Christmas Gifts for Families of Domestic Violence

My name is Marian, and I recently had the pleasure of meeting an incredible woman by the name of Simone Patterson, who back in 2016, purchased a property on the Gold Coast and began the journey of transforming it into a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

With no government funding, and relying totally on the generosity of the community, Simone’s selflessness and work in this field truly brought me to tears, as she spoke so passionately about how many women are killed at the hands of their ex-partners and her mission to help women escape to a safe place while they get back on their feet.

I knew then and there that I wanted to help in some way, so I asked Simone if I could put the word out to my network of friends, family, clients and training buddies to bring some cheer to the families she currently has staying at the refuge, by donating some Christmas presents.

Simone provided me a wish list from each family, with some of the requests purely being food for their beloved pets that are with them (Simone’s refuge is the only one that takes in the family pets, and boys over 12).

I have put this list together and it adds up to approximately $1000 - with any additional money raised put towards the purchase of a trampoline for the children of a mother currently battling cancer who has just left the refuge. I will be purchasing all the items myself with the money raised and delivering them before Christmas Day.

I hope everyone who is reading this post can assist in some way no matter how small. It would just be so amazing to see the smiles on the faces of these families during this tough time.