When "Carla" first came to Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS), she was timid and insecure, suffering from an abusive relationship. With the support of DVS, she obtained a restraining order on her batterer and put him behind bars.

During her stay at the shelter, she received one-on-one therapy to help work through the issues resulting from the abuse she and her children had experienced. Soon Carla transitioned into DVS' Second Stage an 18-month program that helps women who have "graduated" from the shelter develop the life skills and support to lead truly independent, violence-free lives.

As a result of the support she received from DVS, Carla's self-confidence grew and she learned to be assertive and express her needs. She enrolled at the local community college, majoring in Social Science with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Counseling. With the help of DVS, Carla became her own best advocate and was empowered to be self-sufficient for her children and for herself.

The $75,000 grant the Women's Fund awarded to DVS in February is enabling the agency to develop a dedicated volunteer department to support their Second Stage program. As a start, DVS has hired a highly qualified volunteer coordinator who is designing and implementing a program that will enable volunteers to become part of the case management team, receiving 40 hours of training in domestic violence issues. This program will augment staffing resources and increase DVS' ability to help more women in need, like Carla.

Each year, Women's Fund members have the special chance to visit the local agencies we've supported, like DVS, and witness our funds in action. On September 23rd, 9:30am - 1:30pm, we'll tour three of our 2009-2010 award recipients' sites and have lunch with all our recipients so we can learn how these organizations are making a difference with their Women's Fund grants. This is a powerful experience you won't want to miss, so SAVE THE DATE and consider bringing a friend!

We're very pleased to report that we have raised nearly $325,000 so far this year and are 93% of the way towards triggering the Betty Elings Wells matching grant!

This matching grant has proven to be powerful motivation to our membership to make our contributions to the Women's Fund go even further, enabling us to provide even more support to the critical programs and services we fund in Santa Barbara. If you haven't already, we hope you'll consider increasing your donation to the Women's Fund this year to help us reach and exceed the $350,000 threshold that will trigger the 2-for-1 match, turning $1 into $3!

Thank you to these generous individuals who responded to our request in last month's newsletter for help in underwriting upcoming Women's Fund expenses. Your tremendous generosity is exactly the kind of support that is going to help the Women's Fund meet our financial goal for our matching grant!

Lynda Fairly
Stina Hans
Christy Kelso
Dale Kern
Mark Klopstein (Santa Barbara Airbus)
Barbara Lowes
Carole MacElhenny
Billie Maunz
Joetta McClintock
Carolyn Novick
Nikki Rickard