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The BeaLine (YouTube video)
Bea Black, Executive Director
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we invite you to help us raise awareness not just of domestic violence but also of domestic abuse which can be much more insidious. You will see billboards and also you will see shirts as part of our Clothes Line Project all around town. We invite you to take pictures, share those pictures—thank those businesses for displaying those shirts. Another thing you can do is check out all our social media channels (that you are comfortable with) and like and share posts that you will be seeing daily about signs, different symptoms and different ways that domestic violence can manifest itself. We appreciate each and every effort. It’s going to take all of us if we are going to be able to work together to create the kind of community we want, a community where individuals can thrive in safe and healthy relationships. Thank you in advance for taking the time to stop and share and raise the conversation.
-Bea
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Public Awareness Campaign
 As October kicks off, so does Domestic Violence Awareness Month and with it our =DomesticAbuse public awareness campaign. As one of our many efforts to spread awareness about domestic abuse, this campaign is unique in that it focuses on educating the community about forms of domestic abuse other than physical violence. The messaging behind this campaign focuses on five themes, one for each week of October. Each theme aims to start a conversation about the wide range of behaviors that can be considered domestic abuse.
Our =DomesticAbuse campaign started in 2013 with billboards around the community and has since expanded to several other mediums. Our billboard campaign has shifted to digital billboard space. We have a poster campaign stretching across the valley, with posters hanging at over 350 businesses in Meridian and Boise. Each theme is printed in the Boise Weekly newspaper.
Read more and access the online toolkit . . .
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Honoring First Responders
 For the seventh year in a row, the WCA partnered with Saint Alphonsus to honor the important role first responders play in our community as we kick-off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Employee volunteers from both organizations joined together to deliver goodie baskets filled with healthy snacks to 28 first responder locatoins throughout Ada County on September 26. This is the fourth year for the deliveries after the Domestic Violence Awareness Month Press Conference in which more than 80 community leaders, first responders and community members help proclaim October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
More . . .
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Corporate Pillar Spotlight: The Village at Meridian
It is our privilege and honor to have The Village at Meridian as one of our extraordinary Freedom Level Corporate Pillars.
The Village at Meridian includes over 90 merchants. Its parent company CenterCal Properties, LLC is a full-service commercial real estate company in the business of investing, developing, leasing, and managing properties throughout the western United States. CenterCal Properties is best known for creating destinations with a unique strategy of place making, which emphasizes the importance of developing spaces with a sense of community.
Why do they choose to help us? CEO Fred Bruning and President Jean Paul Wardy say: “The Women’s and Children’s Alliance is the perfect example of positive community action to help those who are the foundation of our society. The Village at Meridian is honored to be a part of their success.”
More . . .
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Supporting Our Clients
Our community is constantly giving back and supporting our clients on their journey to safety, healing and freedom. We would like to highlight just a few special cases that have happened recently.
Our work is only possible through the support of our community.
There are simply too many companies, families, and individuals to list. Check out our Facebook page for more fun photos and stories!
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Press Conference and Kick-Off
‘Silence only helps perpetrators’: WCA kicks off Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Emily Lowe/Idaho Press September 26, 2019
MERIDIAN — Healing from an abusive relationship meant becoming strong, peaceful, educated and brave for one Boise woman.
On Thursday, at a Women’s and Children’s Alliance joint press conference, that Boise woman, Amber, also said she was a survivor.
“I am ready to help others as we strive to be brave and heal from traumatic experiences, to become the brave, beautiful survivors we are today. I am worthy. I survived,” Amber said. Only her first name is being used to protect her identity.
She told her story Thursday before Ada and Canyon County officials, law enforcement and local nonprofits focused on providing help and resources to domestic abuse victims. The group gathered at the Idaho Peace Officers’ Memorial in Meridian to begin Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which runs during October.
Read full article here . . .
Other coverage links:
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10th Anniversary SueB 5K/10K
 Runners and walkers from around the Treasure Valley gathered together on Sunday afternoon at Julia Davis Park to celebrate healthy relationships and raise awareness about domestic v iolence at the 10th Annual SueB 5k/10k.
The SueB 5k/10k honors the life of Susan “SueB” Newby, who died in a suspicious horse-riding incident in what many believed was a result of domestic violence. This event brings the community together to remember SueB and the life she lived, while also taking a stand against domestic violence.
“This issue is near and dear to me,” said one participant. “I grew up in a domestic violence household. I work with children, and a lot of my kids are impacted by domestic violence. This affiliation and SueB connection is because it directly relates to my kids. It is a great cause and I support it 100 percent.”
This is precisely what Sue’s close friends and family hoped to accomplish when they first started the “SueB Stoll” a decade ago. In an interview with Anna Silver of KIVI 6 On Your Side at the event, Sue’s sister Marj said, “We’ve been able to make something positive out of it through this event not only the community outreach, but also being able to raise funds for the SueB endowment.”
More . . .
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Welcome WCA Fall Interns!
 We are fortunate to have a fantastic group of interns at the WCA this fall working with both the Outreach and Communications and Philanthropy teams. Through these internship opportunities, the WCA is providing students with on-the-job training and educational opportunities that will help them obtain the knowledge and skills for the WCA and similar organizations to consider them as potential candidates for future job openings in the communications, public relations, advertising and other nonprofit fields. We are grateful for to have Diana, Rileigh, Rachel, Gabby and Keri with the WCA this semester, collaborating with many staff members throughout the organization.
More . . .
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Local Teen PSA Contest
Calling all Visual Arts enthusiasts! The Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) is excited to announce the annual PSA Contest details for 2020. The contest will be open for submissions beginning on November 1st, 2019, and will close on January 31st, 2020.
The contest invites students to create 29-second videos addressing their peers about issues including teen dating abuse and healthy relationships. For the second year in a row we are offering the added option of creating a digital poster for students who are interested in graphic design. The winning videos and posters will be integrated into WCA outreach and will be shared in future presentations to student groups. Cash prizes available and our prize list is growing with donations from Fanci Freeze, the STIL, Goody’s Soda Fountain, Flying M Coffeehouse, Dutch Bros. Coffee, the Puzzle Effect, the Idaho Steelheads and more!
More . . .
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Wish List
Our lists of needed items are updated as needed and always available on our website. New items from this list below can be dropped off at the WCA lobby at 720 W Washington St. M-F from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Comforters (Twin Size)
- Food Items (Instant oatmeal, dry cereal, canned soup, chili, Spaghetti O’s, tuna fish, canned chicken, granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, pasta, pasta sauce, macaroni and cheese, Ramen, sugar, flour, spices)
- Pillows (Queen Size)
- Ribbon spools for Awareness Months (Purple, Teal, Orange – 3/8 inch)
- Sheet Sets (Twin Size)
- Trash Bags (large, black)
- Stamps
- Towel Sets
- Twin or Double Strollers – 2 needed
- Wooden Building Blocks
- Gift cards (Home Depot, Walmart, Thriftway Lumber, Any $ amount)
- Gift cards, $20 and up (i.e. Winco, Albertsons, Target, Shopko, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, etc.
- Gift cards, $20 and up for any gas station
- Gift certificate to Jump Time (any amount) – 5 needed
- Gift certificate to Lakeshore Learning Store gift card (any amount) – 4 needed
- Passes for family-friendly activities (movies, bowling, JumpTime, Wahooz)
You can purchase other much needed items through our Amazon Wish List.
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