It's homework we have to do

[What about the men!?]

This past Tuesday we hosted an information booth at the South Seattle Community College's Women's Health Fair. It was always nice to be surrounded by a bunch of great local organizations like DAWN and Big Brothers Big Sisters and there was a bustle of students right from the beginning who were eager to talk to us/get their class homework finished. It turned out that an instructor for a class there has given the students homework of visiting this fair and talking to eight different organizations to "find out what they do." Some wanted to get their work done and get out as quickly as they could while some were genuinely curious. You stop by and learn or you don't. It's the nature of tabling at events.

"Are you like an environmental organization? I see lots of plants and trees..."

Volunteer Openings!

Hey folks, here are the open volunteer positions we have right now. Please let me know if you're interested in any of these!

Transitional Housing Open House Help!
What: New Beginnings will be hosting a small open house gathering for our newly remodeled Transitional Housing Program. We need 1-2 volunteers to help with greeting and checking in guests, replenishing food and drinks and clean-up duty.
When: January 25th from 6-8pm
Where: Our confidential Transitional Housing location.

Music/Dance/Acting/Art or Other Talent Instructor

What: We need one volunteer to teach a music/dance or any other fun talent to the kids at our Transitional Housing Program and emergency shelter. In the past, we’ve had a Karate instructor and a dance teacher host fun classes for the kids. It’s a great way for the kids to do something exciting and new!
When: Once a week on weekdays in the late afternoon/evening.
Where: At a TBD New Beginnings location.

Financial Literacy Expert/Credit Counselor
What: Many of the women at our Transitional Housing Program are going through a great deal of financial issues as a result of their abusive partners. We need one skilled volunteer to help sort out some of these issues with our women and to answer questions as they come up. Financial planning and troubleshooting with our women is more so dealing with critical debt and credit issues rather than saving for a house, for example.
When: Once every few months, Thursday afternoon/evening for 1-2 hours.
Where: Our confidential Transitional Housing location.

Healthy Eating/Nutrition Expert
What: We need one nutrition savvy volunteer to teach healthy eating and cooking skills to the women/mothers at Transitional Housing. Most of the women at THP are low-income and are supported through food stamps and/or food banks but it’s still important to learn about nutrition! This is a great way to teach people that even on a budget, you can eat right!
When: One time. On a Thursday afternoon/evening for 1-2 hours.
Where: Our confidential Transitional Housing location.

Landscaping Volunteer
What: We need one volunteer to help keep our Transitional Housing greenery area looking nice!
When: Based on your availability. Ideally once or twice a month for a few hours each shift.
Where: Our confidential Transitional Housing location.
New Beginnings at South Seattle Community College’s Women’s Health Fair!
What: We’ll be hosting an information booth at the Women’s Health Fair at SSCC. Help us be a positive and informative presence by engaging with the public!
When: January 25th from 11am-3pm.
Where: South Seattle Community College, Jerry Brockey Student Center

December Volunteer of the Month! - Sara Zittlau

[We're off to see...]

Hey folks, we're very proud to announce the December Volunteer of the Month! - Sara Zittlau. Sara has been a volunteer in a number of capacities at New Beginnings since 2007 and here's what our staff had to say about Sara:

"Sara, a long time NB volunteer has been co-facilitating support groups for nearly two years now. In addition to her knowledge about domestic violence she is well versed in recovery issues and also has experience as a sexual assault program volunteer. She engages well with all the women in our [support] group and has an accepting and non-judgmental presence as well as being so well informed. She will co-lead group when asked with competence, style and grace. Whenever she is missing, the group is very aware and shares their concern for her absence. We are so privileged to have her!"

"Sara is always willing to lend a hand when needed and her positive attitude is always a boost to our agency"

We sat down with Sara after presenting her with the award:

Q: Who are you and what do you do outside of New Beginnings?

Sara: I am Sara, I love being with my children and am constantly in awe of the young adults they are, I have the best of friends, ones that I could have only dreamed of knowing when I was younger and friends that let me know in a hundred ways that even when I feel the lowest that I am loved for nothing more than being me…iI want to be a mixture of my children and my friends when I grow up as it is a gift I try to pass onto others. I am mildly (uh-huh) obsessed with the Wizard of Oz and Wicked series, a lot of what I learned as a child came from the land of Oz and the music from Wicked strengthens those lessons and beliefs for me, it’s all about love, understanding and looking beyond the cover of a book or a person, with those all things are possible. I am currently unemployed and looking for that special place that will allow me to help others while getting paid…I know it’s out there.

We need a survivor to speak at an event!

New Beginnings will be the recipient of a benefit luncheon on February 19th and we're looking for one survivor of domestic violence to come speak to the attendees. They're looking for someone to share their story with the audience. It's a small group of women who have been dedicated supporters for several years and you'll be there with someone from New Beginnings who will talk about our programs and services.

Please let me know if you'd like to speak at this event!

Active Listening Training - Take Two!

Hey everyone,

On January 11th, we'll have a training from 9am-11:15am about Active Listening presented by Dana Lockhart from the Seattle Victim Support Team. This was the training we were going to have last month but some unfortunate electricity problems forced us to postpone! This is a great way to have some ongoing training as a New Beginnings Volunteer.

Light breakfast is provided. Let me know if you'd like to attend!