With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, The Mary Kay Foundation donated $20,000 to The Crisis Center & Women’s Shelter to maintain critical services and programs for victims of domestic abuse.
“We provide emergency shelter in local communities through the use of hotels, motels and work towards permanent housing as soon as possible,” Crisis Center Executive Director Cheryl Brown said. “These funds will assist us in providing our services with the goal of keeping people in their local community whenever possible and bringing services to all of our areas. We are excited that the Mary Kay Foundation is able to assist us as we move forward with our new service model.”
The Crisis Center is currently in the process of expanding to serve 11 counties in South-Central Iowa, including Jasper County. Last year, it provided services to nearly 1,000 victims of domestic abuse.
“The staff, Board of Directors and the clients of the Crisis Center are grateful for this support from the Mary Kay Foundation,” Brown said. “We depend on many sources of funding and this will go a long way in meeting the needs of victims in our areas. The expansion of our service area to include 11 counties makes this kind of support even more critical. Our goal is for everyone to have a safe home that is free from abuse and we will continue to work towards that in our local communities.”
For nearly 20 years The Mary Kay Foundation has supported the prevention and elimination of domestic violence, which studies suggest impacts the lives of nearly a quarter of all U.S. women. The foundation, through its annual shelter grant program, has granted $34 million to domestic violence organizations since 2000.
“The Mary Kay Foundation is proud to support local shelters that are on the front lines of helping the thousands of women and children who seek shelter and support from abuse,” Mary Kay Inc. Vice President of Government Relations Anne Crews said. “The shelter grants are a signature program for The Mary Kay Foundation and represent just one of the ways we are committed to breaking the cycle of domestic violence.”