Jana's Campaign Winter 2021 Newsletter

EDUCATION about and PREVENTION against gender and relationship violence

WINTER 2021 NEWSLETTER Recognized Amongst Top National Organizations through Purple Ribbon Awards This July, Jana’s Campaign was selected as a winner of two Purple Ribbon Awards; Outstanding National Organization and Outstanding Youth Initiative of the Year!

DomesticShelters.org and Teresa’s Fund, along with experts in the field of domestic violence, teamed up to develop and launch the first comprehensive awards program honoring “heroes” within the domestic violence movement. The Purple Ribbon Medallions are open to all organizations and individuals across the globe involved in the domestic violence field. Individuals or organizations were able to submit applications or receive nominations from others.

After the submission process, judges ranked each entry on a scale of 1-25 based on four factors: 1) Challenge and Impact, 2) Creativity and Originality, 3) Submission Excellence and 4) Overall Performance.

The three entries with the highest average score in each category received the coveted Purple Ribbon Award and a featured spot on DomesticShelters.org. We are truly honored to be selected and to receive this national recognition!

Secondary Education Continuous Impact Made in Middle and High Schools Across the Midwest With schools moving back to primarily in-person classes, the Jana’s Campaign Prevention Educators have been busy providing both in-person and virtual Teen Dating Violence prevention presentations to middle and high schools across Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. Throughout the 2021 school year, Jana’s Campaign staff provided 75 presentations impacting over 3,900 secondary school students.

Education and Prevention Specialist, Evelyn Dubey, is continuing her work alongside our grant partners at the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment in Holton, KS, to provide engaging education opportunities within Jackson, Wabaunsee, and Brown counties. From gender-specific presentations to community education events, hundreds of students and community members in rural Kansas are learning about healthy - and unhealthy - relationship behaviors as well as hearing the impactful story of Jana’s life and of her death.

EDUCATION about and PREVENTION against gender and relationship violence

Higher Education Presentations & Trainings in Demand Interested in hosting a presentation on campus? Jana’s Campaign staff and board members are available to provide presentations on gender and relationship violence awareness and prevention, consent and boundaries, gender-specific issues, etc.

These programs are individually created to best meet the needs of the school and students. Our team of Prevention Educators provide engaging and impactful presentations to audiences of all sizes. These programs can be provided online or in-person to meet your needs. To inquire about scheduling a presentation, call 785-656-0324 or email janascampaign@gmail.com

Regional Campus Safety Summits The four regional Campus Safety Summits are designed to be affordable conferences that bring together representatives from all aspects of campus life to share best practices, discuss strategies, and learn from one another. Campus leaders are encouraged to develop a team of key campus stakeholders to create a comprehensive and integrated approach to preventing and responding to sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking at their institutions.

The impact of the Campus Safety Summits continues to expand. With three Summits taking place online this year and one Summit taking place in a hybrid format, Jana’s Campaign welcomed 326 attendees from 148 institutions/organizations from across 29 states. Since beginning our Campus Safety Summits 8 years ago, we have worked with a total of 479 institutions/organizations from 42 states.

The featured keynote speakers of the 2021 Campus Safety Summits, were Dr. Jennifer Hirsch and Dr. Shamus Khan, authors of Sexual Citizens. Dr. Hirsch and Dr. Khan facilitated conversations on “SHIFT,” a multi-year study of sexual health and sexual violence at Columbia University, their findings on sexual citizenship, and how to effectively prevent sexual assault on college campuses. Discussions were moderated by Jana’s Campaign board member, Stacey Popejoy, LMSW. Learn more about the authors and the book, Sexual Citizens, at www.SexualCitizens.com.

Community Education Faith-Based Community Training Opportunity Rescheduled This past summer, Jana’s Campaign announced a partnership with #BeMoreLikeClaire and the Heartland Community Foundation to provide two regional training opportunities on the issue of Domestic & Sexual Violence in Faith Communities. Due to the pandemic, these trainings were postponed. We are excited to announce the training opportunities have been rescheduled and will take place in April of 2022.

The two trainings, one in Hays, KS (April 20) and the other in Lawrence, KS (April 22) will be provided by Domestic Violence expert, Julie Owens. Julie is a survivor of domestic violence who has worked in the field of violence against women and women’s empowerment since 1989. Julie faced obstacles when she turned to the church for help attempting to leave her abusive relationship. It was not until her abuser attempted to kill her and her father that she received the support she needed to leave the relationship safely.

Resources provided by #BeMoreLikeClaire and the Heartland Community Foundation will assist our efforts to conduct educational trainings to support faith leaders - and communities - to better understand the use of power and control in violent relationships and encourage new social norms to ultimately prevent gender-based violence. Location and training logistics to be announced online at www.janascampaign.org soon.

Week Without Violence The YWCA’s Week Without Violence is a national, annual movement to end violence against women and girls. For an entire week in October, events are held, information and stories are shared, and advocating work is done; all with the common goal in mind of ending gender-based violence.

Jana’s Campaign partnered with the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment for the 2021 Week Without Violence. Events included a poetry speak-out, training opportunities, “Dogs against Domestic Violence,” and a march and rally at the Kansas State Capitol. These events allowed for further awareness and education for community members on important aspects related to gender and relationship violence and its prevention.

Internal News & Fundraising Efforts 10th Annual Empty Place at the Table Fundraising Event a Success Jana’s Campaign hosted the 10th Annual Empty Place at the Table gala event on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall in Hays, KS. This year, the event was hosted in person and live streamed online for guests who were unable to attend in-person.

Attendees were encouraged to dress to fit the theme, “Escape to Margaritaville” and enjoyed live music, including a few Jimmy Buffet hits, performed by the DoC Band.

Over $65,000 was raised at the event from sponsorships, to a raffle, and a silent and live auction. Every dollar raised at Empty Place at the Table directly funds Jana’s Campaign’s effective gender and relationship violence prevention education programming. A special thank you to all attendees, volunteers, and event sponsors!

Growth for Board of Directors Jana’s Campaign welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors in late August. Each new member brings a vast array of experience and expertise that will enhance Jana’s Campaign’s efforts.

Stacey Popejoy, LMSW, is an Associate Clinical Professor with the Wichita State University School of Social Work in Wichita, KS. As an expert in the field of domestic and sexual violence, with over 20 years of experience, Stacey has been called to provide critical analysis, consultation, and training to organizations such as the Kansas Governor’s Office, Kansas Attorney General’s Office, Kansas Department of Corrections, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Danielle Baumgarten, MS-NRD, is currently a paralegal with two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Psychology and the other in Political Science. She received her Master’s degree from Creighton University Law School in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. Danielle plans to attend law school and focus on human rights law. She lives in St. Louis, MO with her wife, two dogs, and cat. Danielle enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, foraging, and kayaking.

Katie Pooser, MPA, CAP, is a Senior Planned Giving Officer at Environmental Defense Fund in New York, NY. Jana left an impression on Katie when they met in Lawrence, KS. Since then, Katie has provided thought and strategic leadership at a diverse set of nonprofit organizations. Katie holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas and is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. In addition to her service on the Jana’s Campaign board, Katie serves on the board for the Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Katie now resides in New York City with her husband and toddler daughter.

Two Fort Hays State University Students Hired as Spring 2022 Interns Through a generous grant provided to Fort Hays State University from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, local employers have the opportunity to apply for a partnership with the university to hire a part-time intern for a semester. Jana’s Campaign has gratefully participated in this opportunity for three years.

Through this opportunity, Brooklyn Burk of La Crosse, KS has been hired for the spring semester through an application and interview process. Brooklyn is a senior Social Work student who is interested in pursuing a career in child welfare. In 2016, Brooklyn and a few of her drama classmates from La Crosse High School participated in the Jana’s Campaign exhibit at the Hays Art Council Fall Art Walk through monologues and short skits about unhealthy relationships.

In addition, Jana’s Campaign has hired Sydney Boxberger of Hoisington, KS as a part-time intern. Sydney is a senior General Studies major with an emphasis in Gerontology. Sydney is passionate about learning more about the prevention of gender-based violence as she witnessed the impact of domestic violence on her foster siblings. She is also eager to learn about the functioning of non-profit organizations. We are excited for the opportunity to work with Brooklyn and Sydney in the spring.

National Fundraising Campaign Announced Jana’s Campaign Board Member and Development Committee Chair, Marlou Wegener, announced the Campaign for Change, a national fundraising campaign seeking to raise $1,000,000 by Spring 2023 at the 2021 Empty Place at the Table annual fundraising event. Marlou shared the Campaign for Change is designed to increase the scale and scope of the Jana’s Campaign gender-based violence prevention education programming. “The Campaign for Change will take gender and relationship violence prevention to the next level. Jana’s Campaign’s 12 years of proven success and enduring impact which spans hundreds of thousands of lives, can be taken to the next level, but they need your help. Join them in taking bold action.”

In the first year of fundraising efforts, Jana’s Campaign has raised $401,978.32 in donations and pledges, with the remaining 60% of the fundraising goal to be met in the next year and a half. With your help, we can reach our goal.

Goal: $1,000,000

60% to be raised.

Will you join us and be a change maker? Will you make a commitment to a future free of gender and relationship violence? To learn more about the Campaign for Change or to make a tax-deductible donation, contact executive director, Kaiti, at 785-656-0324 or visit www.janascampaign.org/donate.

40% raised to date.

Stay connected with us!

www.janascampaign.org | janascampaign@gmail.com | 785-656-0324