By: Cheyenne Taylor

With the end of 2022 quickly approaching and 2023 on the horizon, we are asking for the assistance of our community to help our agency end this year on a high note. We have been very busy this year with meeting the increasing needs and requests from survivors in our community.
 
In fact, in the first nine months of 2022, we served over 1,000 clients, filed 208 protective orders, received nearly 2,000 crisis calls, and prepared over 1,500 safety plans for victims. Our agency continues to see an uptick in client requests for services. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to amplify the risks and cause financial issues for victims that they struggle to overcome. Our agency has continued to address those needs and provide an abundance of services to help relieve victims of domestic violence and sexual assault of their burdens. In the first nine months of 2022, we utilized interpreter services for 371 crisis calls, had 52 clients accept referrals for specialized medical care out of the 224 who reported strangulation victimization. Additionally, we provided nearly 750 counseling sessions and shelter referrals to 1,408 domestic violence victims, many of whom were homeless and seeking safe housing. Overall, we provided new and existing clients with 3,693 services, including education on victim rights and the criminal justice system. All of this has been possible due to the diligent efforts of our agency staff, victim advocates, and the contributions from our devoted donors.
 
 By donating at the end of the year, you are helping us to continue to meet the growing needs of our clients and allowing us to prepare for these colder months, which bring a slew of unique issues. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, consider giving back to Beacon of Hope Crisis Center so we can continue to meet the needs of those vulnerable in our community. Your help is needed more than ever, and this is the perfect time to act and give back to the survivors struggling to provide for their families or keep roofs over their heads. With even as little as $20, you can improve a survivor's circumstances and ensure they get a hot meal or gas in their car to make it to work. Your donation saves lives; utilize that power to make a difference.

Speak with a victim advocate by calling our confidential crisis line at 317-731-6140. You can also reach us through our social media sites or contact us page. If you are in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1.

 This past Thursday, we were given the opportunity to celebrate being selected as a finalist by the remarkable women of Impact 100 Indy. Our agency is so fortunate to have been a part of this experience. We were chosen out of many great organizations to be a finalist for the Impact 100 Change Maker Grant.
 
At Impact 100 Indy’s Rock the Boat event, we were able to hear about the other amazing organizations that were selected as finalists and from the grand prize winner of the grant, Neighborlink Indianapolis, and learn more about the Impact 100 Indy organization and their impact on our communities. To be in a room with so many people looking to make a positive impact on our community has left us in awe. We were also pleasantly surprised with a certificate as a finalist and were given the opportunity to share how we have been able to save even more pet and human lives thanks to Impact 100’s award to our agency.
 
Thank you to the other finalists and the winner for inspiring us to continue in our endeavors and for being the change we wish to see in the world. Thank you, Impact 100, for giving us all the space to share our passions, our visions and positively impact our communities. With an organization like Impact 100 Indy in our community, we know that so many people’s lives will improve and so many lives will be positively impacted due to their work. We are grateful to be one of many organizations that have felt that positive impact.