Cook, Create, Donate 2012
Posted on December 17, 2012
Laura's House is grateful to Orange County architectural and interior design firms Ware Malcomb, sponsored by Antron® and Momentum; H. Hendy Associates, sponsored by Gunlocke/HBF Fabric; HKS, sponsored by Allsteel; Taylor, sponsored by Johnsonite; Interior Architects/Boulder, Sponsored by Commercial Interior Resources and Bentley Prince Street; GKK Works, Sponsored by DIRTT; and, LPA: Sponsored by Corporate Business Interiors for supporting us through "Cook, Create and Donate 2012!"
Combating Domestic Violence
Posted on December 11, 2012
Laura's House is pleased to announce that Adam Dodge, a legal advocate for Laura's House has written an article on why legal advocacy is such an important aspect of serving families that are impacted by domestic violence. The article was published in the December issue of OC Lawyer, published by the Orange County Bar Association.
To read the full article, please click here.
Laura’s House Launches New Website for Teens Thanks to Verizon Wireless
Posted on December 6, 2012
Unveiled during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2012, the new interactive site extends the Healthy Emotions and Attitudes in Relationships for Teens (H.E.A.R.T.) prevention and education program to the broader teen community
LADERA RANCH, Calif., Oct. 31, 2012 – According to a recent study, nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. This month, as part of its efforts to prevent dating abuse by educating at-risk teens on healthy relationships and appropriate conflict resolution skills through its H.E.A.R.T. program, Laura’s House launched a new teen Website with funding from a Verizon Wireless HopeLine® grant.
The colorful and dynamic teen Website, which can be viewed at www.laurashouse.org/lhteen, offers a number of interactive features designed to reach today’s tech-savvy teen populations. These features include digital postcards that address dating abuse and provide tips and encouragement to teens that find themselves in an abusive relationship; online pledge cards that enable teens to take a “virtual” stand against dating abuse; a quiz feature that lets teens assess whether they are being abused by their dating partner, or if they are the abuser; music, news and current events; podcasts, and other informative resources that can help teens become educated about dating abuse.
“We are grateful to Verizon Wireless for its generous Foundation grant that made it possible for us to bring the idea of a more modern and interactive teen Website to fruition,” said Marissa Presley, Prevention and Education Specialist for Laura’s House. “Teens today spend so much of their time online, whether at the computer or on their smart phone, and we wanted to be able to offer them the information and interactive tools that they need to become better educated about dating abuse, and the behaviors and attitudes that can prevent that abuse from turning into tragedy.”
In addition to supporting the launch of the Laura’s House teen Website, funding from the 2012 Verizon Wireless HopeLine grant is also being used to fund technology upgrades, including new tablets for shelter residents, produce an educational video, and provide general support for the Laura’s House Emergency Shelter.
Since 2010, Laura’s House has actively partnered with Verizon Wireless in “ending the silence of domestic violence” within the Orange County community. Verizon Wireless’ Southern California marketing and sales operations teams regularly conduct collection drives for essentials that are given to survivors living in the Laura’s House Emergency Shelter. Laura’s House has also presented several workshops on-site at Verizon’s Southern California headquarters in Irvine, Calif. to educate employees on topics such as how to detect and intervene in situations where domestic violence is a factor.
“Verizon Wireless is proud to partner with organizations such as Laura’s House in our fight against Domestic Violence in Southern California and across the nation,” said Margi Simoni-Leibovitch, Associate Director of Marketing for the West Area of Verizon Wireless. “Our HopeLine program provides us the opportunity to provide much needed programs and services that help survivors of domestic abuse build lives that are free of violence.”
HopeLine® From Verizon
Through HopeLine, Verizon’s phone recycling program, the company collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any carrier and puts them to work in the community by turning them into support for domestic violence survivors. Phones collected through HopeLine recycling drives are either refurbished and sold or recycled, with the proceeds donated to organizations that work against domestic violence in the form of cash grants and prepaid Verizon Wireless phones for survivors.
Since the launch of HopeLine in 2001, more than $14.2 million in cash grants have been awarded to domestic violence agencies and organizations throughout the country, and nearly 123,000 phones have been distributed with more than 406 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence.
Consumers can also donate their phones at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide or by mail using the prepaid mailing label available at www.verizonwireless.com/hopelinemailinglabel.
About Laura’s House
Over the past eighteen years, Laura’s House has provided residential shelter and support services to nearly 3,500 families, and counseling, life skills education and legal assistance to over 40,000 individuals. The mission of Laura’s House is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
About Verizon Wireless Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 94 million retail customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 188,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
Certified law students represent victims of domestic violence to serve their interests in court and help them gain a better understanding of their legal rights
LADERA RANCH, Calif., Nov. 27, 2012 – For Laura’s House, community partnerships are crucial to the organization’s ability to fulfill its mission to change the social beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence, while creating a safe place in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse. In Spring 2012, the Laura’s House Legal Department began partnering with the newly launched Family Violence Clinic at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Law to provide pro bono counsel to victims of domestic violence.
Each semester, Clinic Professors Patricia Cyr and Kerri Strunk, both attorneys, supervise and instruct law students who have been certified by the State Bar to represent victims of domestic violence in their restraining order cases. Clients referred by Laura’s House benefit from a full spectrum of legal representation. For example, students conduct client-intake interviews and draft applications, declarations and judicial council forms. For cases that evolve to a hearing, students research relevant case law and codes, draft all necessary documents and prepare fully for the hearing. These activities may include subpoenaing and interviewing witnesses; preparing witnesses; conducting depositions of opposing witnesses; preparing opening arguments and closing arguments; and, witness questioning. Finally, students conduct hearings, which include delivering the opening and closing arguments, admitting exhibits, taking testimony and making the necessary objections.
“We are extremely grateful to the Clinic for the amazing work they do for our clients and particularly for their willingness to accept even the most challenging cases,” said Adam Dodge, a legal advocate for Laura’s House. “Due to the dedication of Professors Cyr and Strunk, the students consistently employ a high level of skill and compassion at each phase of a case, which lifts a tremendous burden off of our clients, who would otherwise have to face their abuser alone in open court.”
The partnership between Laura’s House and the UCI Law School Family Violence Clinic has been an absolute success. In the first two semesters alone, a total of 12 Laura’s House clients have received legal assistance at the clinic.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Laura’s House in providing legal representation for their clients,” said Professor Cyr. “It is a win-win-win situation where victims of domestic violence obtain the legal support and representation they desperately need to navigate our complex legal system, Laura’s House gains access to the additional resources needed to completely represent the legal interests of its clients, and our students gain valuable litigation and case management experience.”
One of the law students who has participated in the Family Violence Clinic each semester, and has represented several Laura’s House clients, is Zeenat Hassan. “Representing victims of domestic violence has been a very rewarding experience, and one that has helped me gain greater insight into the unique challenges that these individuals face within our court system. The process of obtaining a restraining order can be daunting, so it is extremely gratifying not only to litigate these cases, but to also stand beside a victim in the courtroom so they do not have to face their abuser alone.”
In addition, the Laura’s House Legal Department also services clients through intake interviews; safety planning; education on victim’s rights; registration for the State of California’s Safe at Home program; assistance in preparing and filing a domestic violence restraining order; collection of evidence, including the photographing of injuries; court transportation; court accompaniment; court direction; referrals to community resources, emergency shelters and pro bono attorneys; and, hosts a monthly legal clinic in partnership with the Orange County Bar Association.
More information on the Laura’s House Legal Department is available at www.laurashouse.org/legal-services.html.
About Laura’s House
Over the past eighteen years, Laura’s House has provided residential shelter and support services to nearly 3,500 families, and counseling, life skills education and legal assistance to over 40,000 individuals. The mission of Laura’s House is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
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Comfortable Sleep & Home’s™ 4th Annual “Stressless® Charity Promotion” Benefits Laura’s House
Posted on November 19, 2012
From November 21, 2012 through January 14, 2013, customers who donate $50 to Laura’s House will receive $200 off the purchase price of any Stressless® recliner, sofa or loveseat, or $400 off the Stressless® Wing & Eagle Recliners; customers who donate $150 will receive $600 off any three-piece sectional sofa.
LADERA RANCH and SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Nov. 19, 2012 – For families that are impacted by domestic violence, the holiday season can bring sadness, stress and uncertainty over what lies ahead in the coming year. To help shine a light and “end the silence” of domestic violence during the holiday season, Comfortable Sleep & Home™, which has locations in Ladera Ranch and San Clemente, is hosting its 4th Annual “Stressless® Charity Promotion” to benefit Laura’s House.
Now through January 14, 2013, Comfortable Sleep & Home™ will give its customers $200 off the purchase price of any Stressless recliner, sofa or loveseat, and $400 off the purchase of the Stressless Wing & Eagle Recliners in select leathers, when they donate a minimum of $50 to Laura’s House. Customers interested in sectional sofas will receive $600 off a 3 piece sectional sofa with a $150 donation.
“During the 2011 holiday season, we raised $1,500 for Laura’s House, and this year we hope to increase that amount to at least $2,000,” said store owner and Registered Nurse, Meloni Jensen. “Over the years, our customers have found this promotion to be a great way to both support Laura’s House while giving themselves or someone they love, the gift of ultimate comfort. For the past four years, our customers have enthusiastically embraced the idea of helping Laura’s House through their holiday purchases at our stores, and it is our sincere pleasure to shine a light on this wonderful organization again during the 2012 holiday season. We are even more excited and optimistic about reaching our donation goal this year since the Stressless company has decided to include the purchase of sofas, sectionals and loveseats in the promotion.”
“We are grateful to Comfortable Sleep & Home for their steadfast support, and proud to count Meloni and her team among our advocates here in the local community,” said Margaret Bayston, CEO and Executive Director, Laura’s House. “Having the support of local businesses is an integral part of our efforts to help families build lives that are free of violence. The funds raised through this promotion will support us in sustaining the programs and services that we provide to the Orange County community and beyond.”
Comfortable Sleep & Home invites the local community to visit its San Clemente store located at 415 Avenida Pico, or its Ladera Ranch store located at 25626 Crown Valley Parkway, to take advantage of the “Stressless Charity Promotion” benefiting Laura’s House. According to Jensen, “The Stressless line of recliners, sectionals, sofas and loveseats offers the gift of ultimate comfort. With Stressless ergonomically-designed seating, you can create your personal ‘Stressless comfort zone’ anywhere in your home.”
About Comfortable Sleep & Home™
Comfortable Sleep & Home™ specializes in the personal comfort of its customers, and everything sold by the company combines Comfort, Function and Style. In addition to Stressless® products, they carry the full line of Tempur-Pedic™ mattresses and pillows and the world’s only truly comfortable sofa sleeper by American Leather™. Recently, they have added a new line of beautiful, solid wood, USA made bedroom furniture by Cambridge Mills. For more info, visit http://comfortablesleep.net.
About Laura’s House
Over the past eighteen years, Laura’s House has provided residential shelter and support services to nearly 3,500 families, and counseling, life skills education and legal assistance to over 40,000 individuals. The mission of Laura’s House is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
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