"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.
Q: Why did you decide to volunteer for New Beginnings?
S: In all the moments that I thought of calling for help and not being able to; an deep admiration and respect for those who had made the call developed. I wanted to be on the other end of the phone when they did call, to share my education and knowledge as well as my admiration for them, hoping to make their road to safety and healing a little easier.
Q: What’s been your most memorable memory as a volunteer?
S: Every time someone hits a marker in the recovery group and every time they relapse but come back in, every time someone arrives at shelter and she knows she’s safe, every time a woman finds out she got her children back or that her abuser is going to prison, watching the milestones and successes of the women each one is memorable and beautiful to be a part of.
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| Quentin Tarantino Presents! |
S: Emerald City, of course :)
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| I'm cravin' a scary movie... |
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| Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! |
Q: You’re a Hollywood studio executive and you’re trying to create The Best Movie Ever. Who do you cast as actors and who are you hiring as the director?
S: Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Mariska Hargitay, Hillary Swank, Alanis Morrisette and Idina Menzel, some of my favorite activists who just happen to be awesome actors…and the directors, it would be shared billing, Wes Craven and Tim Burton…Wow, that would be a trip into the strange…
Q: What’s a food you love to eat but don’t have too often?
S: Chocolate pudding cake warm and gooey chocolate goodness :)
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| Note, this is not actually Sara's dog |
S: I had a best friend who happened to have four paws, his name was Buffy, sweet, cuddly- a living breathing teddy bear.
Q: Anything you’d like to say to the millions watching at home?
S: Just that we need to keep our heads up, the budget and economy is horrific but we can still do what we do, and we can do it when we aren’t getting paid….we can do it anywhere and everywhere….you never know how much you can help in genuinely smiling at someone, showing that you see someone and that you care, is one of the smallest simplest gifts you can give. Great miracles usually start with small deeds and we all can perform those.
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No truer words have been said, Sara. Thanks for all of your hard work!
Thank you Sara. Thank you for being you and being there for those who need you.
ReplyDelete(I have NO IDEA what those choices on selecting a profile means! None are familiar. I suggest to New Beginnings you consider your target audience, which probably ranges in age from childhood though people in their 90's.)
What the heck do those titles mean? LiveJournal, WordPress, etc. etc?
Anonymous: I appreciate the feedback. The titles refer to people that are often logged into various online profiles/accounts. Unfortunately, there is no easier way for people to comment without going through one of these profiles or commenting anonymously or commenting using a name/url. I wish I could change it but it's a system in place by our blogging software to cut down on Spam Comments.
ReplyDeleteThe begin to the end of violence
ReplyDelete