WOMEN'S ADVOCATES | NEWSLETTER

Aaniin (Greetings) Friends and Relatives of Women’s Advocates, 

Fifty years ago, Women’s Advocates was born from the grassroots efforts of a generous and dedicated community in Saint Paul. Thanks to your steadfast commitment, we have been able to provide life-saving services and resources to thousands of victim-survivors over the past five decades. This October as we honor our 50th anniversary and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, our goal is to raise $125,000 to continue breaking the cycle of domestic violence.

Help us reach our goal to support victim-survivors and their families:

• 50th Anniversary Gala: Join us on October 17th at the Landmark Center for an inspiring evening of reflection, celebration, live music, and an exhibit showcasing our history.
• Watch and Share Our Video Series: Throughout October, we’ll release videos to our website and social media about our work. By watching and sharing them, you help spread awareness:

October 3rd – Lean on Me: Supporting Youth in Community

October 10th – Pets Are Family: Our Role in the MN Pet Coalition

October 17th – Expanding Our Impact: Capital Campaign 2024-2027

October 24th – 50 Years of Advocacy: Reflecting on Our Legacy

• Donate to Support Our Mission: Help us raise $125,000 for victim-survivors this October. Every contribution helps provide essential services like our 24/7 crisis line, emergency shelter, housing stability program, foster pet program, youth engagement, and more.

As we prepare to honor this milestone of 50 years, we are also looking toward the future with plans to expand our shelter capacity through our Capital Campaign. With your continued support, we can create a safer, more compassionate world, that's free from domestic violence.

Respectfully and Zhawenim (unconditional love),

Holly Henning

Executive Director

WHEN:

Thursday, October 17^th

5:30-8:30pm

WHERE:

Landmark Center

75 W 5th Street, Saint Paul, MN

We invite you to honor our legacy as the first shelter in the nation for victim-survivors of domestic violence while celebrating progress towards a safer future, free from abuse.

Join us for:

• An exhibit of our history with art for auction from victim-survivors and local artists
• Music from MN State Representative Maria Isa
• Winning prizes while contributing to our mission
• Stories that highlight the crucial need for shelters and services like ours

We’re excited to welcome Kelly Turpin as our new Director of Development & Communications. With her extensive experience in communications and fundraising, Kelly brings a strong commitment to our mission. Join us in welcoming Kelly!

Q: What can attendees expect from our 50th Anniversary Gala?

A: It will feel good to be there. The gala will be a heartwarming gathering where we come together in a creative and healing environment, featuring an art exhibit and live music. Plus, It’s a special chance to gain deeper insight into the life-saving work we do daily at Women’s Advocates. 

Q: How can people support our work if they can’t attend the gala?

A: We put out a lot of approachable and shareable content throughout October – use that to invite others into the work! Share our Domestic Violence Awareness Month videos to get your network involved and help us reach our $125,000 goal for victim-survivors, their families, and their pets. Beyond providing the immediate need of shelter essentials, we strive to accommodate personal needs and choices, so residents have autonomy and feel at home while they are with us. Your donations directly support that! 

Q: How can the community help prevent domestic violence all year?

A: It starts and ends with community. Community support is the only way to break

the cycle – listen, believe, speak out, repeat. Believe in the ripple effect of your actions and volunteer, donate, and write to your government officials to demand continued support for emergency shelters.

An Exciting Update in Our Journey

Towards Doubling Our Shelter Beds

We are happy to share we now have 75% of our $14.25 million goal met, having raised over $11.5 million to date! Our new facilities will not only double our shelter space, providing 19 additional ADA-compliant apartments and a total of 58 beds, but will also offer a groundbreaking feature: residents will be able to live with their dogs and cats 24/7. This commitment to allowing pets to stay with their families is a key reason why our supporters are so excited about this campaign. It reflects our dedication to creating a nurturing and supportive environment for all victim-survivors, regardless of their gender, sexuality, or abilities.

Our team is currently in the design phase, actively involving staff and

victim-survivors to ensure the new facilities meet their diverse needs. By including those who will use and manage these spaces, we are creating a facility that is both functional and responsive to the needs of our community. Executive Director Holly Henning emphasizes, “Involving staff and survivors' insights and experiences will help us build a facility that meets our collective needs and upholds our mission.”

To bring this vision to life and support five full years of programming once the new facilities open, we still need your help. Your continued support and donations are crucial to reaching our goal and ensuring that we can offer comprehensive and sustained support to all victim-survivors.

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