What does safety mean to me?
This is a question that has been on my mind for the past few days. It is one of the questions we asked the 48 Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) honorees and listening to their answers caused me to pause and reflect on my life, my work, and those in our community for whom we show up in every way we can, each day at the WCA.
For our clients, safety is most often a basic, primary need. It literally can be about life and death. We had 11 emergency intakes into our secure domestic violence shelter in a 14-week period following the stay-at-home orders. (Currently, we have twenty women and 39 children living in our shelters.) Last year, we averaged one emergency intake per quarter! But safety can also just mean knowing you are safe from any kind of verbal or emotional abuse. Safety can even just mean peace of mind.
For some of us, safety very rarely crosses our minds. We go about our daily lives and don’t give much thought to our personal safety—feeling secure in our homes and relationships. I encourage you to reflect on what safety means to you and to cherish the absence of fear in your life. Here at the WCA, we have seen an increased demand for our services since the start of stay at home orders in mid-March. Gratefully we have not seen a disruption in service delivery. Where needed we have pivoted to provide virtual services using Zoom and have worked hard to get the message out that we are here to help. Last month alone there were 197 civil protection orders filed in Ada County—and our Court Advocates are here to help with those as well as the resulting 14-day hearings.
What does this mean to you?
For the many more we know are still out there, we will continue to be diligent in our commitment to our mission and we will be here when you are ready.
If you are worried about someone, you can call the WCA’s 24-hour hotline for information and resources at 208-343-7024 or click here for some helpful information.
Thank you for all you do.
Gratefully,
Want to Get Involved?
- The 2020 Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Celebration was a success, click here to enjoy the show on YouTube.
- Would you like some WCA shoe cards for your wallet, waiting room or business bathroom? We’d love to mail you some.
- Save the Date for WCA’s Healing Begins with Hope Outreach and Fundraising Event. October 30 and 31. All Virtual—Information Coming Soon.
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