Spring 2013

Vision & Voice
Spring 2013
Sharing the vision to create safe and healthy
relationships with our community.
from
our
Executive Director
At SafePlace, we are diligent about counting. Please
take a look at our service statistics for 2012. The
statistics tells a story about how SafePlace responded
to sexual and domestic violence in our town. They will
make you proud about the enormous number of people
we have helped. But those same statistics will break
your heart. For example: our phenomenal volunteers
and staff accompanied 450 women to the hospital for a
forensic sex assault exam.
We sheltered over 950 people with 34,887 nights of
shelter, more children than adults. We are proud to
provide so much service to our community ---- and we
are sick about it.
SafePlace exists to end sexual and domestic violence
in our community. Lofty? Absolutely! We do it in two
ways: Service and Change. Service: We end violence
one life at a time when we help a survivor. Change: We
reach out to the community to talk about violence and
how to prevent it.
A few years ago, in preparation for strategic planning,
we asked people who have come to us for help what
we should be doing better. We expected them to say,
build a bigger shelter or hire more counselors. But
they didn’t. They said we should increase efforts to tell
the public about SafePlace, they wanted us to increase
awareness about how to have safe relationships. We all
want rape and family violence to end.
Continued on Page 3.
In this Issue:
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4
6
7
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New Safe Visitation and Exchange Program Launches
SafePlace On Campus & Denim Day
LIFT Alliance Update
Partnerships Help to Extend SafePlace’s Reach
Why I Am a SafeKeeper, by JoLynn Free
New Safe Visitation and Exchange Program Launches
PlanetSafe a Collaboration between SafePlace and Travis County
These contractors charge between $60-$140 per hour,
and both parents are equally responsible for the fee.
That cost leads many to try to arrange for their own
safe exchange, meeting in fast food restaurants or other
public places. Unfortunately, all too often, that contact
leads to further abuse and violence.
Planet Safe is located close to the Travis County Courthouse.
On May 15, SafePlace and Travis County will celebrate
the Grand Opening of PlanetSafe, a supervised
visitation and safe exchange center. PlanetSafe will
provide safe visitation and exchange services for parents
leaving abusive relationships.
Right now, there is no safe and affordable child
visitation and exchange service in Central Texas, which
presents a huge vulnerability for survivors of domestic
violence. Imagine that your ex-partner and the parent
of your child is abusive. Next, imagine that a court
requires you to remain in contact with this person
to coordinate child visitation – even if you have a
protective order in place.
Currently, the only option in Travis County is a network
of private contractors whose services are designed to
ensure the safety of children, not the safety of parents.
At PlanetSafe, every moment of the exchange has
been planned with the survivor’s safety in mind. The
custodial parent and non-custodial parent arrive at
different times, through different entrances. Visitation
rooms are available and supervised visitation will
be available, and both parents have access to a case
manager to receive referrals to other SafePlace
programs or get help with other needs.
PlanetSafe is a two-year collaborative project of Travis
County and SafePlace. It is funded through a Safe
Havens grant from The Office on Violence Against
Women.
Services will be offered on a sliding-scale basis,
starting at $5 for safe exchanges and $10 for supervised
visitation. Initially, families receiving this service
will either be referred from SafePlace, or will have a
court order. At a later date PlanetSafe will expand to
accept referrals from other service provider and the
community.
PlanetSafe is located across from the BlackwellThurman Criminal Justice Center at 1101 Nueces Street
in Austin, and will be open Friday – Monday to allow
for weekend visitations and exchanges.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
PLATINUM
Tom & Julie Stevenson
A Day to Shine is an annual event featuring a fashion show
and gala. This year, the event was held on April 13, and netted
more than $125,000 to benefit Expect Respect, SafePlace's teen
dating violence prevention program. Thanks to event chair Julie
Stevenson and the volunteer event committee for all their hard
work!
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GOLD
Glenn & Linda Neland
Audrey Kelly, LLC
Andy Roddick Foundation *
SILVER
BRONZE
Kate & Cary McNair
Felicia Teel and Craig Hester
Dillard’s Department Store
Margaret & Don Walker
Karen & George Casey
Luther King Capital Management
Xtreme Xhibits *
* Denotes a gift in-kind.
Continued from Page 1.
Back to counting: Now go back to the charts that tell
about what SafePlace did in 2012 and take a look at
the number of people we reached in outreach and
prevention programs. It was over 46,000 people. Our
Many Thanks
to the following
companies and foundations for
their generous support of SafePlace
in 2012-2013:
Agency-Wide Demographics
residential and non-residential services
78%
female
22%
male
13%
58%
42%
self-identified
disabilities
adult
children
message was about safe and respectful relationships and
what we (that’s all of us) can do to prevent sexual and
domestic violence. We did this on college campuses, in
group homes where people with disabilities live, and in
our local middle and high schools. We provided classes
about healthy relationships as well as classes about safe
parenting and even classes about fatherhood. We talked
to people at risk and we promoted general awareness
to all people. Over and over and over again we talked
about courage – the courage to speak out, to intervene,
and to influence for good.
You will see stories in this newsletter about how we are
creating change and some ideas of how we (you and me)
can make a difference. Thank you for caring.
SafePlace wants to help you help us
by doing a little bit of spring cleaning.
We’ve teamed up with Ebay Giving
Works. Now you can clear out space in
your garage by selling the old typewriter
you haven’t had the heart to get rid of
or the unused exercise equipment from
your 2011 New Year’s Resolution. With
Giving Works, you can select to have
all or part of your proceeds support
the programming at SafePlace. Let the
spring cleaning begin!
Givingworks.ebay.com
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SafePlace on
campus
College Rape Awareness and Prevention Week:
a chance to reach out to survivors, bystanders
SafePlace volunteers pass out materials at Concordia University during RAAP week.
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These startling statistics are what led SafePlace to develop College Rape Awareness and Prevention (RAAP) Week,
which was held the last week of March. Our staff and volunteers visited local campuses armed with materials and
resources to help students recognize the role they play in preventing sexual assault.
“The recent case in Steubenville, Ohio, in which the sexual assault came to light through social media postings
from bystanders shows us just how far we still have to go,” says SafePlace’s Director of Community Education,
Karen Wilson, Ed.D. “We are working to create a community that does not tolerate sexual violence, and that means
engaging all those bystanders with their cell phone cameras.”
As sexual assault is also one of the most under-reported crimes -- it's estimated that fewer than 20% are reported
to the police -- RAAP week is also an opportunity to reach out to survivors with recovery resources. “The energy
and enthusiasm the students have is infectious, and it has led to some really intense and challenging dialogue,”
said Amy Allen, SafePlace Community Organizer, BSAS. “We distributed 4,645 palm cards, which exceeded our
outreach goal. I can’t wait until next year!”
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Denim Day: Annual event raises awareness, funds for sexual
assault prevention
The case made headlines around the world: a judge in Italy stated that a woman in tight jeans “cannot be raped”
because her attacker couldn’t have removed them without her assistance. Since that happened in 1999, Denim Day
has provided an opportunity to share the message that rape is entirely the responsibility of the rapist, and nothing
a person wears can serve as an excuse or explanation.
Each year, SafePlace reaches out to members of our community with trainings, presentations, educational
materials and awareness campaigns. Why, on top of caring for the immediate safety needs of survivors, do we
make this work a priority? It’s because we know that prevailing attitudes, assumptions and behaviors won’t change
unless we actively work to change them. Every year, SafePlace commits resources to community education efforts
as part of our commitment to work toward a day when domestic violence and sexual assault are relics of the past.
“It’s not enough to just talk change, we have to get out there where people are and connect around these issues in
meaningful ways,” says community organizer Amy Allen.
Denim Day is an important awareness-raising event for SafePlace. This year’s Denim Day was April 24, and
SafePlace reached 8,695 individuals with materials and information about the prevalence of sexual assault in our
community. Here’s how you can commit to ending sexual violence in our community, on Denim Day and every day:
Be a Courageous Bystander :
• Speak up when you hear threatening language.
• Hold people accountable for their actions.
• Respectfully challenge comments that degrade women.
Make sure your workplace has policies in place to support and protect staff:
• Ask your employer to invite a speaker from SafePlace.
• Have SafePlace set up an information booth.
• Request brochures and palm cards to display for employees and clients.
Let others know their safety is important :
• Make sure others know they can come to you for confidential help.
• Share the SafePlace 24-hour hotline, 512.267.SAFE (7233) or, for Deaf/HH/Deaf-Blind community, please use
relay/VRS; you never know who you will help.
• Know what resources are available in Austin and be able to
share them with others.
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SafePlace School
Graduates First Student
update
The LIFT Alliance is fully up and running as of
January 1, chugging away behind the scenes at
Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace, providing
finance, operations, communications, and HR
support to both organizations. We now have one
payroll system and one insurance provider.
That may not sound exciting. But we believe that
LIFT will provide us with the platform we need
to change the conversation and the community’s
response to abuse in families.
Last year the state of Texas pursued 166,211
investigations of child abuse. In 53,705 of those
investigations, the state found evidence of
domestic violence as well. Obviously no state
program is available to remove those adult
victims to safety, which begins to explain why the
state’s network of family violence shelters runs at
full capacity with waiting lists all the time.
SafePlace has always sheltered children who
arrive with their parents, and over time, we have
developed a network of services for children,
including counseling, activities, and an on-site
K-12 charter school. Our partnership with ACS
has already given us more options and flexibility
as we work to meet the needs of those children in
our care.
But we also intend to work together to send a
message that reflects and recognizes the truth
about abusive families: they’re damaging to
everyone in them, adults and children alike.
It’s not realistic to imagine that our community
-- or any community -- could ever provide
residential services to every child and adult
victim of abuse who’s out there. We need to
think differently, to provide services in different
ways and to different people. We must do more
to prevent the violence in the first place. At
SafePlace and ACS, we are committed to finding
new ways to respond to the problem, and
working and planning together is the first step.
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College in her future, but first: a summer of work
SafePlace’s first graduation ceremony!
The party may
have been held in
an undisclosed
location, but it was
festive and packed,
as staff and students
at SafePlace and the
George Kozmetsky
Charter School
gathered for a firstever graduation
ceremony earlier
this year.
Our graduate had been attending her local school until a safety
issue in her family required a move into the shelter. Unable to
return to her home school, she completed her coursework at the
on-campus Kozmetsky school.
“I don’t want to cry, but ...” she said, as the tears began silently
rolling down her face. “I just really want to thank my mom,
for always being there for me, and for pushing me. And thank
you everybody for making this possible for me. I’m just really
happy.”
She intends to attend college in the fall, but until then, she’s
gotten a job and is working to save money for expenses.
“I don’t think any of us can ever imagine what this young
lady has been through,” said Julia Spann. “The strength and
resilience she has shown through some very difficult moments
is remarkable. And she’s already a role model to her fellow
students, who are looking forward to the day that they, too, will
wear a cap and gown.”
The school, a program of SafePlace, Austin Children’s Shelter,
and the University of Texas, is open to students from Austin
Children’s Shelter and those staying at SafePlace in shelter
or supportive housing. Until this year, the school only served
students in grades K-8, so this year has been full of growth,
change, and accomplishment.
“We are very proud of all our students and the effort they make
every day to focus on their education despite whatever else may
be going on in their lives,” says Kozmetsky School Principal
Christee Jackson. “We want this to be the first of many
graduation ceremonies we hold.”
Partnerships Help to Extend SafePlace’s Reach
SafePlace is fortunate
to have long-standing
partnerships and
collaborations with a
variety of organizations in
the community. People’s
Community Clinic and
Planned Parenthood have
provided medical care to
our residents for several
Thanks to a partnership with KLRU,
SafePlace received iPads for use in our years. Our partnership
children’s programs.
with Creative Action,
the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble, brings
effective and engaging prevention messages to middle
and high school students and is now in its ninth season.
And a new grant from the U.S. Office on Violence
Against Women will enable us to expand our supportive
housing program, in partnership with Foundation
Communities.
But that’s just the beginning of the story! KLRU-TV
worked on SafePlace’s behalf to secure grant funding
from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to
purchase iPads with special educational apps installed
for our children’s programs. Additionally, several AISD
schools and programs are involved with SafePlace: the
Akins High School job readiness program has placed a
number of interns with us, and the AISD Project HELP
program sends tutors to help the school-age children
who are staying with us.
Further partnerships provide training and education
to the clients of Goodwill, American YouthWorks, and
the Salvation Army, in collaboration with SafePlace’s
Community Education department. Strong Start
provides respite care and parenting support for families
staying in our emergency shelter who are unable to
access full-time child care.
“Partnerships with other organizations allow us to
extend our work further into the community than we
ever could on our own,” says Executive Director Julia
Spann. “We are grateful to all our community partners
for the meaningful opportunities and collaborations
they bring our way.”
Why I Am a SafeKeeper
by JoLynn Free
SafeKeepers commit to remembering SafePlace in their estate plans. JoLynn Free has
supported the organization for years, having served on both our Board of Directors and
our Foundation Board of Directors. She is an advisor at Stephens, Inc., a private equity and
investment management firm. For more information on how you can become a SafeKeeper,
contact Carmine Salvucci at [email protected].
In keeping with the advice I give to clients, I decided
that it was time for a regular review of my will a couple
of years ago. When I did I also decided that it was time
to memorialize the charitable gifts I would like to make
through my estate. I think that we often get hung up on
the notion of a specific dollar amount or the concept of
having “enough” for our heirs who may be dependent
upon us. Those sticking points can keep us from
following through with the gifting we envision and can
pose a genuine obstacle.
Here are three ideas that helped me get myself unstuck
in this regard. First, I dealt with the concept of
determining what would be adequate resources to leave
for my husband and descendants - in what I hope is
the distant future - by thinking about the amount of
charitable giving we do currently.
Next, I dealt with the notion of “enough” in spiritual
terms, which is an ongoing inquiry that each of us
approaches in our own way. When I am tempted to
make an expensive purchase I always think about
the good those dollars could do in the hands of an
organization like SafePlace, and that helps keep me
honest about the difference between need and desire.
Finally, I engaged in narrowing the number of
organizations I regularly support to determine the ones
that really have a hold on my heartstrings, SafePlace
among them. I have long admired SafePlace for its
mission, innovation, and effectiveness. They have
managed to do more with less over a long period of
time, and all with big-heartedness and integrity.
Rather than designating a dollar amount, which would
be difficult to determine, I have specified a percentage
of the estate that should go to each organization.
Because that is consistent with long-established giving
patterns, that should be entirely acceptable to my heirs,
and I will be happy knowing that the organizations close
to my heart will benefit after my death.
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Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Austin, Texas
Permit No. 634
P.O. Box 19454
Austin, Texas 78760
SafePlace is proud to
partner with:
Vision & Voice is published
by SafePlace, P.O. Box 19454,
Austin Texas 78760.
Bulk rate nonprofit postage
paid in Austin, Texas.
Board of Directors
Cindy Brouillette, Chair
Karen Bartoletti | Laura Bosworth | Marylu De Hoyos | Lori Freedman | Iliana Gilman | Janet Heher
Stephanie Lucie | Bob May | Celeste Mendoza | Dana Nelson | Michael Simons | Tom Stevenson | Felicia Teel
Foundation Trustees
Felicia Teel, Chair
Alice Liu Cook | Sandy Cox | Richard Fatheree | Theresa Garza | John Jones | Kimberly Kozmetsky
Lindsay Leavitt | Cindy Levit | Kacy O’Hare | Patti O’Meara | Greg Ritzen | Laila Scott | Greg Skelton
Tom Stevenson | Laura Stewart | Mary Stolp | Tricia Teegardin | Rachael Wyatt | Caryl Yontz
Lifetime Trustees
JoLynn Free | Luci Baines Johnson | Gregory A. Kozmetsky | MariBen Ramsey | Donna Stockton-Hicks
Executive Director
Julia Spann
SafePlace is ending sexual and domestic violence
through safety, healing, prevention and social change.
24-hour Hotline: 512.267.SAFE (7233)
or 512.927.9616 TTY for the Deaf community
www.SafePlace.org
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