Hi,

We are Angela and Brittany, friends who are working to raise money for someone who we’ve known for over 4 years. She is our friend, our neighbor, and a person who has impacted our community in positive ways.

When we heard about her situation regarding her personal fight against domestic violence, we had to help. Her fight against Domestic Violence is our fight against Domestic Violence.

“Domestic violence, is an intentional act or pattern of acts involving the use or attempted use of physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, economic, or other forms of abusive behavior in order to harm, threaten, intimidate, harass, coerce, control, isolate, restrain, or monitor another person. Perpetrators exert power and control by using: Intimidation, Children, Male Privilege, etc.”

(Domestic Abuse Intervention Project. http://www.theduluthmodel.org/pdf/ PowerandControl.pdf)

(The National Network to End Domestic Violence. https://nnedv.org/)

Through this fundraising, in one way or another, we are working to defeat the statistics below:

(Adverse Health Conditions and Health Risk Behaviors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. February 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5705.pdf.)

(Whitfield, CL, Anda RF, Dube SR, Felittle VJ. 2003. Violent Childhood Experiences and the Risk of Intimate Partner Violence in Adults: Assessment in a Large Health Maintenance Organization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 18(2): 166-185.)

Her story is more common then we’d like to believe but it is also a story of strength, grit, and love. She is a single mother of 2 little boys (a 3 year old and a 5year old). Currently, the 3 of them don’t have a permanent place and are going from house to house. It hurts us to see the kids missing their homes and asking to go back home when the reality is that they cannot because that home is too dangerous and no longer their home.

In our friend’s battle against domestic violence, she is working everyday to protect her sons and herself. To do this, she must also pay legal fees. For this reason and out of respect for her wishes, we’ve agreed to keep her identity confidential.

For this family of 3, our goal for this month is to raise at least $5,000. This money will help to cover 3-4 months of rent, while the mother works to cover legal fees and stabilize their lives.

In addition to raising money on this Go Fund Me site, we will also be hosting live fundraising events for anyone to join.

We, Angela, Brittany, our friend, and her sons, are truly grateful for any amount you are able to donate.

With gratitude,

Angela, Brittany, and Our Friend