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Thank you for visiting our Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
On Sunday, April 26th we will be participating in the Walk for HAWC (Help for Abused Women and Children). HAWC is an amazing organization that helps countless numbers of women each year through their support groups, shelters, legal advocacy, education, and 24 hour hotline, just to name a few of their programs. We are walking because we believe that it is unacceptable that one in three women will be abused in their lifetime; that more than 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by their partner each year in the United States; and that 25 women died at the hands of their partner in Massachusetts in 2008.
Most recently, the issue of domestic violence has been thrust into the spotlight through media coverage of R&B singer Chris Brown’s vicious assault on singer and girlfriend Rihanna. Reports reveal that Brown not only severely beat his girlfriend, leaving her face swollen and her body covered in bite marks, but that he threatened to kill her and strangled her until she lay unconscious. The immediate response by shocked fans and gossipers alike is filled with questions such as: Why would he attack her? How could such a strong and beautiful woman like Rihanna possibly be in an abusive relationship? Why would she stay with him?
As media frenzy continues to swirl around these questions and details of the couple, no one seems to be addressing the issue of domestic violence. Abuse does not discriminate against age, race, level of education, or what you do for a living. Domestic violence is not an incident, it is a system of coercive behaviors that are used to establish and maintain power and control over a partner or family member. Most people are familiar with the definition of abuse as only physical, but it comes in many different forms, including emotional and mental, verbal, sexual and economic, and is almost always some sort of combination of all of the above.
Although the relationship of Chris Brown and Rihanna has become very public, most women stuck in abusive relationships suffer in silence. Every woman deserves the chance not only to get the assistance they need to safely escape an abusive partner, but to have someone to help them heal.
At a time when women are at risk and funding is suffering, your support is key to keeping programs like HAWC able to positively affect the lives of Massachusetts women. We ask that you help with our fundraising efforts by sponsoring our team in the annual Walk for HAWC. And if you’d like to join us for the walk please let us know! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Molly Neville at molly.neville@gmail.com.
Please contribute to this amazing organization!
Thank you for your support,
Team Change
P.S. If you would prefer to donate by check, please email Molly for the best mailing address.
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