News

Company’s $50,000 HopeLine grant to Laura’s House in Orange County, California funds technology upgrades; Verizon employees also donate food and other essentials to shelter.

LADERA RANCH, Calif., Sept. 21, 2011 – Survivors of domestic abuse can now search for jobs, find apartments, or locate schools for their children through new online tools and resources, thanks to a $50,000 Verizon Wireless HopeLine technology grant to Laura’s House. In addition to funding computer upgrades for shelter residents, the grant also modernizes the agency’s computerized case management system to help ensure the best possible outcomes for clients.

Verizon Wireless employees in the company’s Irvine marketing and sales operations group also conducted a collection drive of essentials for survivors living in the Laura’s House shelter.  Employees donated non-perishable food, gift cards from national retailers and local grocery stores, and supplies for children in the shelter to make arts and crafts gifts for their moms.

As a thank you to Verizon Wireless employees, Laura’s House presented the company with a wall of “thank you tiles” created by children in the agency’s counseling and shelter programs—a wall now prominently displayed at the company’s local headquarters.

“We are honored that Verizon Wireless has chosen to support Laura’s House in providing much-needed programs and services to families that are rebuilding their lives free of violence,” said Margaret Bayston, CEO and executive director of Laura’s House. “We found the company’s collection drive to be a very creative way to engage their employees in helping Laura’s House end the cycle of domestic violence in our community. We’re also grateful for their financial contributions, and hope that their efforts will inspire other local businesses to find ways to make a difference in our community.”

“Giving back to the communities in which we work is part of who we are as a corporate citizen,” said Diana Zaccardi, vice president of marketing.  “For our marketing and sales operations team in Irvine, it was an honor to collect and donate more than 450 items and $560 in gift cards to Laura’s House.  We know what a great organization they are and that they’re putting to work every item we donated to benefit each woman and child living in their shelter.”

More information on the programs and services offered by Laura’s House is available at www.laurashouse.org. The Verizon Wireless HopeLine program collects no-longer-used cell phones and accessories at the company’s Communications Stores.  The company recycles, refurbishes and resells the equipments, using the proceeds to awards grants of cash, phones and free airtime to domestic violence prevention agencies.  To learn how to donate to HopeLine, please visit:  http://bit.ly/pgN2gV.

About Laura’s House

Annually, Laura’s House provides residential shelter services to more than 200 women and children, counseling to more than 300 clients, legal services to more than 300 clients and assists with more than 1,700 crisis hot-line calls. The mission of Laura’s House is changing 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 Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.  To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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• During Domestic Violence Awareness Month visitors to the Laura’s House Website can listen to audio recordings of two women who broke the cycle of violence

• Donors to Laura’s House can double the impact of their donation due to a pledge Friedmann & Friedmann Insurance that will match dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000, donations made through the Website, during October 2011

LADERA RANCH, Calif., Oct. 1, 2011 – Laura’s House, a nonprofit organization whose mission is 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, today announced the launch of a month-long education and awareness-building campaign to “end the silence of domestic violence,” in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

During October 2011, visitors to the Laura’s House Website can listen to stories shared by two survivors, Nancy and Sophie, who have overcome abusive relationships and are now building lives that are free of violence for themselves and their children. Visitors who make a donation via the Website will be able to double the impact of their contribution due to a pledge from Newport Beach-based Friedmann & Friedmann Insurance Services, Inc., to match dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 in donations to Laura’s House, made during the month of October. The funds raised during this campaign will be used by Laura’s House to provide much-needed programs and services to other families who are fleeing violent homes.

“A recent study found that during 2010, there was a 25% increase in the number of women and a 60% increase in the number of children seeking refuge from domestic violence,” said Margaret Bayston, CEO and Executive Director, Laura’s House. “As an organization, in addition to providing services to families who are fleeing violent homes, we strive to provide the community with the information and tools they need to prevent domestic violence from occurring. Our organization is blessed to have so many supporters within the local community, and we hope that by sharing the stories of these two survivors, we can encourage the broader community to become more involved in helping us to ‘end the silence’ of domestic violence.”

Laverne Friedmann, president of Friedmann & Friedmann Insurance Services, a long-time supporter of Laura’s House stated, “We are proud to support Laura’s House in its efforts to ‘end the silence’ of domestic violence, and I hope that through our matching pledge, more people will come to realize the value that this organization brings to the community. The prevalence of domestic violence has reached epidemic proportions, and it is only by getting people to talk about it that we will be able to turn the tide and reduce the incidence of it in our communities.”

Nancy and Sophie’s stories will be available at Youtube.com/laurashouse1994 to donate to Laura’s House via its Website, visit http://www.laurashouse.org/donate.html to make donations to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month during October 2011.

More information on the programs and services offered by Laura’s House is available at www.laurashouse.org or by calling (949) 361-3775. Those in crisis should call the Laura’s House 24-hour toll free hotline at (866) 498-1511

About Laura’s House

Annually, Laura’s House provides residential shelter services to more than 200 women and children, counseling to more than 300 clients, legal services to more than 300 clients and assists with more than 1,700 crisis hot-line calls. The mission of Laura’s House is changing 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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The story I would like to tell you this evening is by no means the worst abuse I suffered at the hands of my ex-husband. Sadly at the time I did not even realize it was abuse. It is the story of the day my two children and I fled our home. It is both a story of abuse and empowerment.

Early that Sunday morning my ex-husband asked me to step outside to “talk”. I refused
knowing he never speaks to me with words. Something in him snapped instantly and he threw me down on the sofa bed. As my side slammed into the metal frame I hardly had time to cringe before he was on top of me pinning my chest down with his forearm yelling “you don’t know how much I love you”.

Our children heard him and came to help me. Our daughter 3 years old stretched her body over my head while our 8 year old son jumped on his own fathers back. His father elbowed him in the ribs causing him to fly backwards and into a rack of dvd’s. My eyes did not leave my son as I watched him slump to the ground, and then with anger, fear and pain he stood up and jumped again on to his father’s back. Just as the rage appeared so suddenly it was gone.

Later that same day he said he was going out for a while. The kids and I went out back to play. When we came back into the house we found his truck in the drive way. My stomach sank as I walked to the front door our children at my side. When we looked out we saw my ex attacking the neighbor, he started back towards us throwing a large object in their yard. As he got closer
he was yelling “ look what you made me do” words I’ll never forget – Pounded into my mind from a lifetime of abuse. Our neighbor distracted him so the children and I could flee. We ran to my son’s room and barricaded the door with his bed. Soon the pounding began and the door rocked the bed budged but we held it with all our force until it fell silent. Then seconds later he appeared in the window red faced eyes bulging my son shouted he was calling the police, and then my ex disappeared.

After he left my son began packing some clothing for him and his sister demanding  “lets go mom lets go I’m not going to take this any more”.

We went to my parent’s house but were turned away – into the streets already night. My father, an electrical engineer for NASA, is an abuser as well and instructed my mother not to let us in. With my daughter crying to use the restroom, my mother gave me directions to Mc Donald’s,  they would not even let her go in to pee. With nowhere else to go I parked my car two streets up from their house and called Laura’s House to begin the intake process. We were picked up the next morning.

I have been running my entire life from abuse, and fear. Always seeing my goals education, freedom come close but I kept hitting speed bumps falling skinning my knees bruising my skin. On that Sunday morning I felt my ankles crack and as I feel I lost all hope. But I did not hit the pavement instead I feel into the tightly wove arms of Laura’s House. They healed me and gave me a safe place a first home to learn how to set proper boundaries.

No more broken bones and bruises for me. Today I walk and I can see the roses around me. Though I still have a long journey ahead I know that someday I will get to stop and smell them. I will probably get stung by a bee with my luck .

Thank you all for supporting Laura’s House you helped to save our lives.

When I broke up with my boyfriend at age 19  we remained friends. He was still in my life, and so mentally I thought that was my initial break up. After a couple of months I started dating again and he became that friend who wanted to make sure I was dating someone who is good for me. I did not know this was a manipulation of knowing more information on my new life. As my new relationship was progressing I had to tell the ex boyfriend that I could not have him in my life right now as I started feeling more and more uncomfortable with him wanting to know what I was doing, and how I felt with the new guy I was dating. I told him I was moving to San Francisco to go to school and that I would be moving that weekend. He asked me to go to dinner with him one last time as our farewell dinner. I had a weird feeling at the pit of my stomach, and told him that I would only go if we have other friends around. After dinner he dropped me off and later that night around 4am that was when I woke up in flames. So, technically I wouldn’t know how to write a paragraph about the day I left. I don’t know if my story would fit into that category or not since I felt that mentally I had broken up with him a year before the incident.

Where did I go? I was in the hospital for almost 2 months. After that, I stayed at my grandmother’s house until the room where he attacked me was finished from construction. My family wanted to give me a brand new room so that I can have a new beginning and it felt great when I came home. It did feel like a new beginning as I knew he was behind bars.

I really didn’t know about Laura’s House until earlier this year in May when I had to do a research group project. That was when I met Marissa and she came into my classroom and gave us a presentation of the cycle of violence which can turn into death. When she talked about all the red flags, I had chills and was quietly upset because no one educated me about the red flags to look for when dating. While seeing her illustration of the cycle on the board, and all the red flags written on the board confirmed MANY gut feelings that I had of him at the time. I wondered to myself, if I had been educated about all of this information when I was younger, I would’ve left him a long time ago. I would’ve left him the first time I broke up with him. Not the 8 or 9th time. But I always tell myself to never say, “WHAT IF” anymore. That phrase can drive anybody up the walls. What happened to me was a blessing in disguise.

The attack happened 11 years ago on July 2nd, 2000. It took me 11 years later to see all that information on the white board. 11 years later was the confirmation that there is information like this out there. Laura’s House is a great organization and I am very glad to be part of the LH family. =)  After meeting with Marissa and getting to know about Laura’s House, I now have the passion to educate teenagers and women (and boys and men!) about the cycle of dating violence that can lead to death one day and to empower women that there is life after trauma. A real good life if you can ride out the challenges that life throws at you. =)

Designed by Irvine-based Side Studios, the new site provides the community with information on programs and services for families impacted by domestic violence, while offering a “quick escape” to protect those who are seeking help

LADERA RANCH, Calif., Sept. 1, 2011 –Laura’s House, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe place in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse, today announced the launch of its newly redesigned Website at www.laurashouse.org.

The development of the new Website is the final step in a branding campaign that Laura’s House launched in 2009, to create an image the more closely represented the organization’s primary objective, which is to empower individuals and families to lead violent-free lives.

“As part of our branding campaign and the launch of our newly redesigned Website, our goal is to actively demonstrate the key characteristics that define our organization,” said Andrea McCallister, Director of Development and Communications for Laura’s House. “We feel that this has been achieved in a warm and welcoming Website that offers safe refuge online for those who are trying to escape violent homes, as well as serve as an informational tool for individuals, groups and corporations who want to support families affected by domestic violence. We are very pleased to have partnered with Side Studios in the development of our new Website. Their team of designers did a wonderful job of communicating our brand in a way that truly illustrates who we are as an organization.”

The new Laura’s House Website, redesigned by Irvine-based Side Studios, features information on the programs and services provided by Laura’s House, testimonials and artwork by participants in our programs, and information on resources for individuals who are affected by abuse. The site also features a “quick escape” that will direct the browser back to the user’s default browser home page, and erase information about Laura’s House from the browser’s history, to protect the safety of the victim.

Visitors to the Laura’s House Website will also find information on upcoming events, ways that they can get involved or donate, and information on shopping or donating items to Portobello Road, a resale boutique benefiting Laura’s House.

For more information on the programs and services provided by Laura’s House, call (949) 361-3775, visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LaurasHouseOC, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Lauras_House or visit our Website at www.laurashouse.org. For more information on Side Studios, visit sidestudios.com.

About Laura’s House
Annually, Laura’s House provides residential shelter services to more than 200 women and children, counseling to more than 300 clients, legal services to more than 300 clients and assists with more than 1,700 crisis hot-line calls. The mission of Laura’s House is changing 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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