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By: Cheyenne Taylor  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. Photography by Montana Watson The first annual Give Abuse The Boot gala raised $33K dollars for Beacon of Hope Crisis Center held October 5th during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The Thursday evening event included a dinner and auction at Barn at Bay Horse Inn for 250 participants. The top raffle item, raising $2,100, was an amazing golf package consisting of a Solar Sources Golf Hat and Golf Polo, Golf Balls, Golf Towel, Ping 400 Custom Driver donated by Bunker Run Golf Course, and a $400 Value Course Play at Hillcrest Country Club Golf Course with Golf Carts included. Beacon of Hope’s Board Chair, Jackie Bowman Ponder, entertained the crowd and auctioned off a one-week Pensacola Florida Condo getaway donated by Mike McKinnon, David Yurman earrings donated by Reis Nichols-Greenwood and a Pacers package with winners choice of game night! The Give Abuse The Boot Gala hosted more than 250 guests and featured emcee Lauren Casey of WRTV6. Guests were entertained by “Tastes Like Chicken” Dance Band’s “Chicken Bone” performing acoustic pop rock in the saloon. The highlight of the evening was, Amy McInerny, a survivor who spoke about her featured art sculpture which she created as a part of her healing journey receiving services as a client at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. “We are truly blessed. The generosity of our guests is so appreciated. The support of all of our sponsors and the dedication of all our board members and volunteers is what made this first initial event such a success,” said Sandra Ziebold – CEO, Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. “We feel fortunate to be able to have these funds to better serve victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in our community. The funds will assist us with our focused advocacy services and growth in our Teen Talk Program for our Central Indiana youth; including increased collaborative work with college campus partners.” The Events Committee for Give Abuse The Boot wants to again give recognition to our sponsors which included, K-LOVE Radio, IndyVet Emergency and Specialty Hospital, Greg Hubler Chevrolet, Myers for Mayor, Indiana Originals, Bowman Family Holdings, Eagle Creek Animal Clinic, Republic National Distributing Company, Vino Villa, The Food Guys Catering Co., Spotlight Strategies, Qtego Auction Services and many generous corporate and individual table sponsors. Victim Advocate - Beacon of Hope Crisis Center “Thank you. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would be willing to help me.”  I received a call from a client who comes from a marginalized victim population in which admitting to domestic violence victimization is extremely taboo. Though this client could barely muster the courage to describe their situation as “abuse,” as they told me their story it became clear that they were a victim of financial, verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. The client recognized the need to protect themselves and their family from their abuser, so we set up a time to meet for Protective Order filing assistance later that same day.
The process of filling out the paper work was an emotionally turbulent one for the victim. Not only was it difficult to admit to the abuse and to seek help for a problem their culture tells them they shouldn’t even acknowledge, but the fact is they still cared deeply for their abuser, and were grieving as though for the loss of a loved one. I supported them as best I could, giving them privacy to cry when they needed it, and validation and comfort when appropriate. It was a difficult process, but after two hours of re-living the abuse and filling out the paperwork that made their “victim” status so shockingly real to them, the victim took a deep breath, stood up, and for the first time, smiled. Before walking out the door they looked me in the eye, relief written across their face and commented, “Thank you. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would be willing to help me.” |
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
October 2024
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