FALL/WINTER 2014 NEWSLETTER

LAURA’S MARCH REVIEW

• The 8th annual Laura’s March had a record number of attendees – 300! – with more male participants than ever before. A large male presence is heartening because it means the message is being accepted that stopping sexual violence demands the active involvement of men. At Laura’s March was UVM’s chapter of One in Four, a national organization of young men dedicated to rape prevention; and representatives of AGR and PIKE fraternities.

Also among the very large number of young adults were dozens of sorority women from UVM’s Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, and Kappa Delta, all of whom came not only to run the 5K but also to do volunteer service.

As SANE’s Joan Carson remarked, “… in the midst of the world’s violence, full of sadness, terror and evil, there are bright spots like this, glowing and growing with optimism, hope and resolve… the new energy of the younger generation that is coming up behind us to carry the voice of those who cannot speak.”

• We selected two Laura’s Spirit Award recipients: Moriah McCullagh, a S.A.N.E. nurse at Fletcher Allen Health Care and Kiona Heath, the H.O.P.E. Works Advocacy Services Coordinator. Both women demonstrate an exemplary level of commitment and dedication not only to the programs with which they are affiliated but also, and more notably, to the clients they serve. Choosing just one of two exceptionally qualified nominees was impossible.

To see pictures of Laura’s March, please visit the LKW Fund Facebook page.

LAURA’S ART ROOM AT KING STREET CENTER

• Laura’s Art Room Campaign
With almost $18,000 raised, we are halfway to our goal of raising $40,000 to name the art room in King Street Center’s new facility after Laura to pay tribute to her as an artist and foster art education for children in her name and memory. In November, American Flatbread’s Burlington Hearth held a Benefit Bake that raised almost $400, with individual donations increasing that amount to $1000. Stay tuned for more Art Room fundraiser news in 2015!

2014 DONATIONS UPDATE

• With portions of money we raised, H.O.P.E. Works is expanding children and youth services with an in-house mental health counselor; Pride Center of Vermont is expanding outreach, education, and prevention; and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE) sent two nurses to the annual Scientific Assembly to discuss current research and strategies to improve patient care.

• The funds we raised also enabled us to participate in Women Helping Battered Women’s Holiday Wish List program for children, provide ECHO memberships to6 families (chosen by KidSafe Collaborative, King Street Center, and Sara Holbrook Community Center), and give gifts to the following:

o Art from the Heart (Burlington City Arts)
o Breakaway (Champlain College’s video gaming to prevent gender-based violence)
o Children’s Advocacy Center
o Children’s Literacy Foundation
o Clarina Howard Nichols Center
o HomeShare Vermont
o Howard Center
o Humane Society of Chittenden County
o Lucy’s House for the Prevention of Homeless Pets
o Lund Family Center
o Outreach for Earth Stewardship
o Parallel Justice
o Rescue Me Vermont
o SafeArt
o Save Our Strays
o Sexual Assault Crisis Team
o The Caroline Fund
o Vermont Works for Women

LKW FUND BOARD NEWS

• The LKW Fund is happy to welcome its newest board member Dianne Jabar, who works for Vermont’s Department for Children and Families in the Agency of Human Services.

A THOUGHT …

The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life. – Jane Addams

Through collaborative efforts, we can change the cultural climate that tolerates sexual violence and has allowed it to become an epidemic from which no one – of any age or gender – is immune. Committed to doing as much as we possibly can to prevent sexual violence and energized by all the support we have received, the LKW Fund is determined to continue its advocacy in 2015. If you would like to donate to the LKW Fund, please use the enclosed envelope.

With hope for change and abiding gratitude for your support, we wish you a season of peace and harmony that continue throughout 2015.

JoAnn W.