FORT WALTON BEACH — Shelter House, the domestic and sexual violence center serving Okaloosa and Walton counties, received a $20,000 grant from The Mary Kay Foundation as part of the organization’s annual Shelter Grant program to maintain critical services and programs.
The Mary Kay Foundation awarded a total of $3 million in funding to 150 domestic violence shelters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam leading up to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.
“It’s been a bigger challenge than ever for shelters to keep their doors open and grants from The Mary Kay Foundation are a vital part in helping shelters move forward in their missions,” said Anne Crews, board member for The Mary Kay Foundation and Vice President of Public Affairs for Mary Kay Inc. “The shelter grants are a signature program of the Foundation and represent just one of the ways Mary Kay is committed to ending domestic violence. We are proud to support local shelters like Shelter House that are on the front lines of helping women and children who need shelter and support from abuse.”
Shelter House provides a home to more than 200 women, children and men each year through its emergency shelter. The center also assists more than 1,000 local women annually through its outreach program, including peer counseling, support groups, court advocacy and referrals. Additional services provided by Shelter House are a 24/7 hotline, on-site kennel, child therapy, violence prevention education and economic empowerment workshops. The funds received from The Mary Kay Foundation will allow Shelter House to provide the comforts of home, such as pillows, linens and food, to shelter residents.
“Shelter House is very thankful for this grant from The Mary Kay Foundation,” said Shelter House Executive Director Michelle Sperzel. “We’ve provided a safe haven for women, children and men for almost three decades and this grant will go a long way in helping us serve the growing needs of our local community.”
For nearly 20 years The Mary Kay Foundation has supported the prevention and elimination of domestic violence, an epidemic that touches one in every four women in her lifetime. Through the Foundation’s annual shelter grant program, $37 million has been granted to domestic violence organizations since 2000. Nearly 700 shelters requested funding this year.
Shelter House is the state-certified domestic and sexual violence shelter serving victims in Okaloosa and Walton counties. Services provided include 24-hour domestic violence/rape hotline, crisis counseling, advocacy, outreach, primary prevention, transitional housing and confidential shelter.
—
If you feel that a family member or intimate partner is endangering your physical or emotional safety, if you have experienced sexual violence or if you know someone experiencing this in their home, call Shelter House’s hotline at 1-800-44-ABUSE or 850-863-4777.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Domestic violence, sexual violence shelter gets $20K grant