The Center for Family Justice Receives $20,000 grant for Domestic Violence Programs from The Mary Kay Foundation
The Center for Family Justice is Part of $3 Million in Funding During Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Bridgeport (Oct. 13, 2016) –As part of The Mary Kay Foundation’s annual shelter grants program, The Center for Family Justice has received a $20,000 unrestricted grant to further the organization’s efforts to combat domestic violence and provide rehabilitation services in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Easton, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. The grant awarded to CFJ is part of $3 million in funding that the Foundation has awarded this year to 150 domestic violence shelters in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.
CFJ will use the grant funding to provide critical support for its Kathie’s Place shelter. Other recipients use the unrestricted funds for basic operating expenses, hiring much-needed personnel, completing repairs and renovations or adding programs and resources based on the unique needs of their shelter and the clients they serve.
“At The Center for Family Justice], we are incredibly grateful for support from The Mary Kay Foundation and its continued commitment to break the cycle of domestic violence,” said Debra A. Greenwood, CFJ’s President and CEO. “What the foundation is doing for CFJ and domestic violence programs throughout the country reflects a true commitment to bringing hope to the lives of vulnerable men, women and children and is truly inspiring.”
CFJ is Connecticut’s first Family Justice Center providing a full complement of supportive and crisis services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse in the six communities it serves.
“The fact that shelters across the country can use these unrestricted funds to best fit their immediate needs has often made the difference between keeping the doors open or closed, maintaining a critical service or providing a life-saving safe place for a family in need,” said Anne Crews, board member for The Mary Kay Foundation and Vice President of Public Affairs for Mary Kay Inc. “As the Foundation celebrates 20 years of making a difference in the lives of women and children, we are proud to continue our signature domestic violence program in communities nationwide. We know hundreds of thousands of lives have been impacted, not only today but for generations to come.”
Nearly 600 domestic violence shelters applied for The Mary Kay Foundation shelter grants this year. Mary Kay Inc.’s global cause-related program, Beauty That Counts, helps support The Mary Kay Foundation’s annual shelter grant program. Mary Kay has a deep commitment to ending abuse and alongside The Mary Kay Foundation℠ has given $53 million to domestic violence prevention and awareness programs.
Please visit marykayfoundation.org for additional information and for the full list of 2016 Shelter Grant Recipients.
About The Mary Kay Foundation℠
The Mary Kay Foundation℠ was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. The Mary Kay Foundation℠ has awarded $54 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation℠, please visit www.marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FAMILY JUSTICE
The Center for Family Justice Inc. (formerly The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County Inc.), brings all domestic, sexual and child abuse services – crisis intervention, police, prosecutors, civil/legal providers, counseling – under one roof, in our headquarters in Bridgeport, CT. Together, we work to break the cycle of violence by helping those in crisis restore their lives. Although our name has changed, we continue with the work we have provided for 12 decades, providing free, confidential, bilingual crisis services in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. It is the comprehensive services our partners are providing that are streamlining the road to healing and self-sufficiency.
Within the past year, The Center answered more than 950 calls on a 24-hour crisis hotline; assisted with the civil and criminal court processes for more than 2,500 survivors of domestic violence; responded to more than 500 survivors of sexual assault and their families; provided a safe home for more than 100 women and children fleeing domestic abuse; coordinated the investigations of more than 170 cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse, developing service plans for the young survivors and their families; and provided psycho-educational support to more than 1,200 survivors of domestic violence, planning for their safety and promoting self-sufficiency.
As part of our mission, The Center educates approximately 4,000 members of the community about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse to prevent future violence and spread the word that about the services we offer at The Center for Family Justice. Annually, we teach more than 2,000 children and teens about building healthy relationships, bullying prevention and dating violence.
For more information, visit www.CenterForFamilyJustice.org.
