Trey’s Story: Not Like Other 8th Graders

 
trey.png
 

How many 8th graders do you know who are committed to making the world a better place?

Well, Trey O’Neil is not like other 8th graders. For Trey’s 8th grade service project at the Westtown School in West Chester, PA, he knew what he wanted to do. Growing up with a single mother, Trey always understood the importance of empowerment and independence for single moms. He wanted his project to help single mothers who are striving to take care of their families.

Trey sleuthed online for an organization that matched up with his goal, and he discovered a perfect match in WIT. He set up a GoFundMe page online and put donation boxes at his school and church for toys, toiletries, and sanitary products for our clients. He originally set out to raise $1,000. Instead, his page went a little viral and raised $2,750 towards essential items for WIT clients and their families.

“I can’t believe it!”

“I started this campaign with the goal of raising 1,000 dollars and I am about to close it, and we are closer to 2,600 dollars,” read the update on Trey’s GoFundMe page. “I can’t believe it! This is so great. I am excited to go shopping for the moms and kids at WIT.”

Trey and his mom Shannon met with WIT staff to decide how the money could best be used by our organization. They then bought dozens of backpacks and games for teens in WIT’s Emergency Placement Program, and came back to WIT’s office to set up a PlayStation for our Play Care room.

Because of donors like Trey, WIT is able to empower our clients to attain safety, equality, and justice. At just 14 years old, Trey is making a substantial difference in the lives of WIT’s clients and their children.

If you are inspired to organize a fundraiser on our behalf like Trey, please email donate@helpwomen.org.

Erica's Story: Empowerment Self-Defense

 
EricaC.png
 

Erica C. had heard about violence against women, but had never dealt with it herself.

As a trans woman, Erica was socialized as a male; It wasn’t until she began living as a woman in society that she felt concerned for her safety. Her family shared that concern, and her mom took it upon herself to find a self-defense class in Philly for Erica. And when Erica saw WIT’s WAVE Empowerment Self Defense program, she knew she had to get involved.

How did she know the class was for her? She says, “I loved the idea of empowerment. It’s not about ‘you should do this’ or ‘you should do that,’ it’s about giving people their own tools.” Erica took the class in January 2018 and was asked to become a volunteer trainer for WAVE shortly after. She didn’t hesitate.

Erica loves teaching empowerment self-defense because she gets to witness firsthand people learning how to set boundaries, communicate their needs, and feel more empowered. She explains, “You can see people open up by the end, it’s an incredibly rewarding feeling.”

And the tools she teaches in class have changed her life as well.

A few months after taking her first WAVE class, Erica was walking to her office door from a parking lot when someone sped by on a bike and groped her. It happened so fast that she froze. When she got to her desk, she was in shock and started crying. She kept thinking of all the things she could have done, or all the things she should have said in that moment. But then she remembered her WAVE training. “There is no ‘should have;’ I did what I needed to do in that moment, and I got myself to safety. My WAVE training eased the burden I was putting on myself. It kept be from blaming myself for what happened.”

The lessons Erica teaches in WAVE have helped her be more confident, and empowered to communicate her needs. She’s grateful to have the opportunity to give back to WIT by volunteering as a WAVE instructor.

Learn more about WAVE here.
Learn more about volunteering with WIT here.

High School Theater with a Big Impact

 
Students at the Friends Select School perform in Chicago

Students at the Friends Select School perform in Chicago

 

A Culture of Giving

Every year, the Friends Select School (FSS) theater department chooses a charity to support through their productions, in service of their mission to "educate, entertain, inform, and transform." 

When FSS produced Chicago for their high school musical in April, they chose to raise funds for Women in Transition. 

FSS Theater Arts Coordinator Donna Romero creates a culture of giving within her program, and connects the chosen charity to the theme of the performance. She explains, "Before the show, I asked the students to remember the women we were performing this for, and that performing is a privilege. I reminded them to take in all the love and applause they were about to receive and send it back to the women we were really doing this for." The musical raised $454.00 for WIT. 

Thank you Friends Select School for your generous support!

If you are interested in hosting a fundraiser on our behalf, please email donate@helpwomen.org.

Maria & Mary Ann: 10 Years of Remembering Katie

katie mccormick.jpg

"Every year, it was emotional for us. We're still blown away by the fact that she was murdered. Every year, it was hard... but we needed to keep her memory alive."

In 2008, Mary Ann Brancaccio and Maria Vanni, owners of August Restaurant, lost their friend and employee Katie McCormick to domestic violence. Katie was shot to death by her boyfriend, who then killed himself.

Employees and regular patrons of August Restaurant were stunned. "There were signs and we had no idea," Mary Ann said.

In honor of Katie, and to raise funds and awareness of domestic violence, Mary Ann and Maria began hosting the “Katie Dinner” at August Restaurant. For over ten years, Mary Ann and Maria have organized a dinner with a raffle and a performance by jazz artist Jacqui Naylor. Proceeds from the Katie Dinner and the raffle are donated to Women In Transition (WIT).

In October 2017, the Katie Dinner was held for two nights. It was their last dinner as August Restaurant. Mary Ann and Maria have closed a chapter in their lives: August Restaurant shut its doors after being a staple in the community for 14 years. But not having a restaurant hasn’t stopped this tradition. In October 2018, Mary Ann and Maria hosted the 10th Annual Katie Dinner at Con Murphy’s Irish Pub, raising over $2,000 in memory of their dear friend.

"We had said to people, 'This is the last dinner we're doing, but we still want people to remember to give for domestic violence resources and raise awareness for it. It still exists."

Today, the Katie dinner tradition continues…

We at WIT are extremely grateful to Mary Ann and Maria for their years of support. Thank you for standing with us against domestic violence, and for the honor of remembering Katie with the community of August Restaurant.

Join Mary Ann and Maria and support WIT's lifesaving services.

Contact us at donate@helpwomen.org or 215.564.5301 x125 about making a gift or organizing a fundraiser to benefit WIT. 

Shannon: Party with a Purpose

 
septa token.jpg
 

Shannon*, a former WIT client and a member of the Survivors Network, hosts a birthday party every year with an interesting admissions fee: 2 SEPTA tokens (or more). At the end of the night, she collects the tokens so she can donate them to WIT. 

Her inspiration? Coming to WIT, listening to women's stories in Sister Circle, and realizing that transportation - and the cost of transportation - was a real barrier for some clients. 

"Some people don't even know it's a need," she said. "After being here, I could see the need. They spoke about not being able to get away... that means transportation. If they had the emergency token to get somewhere..." 

Last fall was Shannon's third year throwing a birthday party just to collect tokens. Her 8-year-old granddaughter stood at the door and collected the "admissions" tokens, and even donated her own tips back to WIT to purchase more tokens. Altogether, they collected 60 SEPTA tokens for WIT clients. 

As Shannon said: "You hold the door for the person behind you."  

 

*name has been changed for confidentiality 

Join our email list for current news & events.