1/16/2020
Your monthly news & updates
Welcome to the Anti-Violence Partnership's newsletter! Through this monthly email, we'll keep you up to date on everything that's happening at AVP. We'll highlight events we hold, people we cherish and news we think is relevant to the world of victim service.
End of the Year Fundraising Update
The initial goal for our #OfferHope Giving Tuesday campaign was a humble $300. As the day went on and we kept easily passing the benchmarks we had set, we raised that goal a half-dozen times.

Your generosity propelled us to hit almost five times what we expected to, and we finished the day with $1,460 in new donations. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!

Now that we have a strong template in place and we know what we're capable of, we can start next year's campaign with a higher goal (which we will then blow past with your continued support).
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AVP Partners with The Barley Sheaf Players for
Bang Bang You're Dead
After successfully working with Theatre Exile on their production of On The Exhale , AVP is partnering with Chester County's Barley Sheaf Players for Bang Bang You're Dead.
The play will run four engagements this month-- Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th and then again the following week on Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th. Each of these performances begins at 8:00pm.

Bang Bang You're Dead is a one-act play taking place in the aftermath of a school shooting, from the perspective of a school shooter. Originally written in 1999, it has been performed around the world and was adapted into a film in 2002.
 
Tickets can be purchased here and The Barley Sheaf Players have generously pledged proceeds to AVP.
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
Here's a reminder that, starting January 8, AVP will be holding weekly trauma-sensitive yoga groups one floor above our Farimount-area office:
This will be our second yoga series with instructor Ashley Sonson, who led classes at our West Philadelphia location earlier this year. Therapist Amanda Col ón , who participated in the 2019 sessions, was thrilled with the experience, writing:

"It's not a traditional support group; we don't ask that participants engage with each other, we don't ask people to share their past experiences or how they're feeling. Yet, over the course of the series, participants built a sense of community. They connected more deeply with themselves and with each other. At the end, one participant asked if we could take a photo together beause it "felt like family." I was so touched by that! The TS-Yoga group is truly special and I feel grateful to have been a part of it."

The yoga classes are free of cost, like all services at AVP. If you or somebody you know could benefit from our trauma-sensitive yoga group, please see the flyer for contact information (or don't hesitate to reply to this email!). We hope to see you there!
Meet AVP
A few words from Clinical Director
Casey McGovern
What's your job title at AVP and how would you describe what you do here?

I have worked at AVP for 11 years. I am the Director of the Counseling Center. I supervise the Outpatient Therapists and carry a caseload of co-victims of homicide. 

Why did you decide to get into victim services?

I decided to shift my clinical focus from community mental health to grief and trauma work. I enrolled in a post graduate certificate program on trauma and heard about AVP from a fellow student. I called AVP and asked about the possibility of doing an internship. AVP agreed. I loved the work and was lucky enough to be offered a job doing the wonderful work the team at AVP does.

What part of your job means the most to you?  

I feel so grateful to be able to provide therapeutic space to people who have lost a loved one to violence. Counseling can validate feelings of loss and provide a safe, non-judgmental place to grieve a loved one.

Is there anything you'd like to focus more of your effort toward as further define your role here?   

I feel strongly that a focus on advocacy for victims and co-victims of gun violence is an important role for people like myself who bear witness to the pain of those impacted by this horrific public health issue.