This Year, Giving Has to Look Different, Because Our Clients’ Needs are Different
As we all know, 2020 is no normal year. It has required Safe Shores to carry out our mission in new ways, and our annual Holiday Giving Drive is no different. We are still doing all our work remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that means Holiday Giving will be all remote, too. We must conform with this moment as we prioritize health and safety along with giving. As much as we’ll miss the fun of greeting donors to receive their wish list donations as well as the excitement of seeing all the gifts bagged up for wrapping and packing, we have had to step back and remember: Holiday Giving is not about us and the traditions we miss. It is about our clients. With such an extraordinary year comes extraordinary need, and this year we’re matching our giving efforts to what our clients need the most.
The majority of our clients have requested e-gift cards this year. You can help make holiday memories brighter for child victims of abuse in DC by making a monetary donation to Holiday Giving.
A gift of $150-$200 will sponsor one child’s wishlist. Donations may be made online at safeshores.org/donate (please note “Holiday Giving” in the comments) or by mailing a check to Safe Shores, 429 O Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, Attn: HG.
Donations will be used to purchase e-gift cards for our clients based on their specific requests and needs.
We so appreciate each and every donation made to date!
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, Safe Shores’ therapists have to think outside the box to engage and work with clients. Though art therapy in particular may seem difficult if not impossible to do remotely, our art therapist Katherine Nguyen (she/her), MA, LPC, ATR-BC, has risen to the challenge and gone all-out to make art therapy accessible, exciting, and meaningful for her clients.
Katherine has sent art supplies to clients’ homes so they’d have access to supplies like those at in-person sessions. With such a focus on the virtual, she decided to send her clients some snail mail and included sticker sheets for fun. Katherine said the children loved getting her letters in the mail with the stickers supplies.
To make her telehealth therapy sessions as effective as possible, Katherine has introduced puppets. Children get to chat withRexie the T-Rex puppet. “Puppets have been a huge hit on video calls,” says Katherine. Children feel more comfortable and have fun while broaching hardtopics. Now, her “clients know and recognize Rexie, and the familiarity grounds them,” she says.
Join us for an Upcoming Virtual Coffee for Kids (CFK)
Safe Shores’ Coffee for Kids tour is back, and for now it’s virtual! First launched in 2011, Coffee for Kids was created to connect the community with Safe Shores’ mission. Just like the live tour at the Bundy Building, participants in our virtual CFK will meet our amazing staff and hear the stories of the children we serve and their families. Attendees are encouraged to BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffee)! If you or someone you know is interested in an upcoming virtual Coffee for Kids tour, please look at our upcoming tour dates and register here.
Safe Shores Welcomes New Staff!
Two new staff members joined us in August. Anissa Tanksley (she/her) is our newest child and adolescent forensic interviewer. Anissa has over eight years of victim advocacy and child abuse intervention experience. She has worked at three child advocacy centers, conducted over 500 forensic interviews, and also brings to Safe Shores a love of gardening, running, and crafting using a variety of media (including wood burning!).
Christopher Gamble (he/him), LPC, NCC, CCMHC came on board as our newest family advocate. Chris has more than five years of experience working with children and families as a counselor. He is an American Counseling Association member and enjoys reading, listening to music, and some casual gaming in his free time.
We are thrilled that Anissa and Chris have chosen to use their invaluable experiences and excellent skills in service to children and families at Safe Shores!
What We’re Watching, Reading, and Listening to
Because We Are Girls
Because We Are Girls, a documentary written and directed by Baljit Sangra.
This film follows the emotional journey of three Punjabi-Canadian sisters who came forward as adults about the sexual abuse they experienced as children by a close cousin who lived with the family.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Pulitzer Prize Winning Author, Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
Recode Daily Podcast by Vox
Episode: “Should you sharent?”
Parents often can’t help but post cute pictures of their kids on social media, but should they be more careful about when and how they “sharent”? Leah Plunkett is the author of a book called: Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Domestic Violence Impacts the Entire Family
Domestic violence happens every day, year-round, and it impacts the entire family. We compiled the facts on how domestic violence impacts children even if they’re just witnessing the abuse, and how they can heal.
Suicide Prevention Tips
Every month, week, and day should be used to recognize the struggles our youth are facing, particularly during the pandemic. Using youth suicide data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and warning signs and prevention tips from The National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Crisis Text Line, we created some helpful graphics to share vital information.
Safe Shores Discusses Huge Drop in Child Abuse Reports During Pandemic
Child Advocacy Centers nation-wide have seen a staggering drop in reports of child abuse cases. Our Executive Director, Michele Booth Cole, discussed this drop with the Washington Informer, and how Safe Shores has pivoted to an all remote way of intervention, hope, and healing to serve child abuse victims in DC.
Read the Washington Informer Article
Our Staff’s Take on the Film Cuties
The Safe Shores staff gathered virtually to discuss the French-language film Cuties. With accusations of child sexualization and child sexual abuse images swirling around it, this film merited a thoughtful conversation. As the DC Children’s Advocacy Center, where we work directly with young victims of physical and sexual abuse, our staff had a unique vantage point from which to view and discuss the film.
Read Our Staff’s Thoughts on Cuties
