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By Lydia Wood Echo is a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International. Over the last several months, Echo has made a home at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. He sits in on appointments for advocacy services and counseling to assist clients that have experienced trauma. While Echo is still new to Beacon of Hope, therapy dogs have been utilized for years. New research shows just how beneficial a therapy dog can be. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has recently been used to lessen the effects of serious pain, both mental and physical. Having an animal present can lower cortisol levels and raise dopamine and serotonin levels. This greatly lowers stress and raises relaxation. This helps make expressing one’s trauma less difficult. In fact, in recent studies AAT can lower depressive symptoms long term in victims of trauma. Acute anxiety from speaking of one’s trauma is often lowered in the presence of a therapy dog, but those anxious effects are often lowered long-term as well in many of the individuals studied. If someone starts to feel uncomfortable, Echo will snuggle in closer instead of shying away. He will rest his head on your lap if you are sad. He makes perfect eye contact to help reduce anxiety or stress clients may have. It is the most precious thing to watch as he takes it upon himself to improve the mood of others.  His impact is shown in this drawing a client made. For this client, Echo represented a breath of fresh air. He brought the light through their darkness. Though Echo can't comprehend the 2-dimensional tribute to the work he does, he feels it. His comforting presence benefits his clients not only in sessions, but in their daily lives.
By: Shelby Bubnick Personal Impact of Dating Violence
By Tiffany Wilson  On behalf of Beacon of Hope Crisis Center, we would like to extend our appreciation to our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to serving and protecting the community. We are honored to have a strong and collaborative partnership with each one. Together in collaboration we are protecting the community and intervening earlier with victim advocacy. We love making a positive difference together. Together our work is helping to reduce our overall homicide rates. Thank you for all that you do!
By: Savannah Tipton  We would like to express our utmost gratitude to the many donors, sponsors, and community members that have supported our organization and the victims within our community. Thank you for your ongoing support!
As a non-profit organization, Beacon of Hope Crisis Center largely relies on donations to keep our organization running. We are constantly preparing crisis bundles and other donations for victims as needs arise. In addition to those much-needed crisis bundles, sometimes what often gets forgotten is the office victims come to in search of services. Donations of office and cleaning supplies, water, etc. help us create a comfortable environment for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault within our community. We served over 900 victims in 2017 and we have continued to grow as an organization since. Community outreach and new partnerships have attributed to more victims in need of our services being able to reach out to us and receive those vital services. Please consider donating TODAY! Items Needed:
By: Sandra K. Ziebold  Congratulations to our Indianapolis Brackets For Good nonprofit match-up competitor, Brookside Community Development Corporation (Brookside CDC), on winning Round 2 of the #BFG18 tournament. Thank you for being such a great opponent in the tournament. We immensely thank every donor for helping. We displayed a valiant effort but admit Brookside CDC overtook us in the game. Our team here at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center absolutely wanted to win but we are now thrilled to encourage support for Brookside CDC as they advance to a win in Round 3. What I liked best about this match-up is that the Brookside community received a double win in Round 2! The double win is that both of our organizations serve the Brookside neighborhood and both of our organizations benefited from numerous donations! Every organization competing in Brackets For Good wants to advance and keep raising much needed funds. At the same time as we are disappointed that we lost Round 2 we truly couldn't be more thrilled about Brookside Community Development Corporation advancing in the tournament. Brookside CDC is all about play-based childhood trauma reversal initiatives, societal reentry, and focusing on ending generational poverty to create opportunities of renewal and transformation for the residents of Brookside. Please rally behind them Indianapolis, let's help them win Round 3! 46201 is where a large number of the clients we serve at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center reside. Center Township is one of the reasons why we relocated and expanded our agency, ensuring we were accessible by way of a bus-line. We serve all of Central Indiana and our data shows Marion county and Center Township at the top in our service numbers. Beacon of Hope Crisis Center is focused on helping to reduce our overall homicide rates by serving victims of domestic violence and intervening before situations escalate. I encourage everyone reading this to follow us and learn more about the positive difference Beacon of Hope Crisis Center is making in Central Indiana for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Please continue to consider us in your portfolio of charities when making individual and mission gifts. Good luck to Brookside CDC in Round 3! Track Their Progress Here Ways to follow and contact Beacon of Hope Crisis Center: By: Lydia Wood, Victim Advocate and Trauma Therapy Dog Handler  "Echo!" someone calls. He perks his ears, lifting his head even though he was just in a deep sleep, looking for whomever just called his name. "Hey, handsome boy!" it's the counselor who frequently uses Echo for his calming presence in her sessions with clients. She says, "You ready to work, buddy?" He sits up and stretches out his paws for a long bow-like stretch paired with a yawn. He stands up and puts one paw off of his bed, looking at me as a way to ask if he can get up.
"You're free!" I say, giving him permission to greet the counselor. He leaps over to her, showing his excitement for the day. "Heel," I tell him after he's gotten a decent amount of post-nap scratches. He obediently comes over and enthusiastically places himself at my left side, ready to go greet the client at the door. We walk together with the counselor to the front door of the office to greet the client and walk them back to the counseling room. We open the door and he wags his whole body with excitement as he sees his client for the next hour; a young child, the perfect height for Echo to greet with an enthusiastic face lick. "You're free!" I tell Echo, giving him permission to leave my side. He goes over to the child and leans on his legs, whacking the furniture with his tail on the way over. We walk the child back to the counseling room where they decide to sit on the floor, holding Echo in their arms. The child tells the counselor about their week. Echo looks admiringly up at the child as they talk, firmly believing that every word the child says is the best sound he's ever heard. The smile upon the child’s face says it all. Echo has thoroughly engaged with that child and made the child’s day even brighter by his presence. As Echo gains more and more clients, his excitement at the call of duty only grows as he greets each client at the door and listens to the cadence of their stories. He may not understand the words they say, but it's clear he understands the importance of them. Echo has been a great addition to the Beacon of Hope Crisis Center Team and we are so excited to see him grow as he continues to work with clients. By: The Beacon of Hope Crisis Center Team  Thank you donors for helping us win Round 1 of our match up in the Brackets For Good Tournament. Because of you Beacon of Hope Crisis Center advanced to Round 2! We still need you please stick with us, share and rally more support for us so that we keep advancing. Staying in this we could win an additional $10,000 for our cause. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! By: Katie Foley At Beacon of Hope Crisis Center (BOHCC), we are always looking for ways to get involved within our community. It’s a way to not only support the community that we work and live in, but also a way to communicate to thousands our mission and why we do what we do. So, it was of no question when we submitted our application to be a part of the Brackets for Good (BFG) competition beginning March 2nd. What is Brackets for Good? BFG is the only sport for nonprofits. Inspired by the annual college basketball tournament in March, BFG hosts online fundraising tournaments where up to 64 selected local nonprofits rally support through the community, family and friends, board members, and the community to donate money while also increasing awareness. Picture the NCAA tournament and replace it with nonprofits competing to be the final champion. Getting involved and voting is extremely easy. Each $1 donation turns into one point for that organization. The rounds are single elimination, mirroring a bracket-style fundraiser. During each week, individuals can visit indianapolis.bfg.org and give to their favorite organization to advance to the next round. Each organization isn’t in it alone, though, as they each have community teammates helping them along the way. For BOHCC to be a part of this for the second year in a row is extremely exciting. Not to mention, we are even more excited for our corporate sponsor: Stacked Pickle - Southport! Throughout the first round, we will be hosting events at Stacked Pickle Southport, 7040 McFarland Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46237.  Events Include: Take A Bite Out of Domestic Violence / A Dine To Donate Event: Sunday, March 4th from 4pm-8pm join us for dinner at Stacked Pickle Southport and for just bringing the flyer to hand to your server when you order you can help advance our cause. Come meet Champ our BFG mascot! He’ll be giving high-fives and doing photo-ops for 30 minutes every hour during this event! 
Get To The Top Two Hour Hang Out Event: Wednesday, March 7th from 6pm-8pm join us for serious fun and bracket advancement entry chances for amazing prize drawings in the bar at Stacked Pickle Southport. Hang out, play games and advance BOHCC in our BFG Bracket Match-Up!
For more information on both Beacon of Hope Crisis Center and Brackets For Good, visit our about us page and our BFG matchup page. GAME ON! NEWS RELEASE  Take A Bite Out of Domestic Violence at Stacked Pickle Southport on Sunday March 4th Indianapolis domestic violence and sexual assault center partners with local restaurant for competition (INDIANAPOLIS, IN—February 27, 2018)—Are you hungry, Indianapolis? Beginning March 2nd, the community of Indianapolis has the opportunity to participate in Brackets For Good, a competition that allows individuals to support their favorite causes and organizations through an online bracket-style tournament. One of the many participants this year is Beacon of Hope Crisis Center (BOHCC), a services and referral nonprofit organization that empowers victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in central Indiana. Alongside this organization participating in Brackets For Good is a corporate partner, Stacked Pickle, supporting their cause by hosting events and encouraging the surrounding communities to donate. “BOHCC served 904 victims this past year and as we continue to grow, it’s increasingly important to not only talk about these tough issues, but to also get our community involved. Being a part of Brackets For Good allows us to have a voice in the community and to share all of the exciting things happening,” said Sandra K. Ziebold, CEO / Executive Director of Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. This year, Beacon of Hope Crisis Center has partnered with Stacked Pickle Southport. Kicking off this exciting partnership there will be a ‘Dine to Donate’ event held on Sunday, March 4th as well as another event loaded with creative fun on the evening of Wednesday, March 7th at the Southport location. "Stacked Pickle Southport is happy to team up with Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. We are always looking for different ways to impact the local community and give back to the guests of our community. We’re hoping that this partnership will facilitate awareness of Beacon of Hope's services and raise money for their inspiring work,” said Michael Earnest, General Manager of Stacked Pickle Southport. Getting involved is easy! By visiting indianapolis.bfg.org, starting March 2nd you can instantly select Beacon of Hope Crisis Center and give online. With each dollar donated, one point will be distributed in support of Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. Thank you for joining Stacked Pickle and so many others wanting to make a positive difference in our community by supporting Beacon of Hope Crisis Center in the 2018 Brackets For Good Tournament! About Beacon of Hope Crisis Center 501(c)3 Beacon of Hope Crisis Center a Christ-centered organization empowering victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to become self-sufficient by providing safety, support and education. Since 2009 Beacon of Hope, through its Crisis Intervention, Victim Advocacy, Counseling, "Teen Talk" Outreach and Education, Criminal Justice, Economic Sustainability and Foster Pet Programs has offered victims of domestic violence assistance in overcoming barriers that hold them in abusive situations. Beacon of Hope is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization located in Indianapolis, Indiana. More information about Beacon of Hope can be found at beaconofhopeindy.org. About Stacked Pickle Established in 2010, Stacked Pickle offers their guests a casual dining experience, as well as a full menu and plenty of events throughout Indianapolis. Locally owned and operated by former Indianapolis Colts player, Gary Brackett, Stacked Pickle has been voted Indy’s #1 neighborhood and sports bar. For more information on Stacked Pickle, visit stackedpickle.com.
By: Katie Foley  February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, which raises awareness and sparks conversations when it comes to abuse in teen and early twenties relationships. While many may not think abuse happens to younger generations, we want you to know that dating violence is more common than one would think. One in three teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they hit the status of adulthood. We help educate the community on dating violence and encourage victims to seek help.
According to the Center for Disease Control, dating violence can have a negative effect on the victim’s life spanning many years past the traumatic events. Teens thru early adulthood who are victims are more likely to experience symptoms including: depression, anxiety, drug-use, and alcohol abuse. To support those statistics, the NCADV reported that half of youth who have been victims of both dating violence and rape attempt suicide compared to 12.5% of non-abused girls and 5.4% non-abused boys. With over 50% of teens knowing someone who has suffered from physical, sexual, or verbal abuse in a dating relationship, it is our job to start having those tough conversations, as well as keep an eye out for signs that we’ve talked about in past blog posts. Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month has encouraged us to take action, and you should too. Whether in your community or household, below are a few ideas:
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About this blog
This blog is about our domestic and sexual violence crisis center, Beacon of Hope. We hope you find it full of helpful information, motivation, creativity, serious facts and positivity. We hope that it will help you know what is happening in our center, in our community and with our events. We hope you follow our blog in support of our organization and our mission. Archives
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