Allie Kramer - Offering Domestic Violence Support

Welcome to my mighty cause page! My name is Allie Kramer and I'm a senior at Bishop O'Dowd high school in Oakland California. This year, I joined the Jewish Teen Foundation (JTF), where each year a group of teens from the Bay Area come to consensus on an underserved population to support and spend the year learning about their population and fundraising to support mission aligned organizations. 

This year, we decided to support victims and survivors of domestic violence, and crafted the following mission statement: 

The Jewish Teen Foundation North Board is committed to supporting individuals and families affected by domestic violence through organizations/initiatives that provide direct support, relocation assistance, and prevention services in order to mitigate domestic violence and help survivors approach recovery and self-sufficiency. 

Domestic violence is a profound issue in communities across the globe that is very often overlooked or ignored. Domestic violence can present itself in a number of ways, including physical abuse, gaslighting and manipulation, financial control, limiting contact with the outside world, and more. Many abusive relationships begin seemingly healthy, and turn abusive without warning. However, since the majority of domestic abuse occurs in cycles, periods of seemingly healthy behavior may overshadow abuse until the next outburst. This is what makes leaving abusive relationships so difficult, and contributes to the tendency for many victims of DV to believe that they are in the wrong.

Here are some alarming statistics to put this into perspective (from DoSomething.org):

• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. 
• On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
• On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. 
• 1/2 of all homeless women and children in the U.S. are fleeing from domestic violence.

The JTF North Board aims to raise 50,000 dollars this year to support those impacted by domestic violence. Your donation can help provide educational programs, supportive housing, counseling, job services, and other resources that allow escaped victims of abusive relationships to thrive and heal. With your contributions, we can make a profound impact on those who have experienced domestic abuse, as well as preventing future domestic violence.

Thank you so much for taking time to read my Mightycause page!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at oakallison@gmail.com

Sources:

https://ncadv.org/STATISTICS

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-domestic-and-dating-violence#fn2

https://www.bonterratech.com/blog/domestic-violence-statistics

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence