versus bad bugs” and have had the chance to not only tend to the garden but to pick lettuce, broccoli, and carrots for their own salad!

The camp is funded through a “Souper Bowl” party held every year by a group of dedicated ladies from The Landings. The Shelter also has a partnership with Notre Dame University where they send two interns every summer to help our Child Advocate, Daisy Hernandez, run the camp.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we hope you will join us at our Annual Candlelight Vigil on Oct. 4 at 6:00 p.m. at the fountain in Forsyth Park. Speaking of the fountain, we hope to be able to be able to dye it purple again this year, like the past two, to continue to raise awareness about domestic violence. Purple ribbons will also adorn the trees in Forsyth throughout the month. Break out your purple, let people know you support SAFE Shelter, and a victims’ right to a safe, violence-free life.

Moving ahead, mark your calendar for Dec. 2 for our Annual SAFE Shelter Giving Gala! I’ve been to a lot of fundraisers and this one by far is the most fun! The live and silent auction items are out of this world! It’s lighthearted, good food and a roomful of dedicated people who believe in our mission.    

Last year, the audience was actually shocked into silence when one of our board members took the stage. While I knew her story, it wasn’t something she had shared with many, including board members. She started out talking about a young woman in a relationship with her boyfriend…she then detailed the brutal beating she received by his hands. Finishing up her story, she told the stunned audience that young woman was her. You could have literally heard a pin drop.

She had effectively changed everyone’s perception of a victim of domestic violence. She owns a successful business, is beautiful, financially comfortable and is very well known in the community. This is not the picture the average person conjures up when they think about victims.

SAFE Shelter is blessed with a dedicated, passionate staff and Board of Directors. I hope you will continue to let us share our stories with you.

All my best to you!
Cheryl H. Branch, Executive Director

 

During 2016, Safe Shelter:

  • Received 1,952 crisis calls and provided services to 811 victims of domestic violence, including 469 children;
  • Provided 65,853 meals for shelter residents;
  • Assisted clients with 99 Temporary Protective Orders and provided services to 251 victims, including 81 children; and
  • Had 198 court appearances.

Board Members:
President – Shalena C. Jones, Vice President – Robert Gavin, Co-Vice President and Gala Chair – Stephanie Wilson-Evans, Secretary – Agnes M. Cannella, Treasurer – Jennifer Maddox, 
Wanda Andrews, Monica Burgstiner, Jennifer Burns, Neil Cohen, Jennifer Abshire Davis,  Paula Deen, Melissa L. Gesser, Mark Howard, Catherine Kiene, Meg Albertson Pace, Cynthia Pauley, Gabrielle Sikes, Mia Singleton, Tim Steinhauser, April Worthy

Contact Us:
(912) 629-0026

Donations can be mailed to:
P.O. Box 61119
Savannah, GA 31420

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