Taking Flight: WCA Newsletter Winter 2025

JANUARY 2025

TAKING

Flight

24-HOUR DOMESTIC ABUSE & SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE

208.343.7025 720 W. WASHINGTON ST. BOISE, IDAHO 83702 208.343.3688 WCABOISE.ORG

THE BEA LINE As we begin a new year here at the WCA, we are filled with gratitude for the support we received from our community during 2024. In this newsletter you will read about many of the ways our clients were supported – which is why we are so grateful.

A new year is considered by many as a time for new beginnings. For our clients, picking up the phone and calling our hotline, or walking up the steps into our Crisis Center – that is what signifies a new beginning, regardless of the date on the calendar. Their new beginning happens when they are ready to engage in the painful work of processing their trauma, breaking habits and learning new skills.

Bea Black, CEO

This new beginning takes a lot of courage! The opportunity for safety, healing and freedom for those who have experienced domestic abuse and sexual assault does not follow any specific calendar. Being a resource for our clients when they are ready is a humbling experience, made possible by our community of supporters. Thanks to you, we are looking forward to many new beginnings throughout 2025!

SHINING @ SHELTER As we wave farewell to the 2024 holiday season, I want to give a shoutout to Jim and Nicole from Norco for providing our "the Grinch who Stole Christmas" Christmas tree--everyone loved seeing it, and it got us into the holiday spirit in a very un-Grinch-y way.

I also want to appreciate the board members and volunteers led by Lisa Uhlmann who worked diligently to bring a much-appreciated holiday party to the shelter residents. They even convinced a very busy Santa Claus to stay late for a little girl and her mama who got stuck away from shelter during the party. Their kindness, along with that of the donors and volunteers who made the Holiday Sponsorship program possible, carried us through what would have otherwise been a deeply difficult season for our clients who have had their whole lives upended by intimate partner violence.

It truly does take a village to facilitate healing and safety for the women who come through shelter, and we are feeling particularly thankful for our WCA village here at shelter.

- Mackenzie Bannister, Residential Services Manager

CORPORATE PILLAR SPOTLIGHT Blue Cross of Idaho joined the WCA's Corporate Pillar Program at the very start in 1994. They have nominated and recognized over 30 TWINs and have been involved with all the events and programs our organization has to offer.

This last October, the Blue Cross team partnered with the WCA in a special way to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). To start the month strong, the Blue Cross team created a massive display for the Clothesline Project and included survivor stories and ways to get involved.

This campaign involves displaying t-shirts, designed by WCA clients as a form of art therapy, to bring awareness and share real experiences from those we serve. Blue Cross took part in this campaign in a big way, encouraging conversations around domestic violence (DV) and showing support for survivors.

In addition to taking part in the Clothesline Project, BCI sponsored and participated in our 15th Annual SueB Memorial 5k. This race, created to remember the life of Susan "SueB" Newby, is one of the WCA's largest outreach events and it has grown exponentially in the last 15 years. The generosity and support from the BCI team played a huge role in the success of this event and we could not have done it without them.

The WCA team thanks Blue Cross of Idaho for all they do to support the community and we are grateful for the amazing partnership they provide to our organization.

- Syd LaCoursiere, Corporate Relations Coordinator

VOLUNTEER CORNER Thank you to everyone who helped make Holiday Sponsorship successful! Holiday Sponsorship is a way for community members to directly impact our clients by providing gifts to make the holiday season special. This year our Holiday Sponsorship Program and the Holiday Store served over 225 clients. Nearly 70 sponsors participated in the program, including 11 Corporate Pillars.

Our Giving Tree Program is another way for community members to support the work we do at the WCA. The giving tree program uses tags with needed in-kind items which are utilized by our programs or directly gifted to clients. Our giving tree program was massively successful this year with 314 donors donating inkind items, totaling $78,918.33 in fair market value. We had a total of 30 wonderful businesses hang giving tree tags in their workplace, including six Corporate Pillars. We also had giving tree tags placed around the ice rink at the Grove Plaza for community members to grab.

- Courtney Otto, Volunteer Coordinator

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The 2024 Holiday Season was full of community involvement, donation drives and generosity! Throughout December, the WCA once again participated in the annual Avenues for Hope Housing Challenge. This year proved to be a historic success thanks to our community coming together and exceeding the goal of funding 120 safe bed nights.

The State of Homelessness in Idaho listed Domestic Abuse as the number one cause of homelessness in in our state. From December 9th through December 31st, your support vastly exceeded the goal of funding 120 safe bed nights, while raising awareness about the undeniable link between domestic abuse and homelessness.

Peer to Peer fundraising proved to be an exciting and powerful tool for this year's campaign, providing vital awareness and support. With deep gratitude and appreciation, we are excited to highlight King & Edge Real Estate Group and their Peer to Peer support throughout Avenues!

King & Edge has supported the WCA as a Corporate Pillar since 2020. They are committed to not just selling real estate, but to help create safe homes in our community. Their team successfully raised a total of $8,855, secured through 23 unique donors. Thank you King & Edge team for your enduring support, and for acting to prevent homelessness in our community!

- Chris Tansey, Community Engagement Coordinator

CLICK HERE TO TAKE OUR WCA SUPPORTER SURVEY!

OUTREACH CORNER Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great start into the New Year! As we step into 2025, I would like to thank the Outreach Volunteers who contributed to the efforts of providing healing, safety, and freedom. We are so appreciative of those who take the time out of their day to talk about the WCA and share resources to those who may be experiencing domestic abuse when approaching an outreach table. By providing a listening ear and having thoughtful conversations with folks in the community, you are truly helping make a difference. We truly cannot do the work we do without the help of you, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

If you are looking for ways to contribute to the work of the WCA, it’s never too late to start carrying our outreach materials. They are completely free and we can even deliver them out to you. If you have checked out the form you’ll notice we recently updated the materials we offer for community members. We now offer two fliers that have tear-offs with our hotline number, one that lists out the services we offer, and another that asks if an individual is needing help in seven languages.

Our last flier has a bit of information about the different types of training and presentations we offer to organizations for free. By carrying WCA outreach materials, you are actively helping guide those individuals experiencing trauma towards a life of safety, healing, and freedom. Order our outreach materials here, and help us make a difference in our community.

- Aleea Banda, Outreach Coordinator

HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR

OUTREACH MATERIALS FOR THE NEW YEAR?

PLACE AN ORDER HERE

EMAIL OUTREACH@WCABOISE.ORG WITH QUESTIONS.