24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline: 208.343.7025 | 24-Hour Rape Crisis Hotline: 208.345.7273

Bea Black, CEO of Influence

On May 9, 2013, the WCA's Bea Black was honored as one of this year’s “CEO’s of Influence” by the Idaho Business Review. In its third year, the CEO of Influence is a special recognition program for the remarkable business and non-profit leaders throughout our state who consistently demonstrate strong leadership, integrity, values, vision, commitment to excellence, financial performance, community and diversity.

Bea graciously accepted the award on behalf of all WCA staff and board members and spoke about the dedication and passion of the WCA team.

Dozens of nominations came from throughout the state, and were evaluated by a committee of Idaho business leaders. Other honorees included Sally Jeffcoat, Saint Alphonsus Health System; Tim Bundgard, Pioneer Title Company; Jim Cleary, MWI Veterinary Supply; and Bob Lokken, WhiteCloud Analytics.

The World of Anne Frank

The WCA partnered with the Idaho Human Rights Education Center on May 2, 2013, to present ”The World of Anne Frank” at the Morrison Center for Performing Arts. The performance included readings from Anne Frank’s diary and the extraordinary play “And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank”.

Over 1,200 eighth grade students from the Boise School District attended a free morning performance and close to 800 community members attended an evening production.

The production — directed by Renee K. Vomocil, Director of Education at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, with high school students as the actors — highlighted the dangers of intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination. Both the WCA and the IHREC hope this special production in honor of human rights inspired all who attended to work to create a community of caring, happy and healthy individuals free from violence and fear.

Thank You, Idaho!

May 2, 2013, was the first ever “Idaho Gives” day sponsored by the Idaho Nonprofit Center. This inaugural event was a day for nonprofits to tell their stories and share how their work enhances communities throughout our state. More than 500 nonprofits and charities across Idaho participated, including the WCA.

Close to 6,200 people made online donations to the participating nonprofits, with gifts totaling over $578,000. The WCA came in at eighth place in the large nonprofit category with 100 unique donors — 49 of whom were first time donors to the WCA.

Changing Lives

Excerpt from a client letter to our Executive Director

“The purpose for this correspondence is to take a moment to thank you for the life changing effects I received from your organization . . . I spent my entire life believing that I was an insignificant girl to be abused, emotionally, psychologically, and sexually. I felt like being abused was just my lot in life. I must have deserved it . . . I came to the WCA to figure out what it was about me that inhibited me from being the loving, nurturing mother that normal mothers are wired to be . . . I used to be so disconnected with my own life that I have very limited memories of it . . . With her help, I have become fully present. I enjoy life so much more. I no longer believe that life is happening to me. I believe that I am a part of life and that life is happening around me. Today, I have a multitude of tools to help me succeed.” - WCA counseling client

Thank you to UPS for all of their hard work remodeling our resident store at Serena's House and also for the grant to be able to make this happen!

Click here to view a photo gallery.

Please contact Tami Fisher at tfisher@wcaboise.org or 343-3688 ext. 41 if you are interested in volunteering.

Learn more about volunteering with the WCA.

St. Luke's Health System our Partner in Freedom this month!

As the only Idaho-based, not-for-profit health system, St. Luke’s Health System is part of the communities they serve, with local physicians and boards who further the organization’s mission “To improve the health of people in our region.”

We also want to take time this month to thank the following companies for their support:

Man Brunch

June 16, 2013
Chandlers Restaurant
981 W Grove St.
Boise, Idaho
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Treasure Valley Dads can enjoy a mouth-watering Father’s Day meal and show their support for healthy relationships at the 4th Annual Man Brunch.

Along with a delicious brunch, there will be fabulous raffle prizes and activities for the kids! Enjoy live music throughout the brunch and continuing until 4 p.m.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Corporate Pillar

Spotlight

For the WCA, partnerships are vital both within the nonprofit arena and within the business community. The WCA’s Corporate Pillars program helps create partnerships with Treasure Valley businesses.

Chandlers Restaurant in downtown Boise is one of the WCA’s esteemed Corporate Pillars. This year marks the fourth annual Father’s Day Man Branch at Chandlers on June 16th from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Rex Chandler, owner of Chandlers, opens up his fabulous restaurant on this special day to honor Dads for a wonderful event benefiting the WCA, including a delicious brunch, live music and terrific raffle baskets.

“I have pledged my company’s corporate strength to the WCA as a concerned business member to raise awareness of the issues of domestic abuse and support the solutions that are so vital in our community. I’ve personally witnessed the positive impact the WCA has on this issue, and I want women and children to continue to have the opportunity to overcome the bonds of violence,” said Rex.

Please join us in thanking Rex for his incredible support of the WCA, and certainly consider joining us for Man Brunch. It’s a wonderful way to honor Dad and also embrace the needs of the WCA.

For more information on our Corporate Pillars program, please go to www.wcaboise.org or call Lisa Uhlmann at 208.343.3688 ext. 45.

The following items are this month's top 10 needs for WCA programs and facilities:

Boxes of facial tissue
Clear storage bins
Cleaning wipes
Dish sets
Gift cards (any major retailer)
Older kids toys 7 and up (for girls and boys )
Pots and Pans
Synthetic gloves
Toddler toys
Tupperware (various sizes)

For details on how to give these items or make other donations, click here.

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We had the most fabulous donation come to us during the month of April – thanks to some very generous community partners! Gardner Company and ESI Construction partnered with many of their sub-contractors to update our main domestic violence shelter. This consisted of replacing ten-year-old linoleum and carpeting, painting all the hallways and common area rooms, re-striping the parking lot and replacing worn-out concrete steps and landings. This project started when a special high school senior asked what he could do to help our clients, and then put together the most awesome senior project I have ever seen. Never mind the usual logistical issues present in a job of this magnitude, in order to minimize disruption to our residents, the work had to be accomplished within a week. The generosity, hard work and dedication of all the individuals involved in accomplishing this work within the time frame outlined will not be forgotten by staff or residents. As residents were moving back into the shelter after a week’s absence, the sentiment I heard over and over was the wonder that someone they didn’t know “would do this for me”!

Click here to view a photo gallery of the amazing transformation.

Parenting can be a challenge, particularly when individuals have learned abusive parenting practices during their formative years. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, “although many factors contribute to child abuse and neglect, many social scientists believe that the leading cause is the generational cycle of violence in which parents rear children within the context of the violence they experienced as children.” The WCA provides its shelter clients Nurturing for Families, an evidence-based curriculum that is premised upon developing positive self-worth, expressing empathy through the awareness of the needs of others, encouraging good choices, extending respect, and creating optimism. Succinctly, it replaces hurtful patterns of parenting with an empathic response – and that’s an approach that we want to encourage.

The 9th Annual “Healing Begins with Hope” Outreach and Fundraising Breakfast was held Thursday, May 9 at the Boise Centre. With the theme of “Courage,” it was a memorable morning for the 500+ guests in attendance! Four women told stories of the courage it took for them to seek help from the WCA at the lowest point of their lives — and the hope and freedom they have found today. A special thank you to Yvonne Rousseau, whose beautiful song “Turned My Life Around,” started off the moving program. It was a morning to remember!

Click here to view the photo gallery.