Hope`s Door Newsletter Summer 2013

2 0 1 3 E D IT ION 3
SUMMER SALUTE TO INDEPENDENCE
NEW YORK WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY
H
ope’s Door joined the coalition of over 850 legal, advocacy, religious
and business groups across New York state at the state Capitol on
Tuesday, June 4th to urge state legislators to pass the Women’s Equality
Agenda put forth by Governor Cuomo. The comprehensive 10-point package
would ultimately give women across New York state essential protections
while breaking down barriers that perpetuate discrimination and inequality
based on gender. For current status on the legislation or coalition, go to
www.nywomensequality.org or call CarlLa Horton at 914-747-0828 x1002.
Left: Jennifer Ryan Safsel, Hopes Door Director of Development & Community Relations,
NY State Senator Ruth Hassell Thompson, CarlLa Horton, Hope’s Door Executive Director.
Right: NY State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
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Nicole Taylor Photography
Nicole Taylor Photography
Spring Gala
Hope’s Door Friends Committee Members Debbie Lionetti, Laurie Sturz, Michele
Schimmel, and Caroline Shepherd.
J. Lingo
J. Lingo
Hope’s Door Executive Director CarlLa Horton, and Scott McGee, Anchor and
Managing Editor, News 12 Westchester.
Hope’s Door Board members Debra Kousouros, Esq., Elizabeth Cronin, Esq.
and Hope’s Door Board President Eric Wrubel, Esq.
Karl LiVigni, Friends Committee member Diane Rooney, Thomas O’Keefe and Laura O’Keefe.
www.HopesDoorNY.org
C A RLLA HO RTO N
As summer beckons, many of us think ahead to days enjoyed with family and
friends, including the upcoming Fourth of July celebration of our country’s
independence and the freedoms we cherish.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Eric I. Wrubel, Esq., Board President
Martha Kohn, Board Vice President
Carey Vames, Board Secretary
Wendy M. Gardner, Board Treasurer
Emily Bond
Jean Marie Connolly
Elizabeth Cronin, Esq.
Debra Kousouros, Esq.
Ken Marsolais
Caroline Murphy
ADVISORY BOARD
Sheryl Dale, Chair
Asst. Director, Mohawk Day Camp
Renée Brown, CEO, C.W. Brown
Alyssa Dweck, MD, MK Medical Group
Nick Gregory, Meteorologist, FOX5
Rick Krim, EVP, VH1
Cynthia Rubino, COO, Berkeley College
Joel Seligman, President & CEO,
Northern Westchester Hospital
Irina Zhabinskaya, MD, Med. Dir., Ped.,
Northern Westchester Hospital
FROM THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Here at Hope’s Door, where we seek to end domestic violence and to empower
victims to achieve safety, independence and healing from the trauma of abuse,
we are reminded of the courage of those we serve in their personal journey to
freedom and independence.
We remember the women — many with children – who came to us with only
the clothes they could carry, unsure of what to do to pick up the pieces of
their lives. We think about those victims not yet on their journey to independence, and we embrace the challenge of helping them. As we work with teens
in our prevention program, we imagine the next generation living and loving in
a world where every relationship is safe, healthy and based on respect.
It is our hope for a better tomorrow in combination with your support that
sustains our commitment to ending domestic violence and helping each
survivor — single women, children, teens, and men – take that first step to
independence. Every donation of time, goods, or money that you provide
sends a message to victims that they are not alone and that others do care.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CarlLa Horton, MPA
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Jennifer Ryan Safsel, Director of Development
& Community Relations
Dina Gammer, Development and
Finance Assistant
Margo Goody, Designer
We salute not only the independence of each survivor, but also the spirit of
sisterhood and brotherhood exemplified by the individuals, foundations and
corporate funders that support Hope’s Door. If you would like to help victims
on their path to independence, to take action to prevent abuse in the next
generation, or to make a donation in support of our work, please call us at
914-747-0828 or visit www.HopesDoorNY.org.
Your support makes words like these possible:
“Hope’s Door has given me the courage and hope I never had
before and has helped me become the woman I was meant to be—
strong, courageous and most of all, free.”
LISA’S STORY
T
he last time my husband attacked me, I was afraid I would
end up in the hospital leaving our newborn daughter alone
with the man who once told me he had no idea what to do
with her. I knew I had to leave. I didn’t want our daughter growing up witnessing my verbal and physical abuse. I didn’t want her
thinking that was what a relationship was between a man and a
woman. That’s what it took to leave.
The police officer who took my report gave me the number to
Hope’s Door. I met with a counselor and learned that the punching, grabbing, shaking and strangling were abuse. I decided
to leave before he got home from work and before he could
ever hurt me again. I left my home, financial security, and
marriage. The Hope’s Door shelter provided a safe place to
begin my new life. I got an order of protection, custody of our
daughter, and my abuser was ordered to a domestic violence
offender program. After securing housing for my daughter and
a job for myself, I thought it would be rainbows and unicorns
from here on out. It wasn’t. My abuser began to use our daughter as a pawn in his continuing efforts to control me, putting
me down in front of her, and asserting that he needed to be
in my home because our daughter wanted him there. He did all
this and more.
Freedom is an ongoing process of navigating through the new
ways he tries to control me. Freedom is a slog again and again
through my fear of him, then accepting the fear, making friends
with the fear, then moving on to a higher level of freedom.
My freedom has been hard won, but, it is freedom and is worth
everything to me.
O
Spring Gala
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J. Lingo
Nicole Taylor Photography
ur Annual Spring Gala was a wonderful evening celebrating the belief that together, we can spread hope by
ending domestic violence and breaking the cycle of abuse. We thank all the individuals, companies and foundations
that helped make this event a success. Woodlands Community Temple was honored for their work on behalf of Hope’s
Door and its mission. We hope guests enjoyed the evening and those that were not able to join us will do so next year!
Nicole Taylor Photography
Nancy K. Simpkins and Thomas Vitti.
Tiffany Bauman and James Andriola.
Top: Kate Horn and Blakely Brodbeck.
Bottom: Danae Richards and Ali Flynn.
J. Lingo
Nicole Taylor Photography
Nicole Taylor Photography
Penney Klingman and Dr. Lynn McDonald.
Nicole Taylor Photography
Hope’s Door Board member Jean Marie Connolly, Mark Iannucci, Hope’s Door Advisory Board
member Dr. Alyssa Dweck, Dr. Evan Krakovitz, Joyce Seligman and Hope’s Door Advisory Board
member Joel Seligman.
Richard Klein, Hope’s Door Board members Carey Vames and
Emily Bond, and Cliff Bond.
Hope’s Door Staff—Top: Elsa Arce, Stephanie Avila, Amanda Ready, Gay French-Ottaviani,
Jennifer Ryan Safsel, Phillip G. Morton, Dina Gammer, Amy Grogan, Kathleen McCoy-Psychoyos,
Bottom: Joanna Gutierrez, Dianne DeFilippis, Gina Curcuru, Penny Pepe and Crystal Giuriceo.
VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/HOPESDOORNYINC FOR MORE GALA PHOTOS.
PO Box 203
39 Washington Avenue
Pleasantville, NY 10570
www.HopesDoorNY.org 914.747.0828
Hope’s Door seeks to end domestic violence and to empower victims to achieve
safety, independence, and healing from the trauma of abuse.
Ms. Elsa Arce, our bilingual LMHC, and Stephanie Avila, who co-leads our Tuesday
morning bilingual group at our new Hope’s Door Ossining site have brought new ways
of healing from abuse for our clients.
Yoga is used to help with self-empowerment and healing from the trauma of
abuse. For the first time we held a yoga class at our Ossining location. One
of the clients said in Spanish, “I have never attended a yoga class. I feel so
relaxed. I am so glad I am part of Hope’s Door.” For more information on
this monthly class and other programs, contact Elsa at 914-747-0828 x1010.
Hope’s Door Ossining location is at 100 S. Highland Avenue, and is open Tuesdays
9am to 5pm, and Thursdays 3pm to 5pm.
Certified Yoga Instructor Majorie Rosenfield, works for “Exhale to Inhale” a non-profit organization
providing Yoga classes at no cost to DV victims.
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Annual Fall Luncheon • Friday, October 11, 2013
Renaissance Westchester Hotel • To join the Luncheon Committee
and help with this year’s luncheon, call Jennifer Ryan Safsel at
914-747-0828 x1005 or email her at [email protected]
15th Annual Teen Symposium • Friday, October 18, 2013
For Information contact Dianne DeFilippis at 914-747-0828 x1004
or email her at [email protected]
Annual Spring Gala • Friday, April 25, 2014
To join the Friends Committee and help with the gala, call
Jennifer Ryan Safsel at 914-747-0828 x1005 or email her at
[email protected]
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SAVE THE DATE
Thanks to our Gala Sponsors:
Penney and Gerard Klingman • Nancy K. Simpkins • TJX Foundation, Inc.
BNY Mellon Wealth Management • Boise, Schiller & Flexner LLP
Heckler & O’Keefe CPAs, P.C. • Thomas Klingenstein and Nancy Perlman
Martha and Jeff Kohn • McLaughlin & Stern, LLP • Laurie and Paul Sturz
Tiffany Bauman Real Estate, LLC • Mary Jo and Oren Bramson
Wendy and Tom Gardner • Lee Manning-Vogelstein
Dr. Terrence and Caroline Murphy • Matthew Ryan • Jane Silverman
Carey Vames and Richard Klein • John and Patricia Kligenstein Fund
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors • The Westchester Bank
Obie Clifford • Paul, Tracy and Stephanie Zelenetz
Judith Noe Butler • Deanne Fitzpatrick-Jamal • April Foley
Jennifer Hickox and Laurence Grob • Jane and Daniel Kleinman
Palisades Fuel, Inc. • Pearl Family Foundation • Sally Martell