Derek Packard: Breaking the Cycle: Vertical Measures Joins Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Breaking the Cycle: Vertical Measures Joins Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Each year, Vertical Measures collaborates with non-profits and/or shelters to help our local community and (hopefully) improve the lives of those less fortunate. In 2018, our team joined forces with Sojourners Center to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Working with Domestic Shelters and The Sojourners Center

DomesticShelters.org provides a list of domestic violence shelters by zip code, articles, videos, answers to common questions – and a beacon of hope. Victims of domestic violence often show up at shelters with only the clothes they and their children are wearing and nothing else, and the shelters take them in, offering the support resources they need to heal, and help them start a new life free from domestic violence.

How We Helped Kickstart Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The staff at Vertical Measures also wanted to do something to help. As part of our quarterly community service efforts, and in preparation for Domestic Violence Awareness month in October, we ran a Donation Drive to collect money to buy needed supplies at a local shelter, The Sojourner Center — one of the largest Phoenix shelters and therefore, one that offers many women, their children, and even their pets, a place to find support and a new start.

Our staff of almost 50 divided up into 5 teams (beginning August 18^th) and started competing to be the team to collect the most monetary donations until the end of our drive a month later on September 18^th.

1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of them are eyewitnesses to this violence. Break the cycle – support the victims, here: https://vert.ms/2Nkf34s

Click To Tweet

Working in conjunction with Chris McMurray, Director of DomesticShelters.org, Paul Denial, Executive Director of New Life Center, and Ashley Rumschlag, Project Champion at Theresa’s Fund and DomesticShelters.org, we set an initial goal of collecting $500 per team — $3,000 total. Utilizing CrowdRise to track and collect donations, each team member sent out the word to friends, family, and personal social networks, driving traffic to their team page where donations could be made easily online.

To support the Drive, and as the awareness ribbon color for Domestic Violence is purple, we peppered purple awareness ribbons in each conference room and common area and handed out “End Domestic Violence” bracelets and purple awareness ribbons for the staff to wear throughout the Drive. The last day of the Drive, on what was named “Purple Day,” the staff wore purple clothing, hats, and purple handlebar mustaches to show their support, and gathered for a team photo.

Our Contributions Were Inspiring

It was a close race to the finish, with the winning team collecting a final total of $1,985.00, and a grand total collected across all teams of $6,100 – more than double our initial fundraising goal!

Teens that have witnessed violence within their own family are 50% more likely to be involved in an abusive relationship themselves. Break the cycle – support the victims, here: https://vert.ms/2Nkf34s

Click To Tweet

The winning team members will be presented with purple ribbon trophies to commemorate their efforts during the October company meeting. Our fundraiser partners, Chris McMurray, Paul Denial, and Ashley Rumschlag will join us for the presentation, along with a representative from The Sojourner Center, who will sit down with the team captains after the meeting adjourns, access their Amazon Wishlist online, and drop $6,100 worth of needed supplies into their shopping cart for shipping directly to the Center.

However, the REAL winners are the women and children at The Sojourner Center, who will have access to pillows and bedding to sleep on, food, diapers, bottles & formula, toiletries, pet food, and every-day-necessities, courtesy of the team at Vertical Measures and their efforts during the Drive.

But, our donations will only go so far…

The Sojourner Center – and so many more shelters just like them – are constantly in need of donated support. If you’d like to help, you can donate Wish List items or make a cash donation online to any domestic shelter in your area by accessing the DomesticShelters.org website, or you can help The Sojourner Center directly by donating services, new or gently used household items and clothing, or making a cash donation online.

Take a stand against domestic violence. Because love shouldn’t hurt.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Along with the Sojourner Center, Vertical Measures is committed to transforming lives and creating a world free from domestic violence. Now, it’s time to do your part.

Donate today!

The post Breaking the Cycle: Vertical Measures Joins Domestic Violence Awareness Month appeared first on Vertical Measures.

Derek Packard