Fall Volunteer Training!

[If you look at Figure 1.89 B Article IV bullet point 2...]

Hey folks, just a heads up that we're holding our next volunteer training group starting in October. It goes from October 5th to November 11th, each Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9pm. If you have a friend who is interested in volunteering, please do us a favor and forward them over to our website address! If you missed any of the trainings or would like a refresher, feel free to attend any of the following. Please do, however, let me know so we know how many to expect:

October 5th (Tuesday) - Understanding DV
October 7th (Thursday) - Teen Dating Violence
October 12th (Tuesday) - Help Line I
October 14th (Thursday) - Help Line II
October 19th (Tuesday) - Sexual Assault and DV
October 21st (Thursday) - Chemical Depedency and DV
October 26th (Tuesday) - Children's and Teen's Issues
October 28th (Thursday) - Suicide Intervention
November 2nd (Tuesday) - Creating Social Justice I
November 4th (Thursday) - Creating Social Justice II
November 9th (Tuesday) - Legal Advocacy
November 11th (Thursday) - In Her Shoes/Survivor's Panel

New Beginnings at the Southwest Police Precinct Picnic!

["We're going to keep it local with this next song...by Alice In Chains." - Police Officer/Singer on stage]

We tabled at this past Saturday's SW Police Precinct's annual summer picnic and let's just say that tabling is a LOT easier/more fun to do when the weather is nice and not raining. Anyways, we made it across the West Seattle Bridge and arrived at the station which looked really nice and were greeted to a pretty good turnout and a fun atmosphere of getting to know the police community and the community getting to know the officers in blue. 

The Precinct was nice enough to provide canopies, a table and chairs for each booth but what we didn't know was that we'd be sharing a table with another organization. It worked out just fine and it made it all the more a community get-together type of thing. Here's Social Change volunteer Robyn staffing our table. Right before i took the photo, the guy who shared the table with us screamed, "Make sure I'm not in the shot!" You can actually see his shoulder a bit in the orange so Guy Tabling Next To Us, I apologize. 

CANCELLED - Back by popular demand - After Hours Help Line Training II

[UPDATE: Training has been cancelled due to low-signup. If you're still interested in this training but possibly for a later date, let me know!]

[Ring ring.]

Heya folks, the Help Line as you know is one of the most important services we provide and volunteers are a big part of that. We are offering an encore presentation of "After Hours Help Line Training" for folks that aren't able to make it during regular 9-5 hours. This is perfect if you've been wanting to volunteer on the Help Line and want to get up to speed.


So...the next training we have coming up is on the 31st (Tuesday) from 6-8pm. We'll be doing some mock calls, talking about the most popular issues that come up on the Help Line, all that good stuff. Email me or comment below to sign up. Last time we had (surprise!) pizza for those that showed up. This time, who knows? Meatball subs? Snickers bars? Water?

Polls closing soon!

[And the 3-2 pitch...]

Two days left to vote for the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence/The Seattle Mariners as part of a nation-wide contest sponsored by Pepsi!

Vote here! You can vote up to 25 times per day (yes, I know it takes a bit and is mind-numbing to sit there and vote over and over but it's for a great cause!). The official "cause" is "The Mariners are competing against other MLB teams for a $200,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant. Their idea is to team up with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to mentor young male athletes and promote positive messages of honor and respect."

Shout-out to Felix Hernandez to being the spokesperson for the M's!

July Volunteer of the Month - Kalie Karin Aldrich

[Steps Against DV FTW!]

Hey folks, we're very proud to announce the July Volunteer of the Month at New Beginnings: Kalie Karin Aldrich!

Kalie has been a childcare volunteer at our Transitional Housing Program for several years and here's what our staff had to say about her:

"Kalie is incredible!! She is compassionate and truly comes because she cares so much about the children. She has been volunteering for a few years now at THP. She steps up to the plate whenever we need extra assistance. She helped do an extra childcare shift last year so we could have a parenting group; she comes on field trips and has helped with other special THP events...Also every time she comes through the door at THP she is carrying an armload of donations. These are not things I tell her we need they are things she sees that the program needs. With her own money she has purchased snacks, skateboards, toys and games, dress up clothes for childcare, and children’s clothes, underwear and hygiene products for the families...I really see her as a shining example of the kind of dedicated volunteers who make our programs possible."

We had a Q&A with Kalie after presenting her with the award:

##
Q: Who are you and what do you do?

A: Kalie, I do childcare at THP on Monday’s and sometimes do summer field trips or other events. I plan to start [volunteering] at shelter this fall.

Q: Why do you volunteer for New Beginnings?
A: I wanted to help in the fight to stop violence against women, and I wanted to work with children. I heard about New Beginnings from a couple people and it sounded perfect. I’m glad I chose NB I love the kids and the workers! It’s a great place to volunteer.

Q: What’s your favorite hobby/sport/free time activity when you’re not volunteering?
A: I love to go for walks and runs with my dog. I also like scrap booking it really relaxes me.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring three things, what would they be?
A: Lots of water, lots of food, and my dog Olina.

Q: Favorite place to visit in Seattle?
A: Ballard, I love the atmosphere.

Q: Anything you’d like to say to the millions watching at home?
A: Volunteer!!
##

Kalie, your prize and certificate of achievement are coming your way! Thanks for all you do!

Lake City Pioneer Days Recap

[All smiles. Before the rain, that is.]

We were at the Lake City Pioneer Days on Saturday and a big shout out goes to our volunteers who helped us table! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth also--our bag of Twix was a big hit and so were our pins that said "STOP Domestic Violence!"

Probably the best moment of the day for me was having someone stop by and say, "I was a participant of New Beginnings a long time ago. It was a big help."
If you're wondering what "tabling" is, it's really about being a presence in the community and alerting people to our services which really go hand in hand. If you'd like to table at upcoming evnets, be on the lookout for emails and blog updates!

4 Questions

[And the 5th installment of the franchise...28 Decades Later]

I have a very small request that is going to take all of 4 minutes to complete. We're making fun (and I mean f-u-n) Volunteer ID cards to post up at Shelter, on the Help Line, wherever you volunteer and we not only need your picture (thank you to those that have sent theirs in already) but also need some info so other volunteers and staff can get to know you!

We'll be posting up your responses to 4 questions as part of your ID. Those four all-important questions are:

1. Occupation?
2. Hobbies?
3. Favorite Movie?
4. Favorite Quote?

I'm not a Volunteer necessarily but I'll get things going:

Occupation: Community Engagement Coordinator
Hobbies: Photography, The Internet
Favorite Movie: 28 Weeks Later
Favorite Quote: "Pile it high and deep." - Bill Murray in What About Bob?

Tee Time

[Ah the perks of digging through old office supplies]

We've found a stash of t-shirts we had tucked away that feature this wonderful poster right on the front! It's a plain white T-Shirt and we've got it in every size but as of most recent count, there are about two smalls, two-dozen mediums and larges and a dozen XLs and two XXLs. If you're an active volunteer, let me know in the comments or via email if you'd like one. T-shirts must be picked up from our office!

And remember to send in your photo for the much-anticipated New Beginnings Volunteer ID Cards!

What Would You Do?

[Trigger warning: abusive language and behavior portrayed by actors in the scenes]

With all the Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen news recently, I thought I'd share an interesting clip from ABC New's "What Would You Do?" segment from a while back. Would You Try to Help a Battered Woman?

It's an interesting "experiment" to say the least and while it's not perfect, maybe it'll get people to think about their roles as bystanders and what that says when oftentimes, people judge, dismiss or do nothing.

If you check out the first video, there's also a segment they follow up with doing the same scenario except the next time, they dress up the battered women in "provacative" clothing. To hear how people react is shocking, to say the least.

Voting for Judges

["You are just about to cross the line, buddy. The line is right here." - Judge Judy]

A friendly reminder, dear readers, about the Judicial races that end on August 17th. Why is voting important? Let's let VotingforJudges fill you in!

2. Why are judicial elections important?

Judges make decisions about fundamental issues that affect all of us — family life, education, health care, housing, employment, discrimination, civil rights, public safety — and those decisions can have long-lasting impact. It is critical that our judges make fair decisions based upon open-minded and unbiased consideration of the facts and the law in each case. Judges must know the law, be independent, and be free from external political and economic influences. Voting for qualified judges really does protect the courts.