Leah Verba - Fundraiser for Domestic Violence

Hello, I'm Leah! This year, I have the opportunity to be a member of the Jewish Teen Foundation (JTF) which is part of the Jewish Community Federation in San Francisco. 

JTF is important and inspiring to me because I wanted to help people in need, by learning to do it through philanthropy. I also wanted to gain the fundraising and consensus skills that we learn from this program.  It has been a very educational and fascinating experience so far, and it will continue to interest and motivate me throughout the year.

This year, we have decided to focus on people affected by domestic violence. Our mission statement is, "The Jewish Teen Foundation is committed to supporting people affected by domestic violence through organizations/initiatives that provide direct services and preventative measures to ensure physical and mental safety for all". We felt that this was an important issue to focus on because of how dangerous homes can become, especially during the shelter in place order when you may be trapped inside with your abuser.

Some statistics about domestic violence include:

    •    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 people.

    •    1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

    •    On average, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.

With your contribution, together we can make a meaningful difference by supporting organizations serving the people already affected by domestic violence and preventing it from happening to others.  Please try to donate however much you are comfortable with. Any amount you can give will go a long way in making an impact in our community and supporting this cause.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at leahverba@gmail.com.

Sources:

Statistics - https://ncadv.org/STATISTICS 

Top left picture - 

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/domestic-violence?phrase=domestic%20violence&sort=mostpopular