For release July 23, 2008

Photo Opportunity Available July 23^rd at 4:30PM

Goodyear, Ariz. – New Life Center, one of the largest providers of domestic violence emergency shelter services in the State of Arizona, announced funding from the annual Walk to End Domestic Violence. An award the amount of $17,500 has been given to the Center by the Arizona Foundation for Women, the organization that collects and distributes funds raised by the event.


Executive Director of New Life Center, Paul Denial, thanked the Arizona Foundation for Women and DV Walk participants for their support.


“We are humbled by the courage and resolve of the women and children who come to the Center determined to create new lives, free from family violence. The efforts of those in the community who collect pledges and participate in the DV Walk and the Arizona Foundation for Women to distribute funds to those agencies working with survivors of domestic violence, is very much appreciated. We are grateful for the community’s support.”

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Nancy Dean, CEO of the Arizona Foundation for Women noted the broad support for the 6th annual Walk to End Domestic Violence.


“We were pleased to have 4,000 participants in this year’s event. Walkers raised $250,000 to assist agencies like New Life Center that provide services to families seeking to escape domestic violence.”


New Life Center is one of the State of Arizona's leading providers of emergency shelter and related services assisting more than 1,000 women and children survivors of domestic violence each year. In addition to shelter, bedding, clothing and other basic provisions, New Life Center provides advocacy, connections with community resources and a comprehensive Children's Program.


The Walk to End Domestic Violence started in 2003. Each year, thousands of participants walk to raise money and awareness about the issue of domestic violence. Funds raised through the event are distributed by the Arizona Foundation for Women to agencies that provide domestic violence related services.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 31, 2008

Media Contact: Amy Baldwin

Arizona Foundation for Women

Mobile: (602) 619-9191

FAX: (602) 532-2801

abaldwin@azfoundationforwomen.org

The Arizona Foundation for Women Kicks Off the

6^th Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence!

Presented by The Arizona Republic and 12 News

Phoenix, Arizona – The Arizona Foundation for Women announced that the 2008 Walk to End Domestic Violence will be held on April 26, 2008 at Wesley Bolin Plaza. The annual Kickoff Breakfast took place on January 30 at the Arizona Biltmore. The Walk will begin at 7:30am with a 5K Run, followed by the 5K Walk and then a Kids Dash. The festivities will include a live performance from the Chris Parker Project, a Kids Zone with games and activities, sponsor booths with give-a-ways, and a designated area where participants can learn about domestic violence shelters and programs in Maricopa County. The Home Team Sponsors (Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Coyotes) will be participating in interactive areas, hosted by players and mascots!

The 2008 Walk to End Domestic Violence will raise much-needed funds to support domestic violence shelters and programs in Maricopa County, who provide full-service support to women and children as they flee violent situations. The Walk is also designed to increase awareness of this devastating problem. Because domestic violence incidences are increasing this type of public supported fundraising program is more critical than ever. Funds are raised through registration fees and pledges collected by participants. All of the event costs are underwritten by corporate sponsors, therefore 100 percent of the pledges and registration fees directly benefit the shelters.

“We are honored to host the Walk and to continue the good work that The Arizona Republic and 12 News started,” states Nancy Dean, CEO of the Arizona Foundation for Women. “The funds raised from the Walk have helped thousands of lives and the event draws attention to one of Arizona’s most critical social issues. We challenge our community to join with us in taking a stand against domestic violence. This abuse is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it, and we must have a unified voice.”

All community members are welcome to join the 5K Walk or Run! Participants include the Honorary Chair, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, city officials, and teams from local corporations, domestic violence shelters, victims of abuse, and community members who want to show their support for the issue.

WALK GOALS – RAISE A MINIMUM OF $400,000; participation from a minimum of 4,000 walkers and runners; and participation from a minimum of 146 Teams.

EVENT DETAILS April 26, 2008

6:30am - Registration

7:30am – Competitive 5K Run

7:32am – 5K Walk (non-competitive)

8:15am – Music (live performance from the Chris Parker Project) and Festivities

8:50am - Kids Dash (free for ages 10 and under)

9:00am – Awards Ceremony

9:10am – Music (live performance from the Chris Parker Project) and Festivities

*times subject to change

Wesley Bolin Plaza, downtown Phoenix, Arizona

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS

• One in every four women in the U.S. is abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in her life

• Each year, nearly 100 women are killed in domestic violence situations in Arizona alone

• Sixty percent of all Child Protective Services cases involve a domestic violence component

• Domestic violence is the leading cause of death of women in the workplace

• Over 4.5 million assaults are committed against U.S. women by intimate partners each year

• More than 50 percent of domestic violence victims live with children under the age of 12, and 60 percent of all Child Protective Services cases involve a domestic violence component

• More than 50 percent of all Arizona women and their children seeking shelter from Domestic Violence are turned away due to lack of space (approximately 17,000 per year in Maricopa County)

• Domestic violence costs U.S. businesses nearly $1 billion in lost productivity alone

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About the Arizona Foundation for Women

The Arizona Foundation for Women (AFW) is a nonprofit, philanthropic organization dedicated to investing in and promoting innovative solutions that address the unmet needs of women and children throughout the state of Arizona.

Using ongoing research, the Foundation identifies and focuses on priority issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, and the health and self-esteem of women, teens and children.

AFW’s Men’s Anti-Violence Network (MAN) enlists the help of prominent community leaders to focus on prevention and abuser accountability. Employers Against Domestic Violence (EADV) is a program that focuses on domestic violence awareness in the workplace. To date, AFW programs have benefited more than a million individuals in the state of Arizona. For more information about the Arizona Foundation for Women, please call (602) 532-2800.

Funds Assist Programs Focused on Empowerment and Social Change for Women and Girls of Arizona.

The Arizona Foundation for Women, recently awarded six grants totaling $165,000 to organizations dedicated to serving the unmet needs of women and girls. The receiving organizations, Circles of Peace, Soul Sanctuary in the Desert, Wellcare Foundation, Community Alliance Against Family Abuse, Direct Caregiver Association and Helping Hands for Single Moms are dedicated to addressing the unmet needs of women and girls through programs focusing on empowerment and social change. Funds will enable these organizations to expand and enhance their current programs to better serve the Arizona community.

The Arizona Foundation for Women (AFW) offers two grants programs - The Deborah G. Carstens Fund and the Arizona Foundation for Women’s Social Change Grant Program.

The Deborah G. Carstens Fund provides grants to not-for-profit organizations that motivate and empower girls and women to take responsibility for their economic lives by developing skills, building self-esteem and identifying challenges that impede their success. The Deborah G Carstens Fund awarded grants to The Community Alliance Against Family Abuse, The Direct Caregiver Association and Helping Hands for Single Moms.

The Community Alliance Against Family Abuse was awarded a grant of $50,000. Citizens who saw a desperate need to address domestic violence in Pinal County founded the Community Alliance Against Family Abuse (CAAFA) in 1998. This program works to empower detained female youth through education, support and wellness activities to lead violence-free, emotionally healthy lives upon release from detention. It is the only program working with girls in juvenile detention in the state.

The Direct Caregiver Association was awarded a grant of $30,000. Direct Caregiver Association is a nonprofit that brings together caregivers, employers, and consumers to solve the problems facing the long-term healthcare industry. The Association’s comprehensive model training program benefits economically disadvantaged individuals by providing them with the training and skills to attain a livable wage in one of the four fastest-growing fields nationally. Direct Caregiver Association operates in Pima County by training women to be Certified Nursing Assistants. Since 2002, they have graduate over 300 caregivers with an 89% employment rate upon graduation with an immediate wage increase of nearly 100%.

Helping Hands for Single Moms was awarded a grant of 35,000. Helping Hands for Single Moms is a nonprofit that empowers single mothers to independently provide for their families by assisting them in attaining a college education, affordable housing, and financial literacy.  While enrolled in college, each single mom family receives a combination of financial aid, money management and life skills training, and an abundance of care from a mentor.  Helping Hands began in 2001 as a pilot project with 1 single mom family.  After developing a solid program and recruiting a strong board, the organization grew and currently serve 19 families within the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

Just Three is a program designed to facilitate a change in the individual behavior of low-income single moms by assisting them with obtaining a college degree and to leverage that degree with sound financial management skills and long-term asset building practices. The program was initiated in 2004 and provides a model program that promotes social change in the lives of single moms and in the academic, philanthropic, faith and business communities. Since 1998, nine single moms have graduated and increased their post-graduate income by an average of $16,000 annually.

The Arizona Foundation for Women’s Social Change Fund provides funding to address identified unmet needs of women and girls. Grant funding focuses upon innovative and/or model primary prevention programs. Programs must address social change so that women and girls may live free from fear and violence, attain self-reliance and achieve social equity. The Arizona Foundation for Women’s Social Change Fund awarded grants to Circles of Peace, Soul Sanctuary in the Desert and Wellcare Foundation.

Circle of Peace was awarded a grant of $25,000. Construyendo Circulos de Paz/Constructing Circles of Peace (CCP) is a unique domestic violence program that uses a restorative justice approach to reduce violent behavior in families. This program uses social justice to create opportunities for individuals, families and communities to reject violence and move towards emotional healing, accountability and growth. This program is a demonstration project in conjunction with the Santa Clara County Justice Court (Nogales) and New York University.

Soul Sanctuary in the Desert was awarded a grant of $10,000; $5,000 of the funding donated by Avnet, one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and technology services and solutions. Founded in 2005, the Soul Sanctuary is a Phoenix-based nonprofit, actively working with families to break the repetitive cycle of substance abuse and domestic violence through helping parents of at-risk children to identify, process and resolve personal issues of co-dependence and addition while living in a transitional living environment and participating in a spiritual values development program.

Wellcare Foundation was awarded a grant of $15,000. Wellcare Foundation provides free integrated healthcare to single working mothers and their children who are not reliant on state assistance and cannot afford insurance or to pay for needed healthcare. The integrated comprehensive “body-mind-spirit” approach heals the whole person and provides much-needed physical, mental and emotional support. The Foundation’s healthcare services and education give patients the tools and support to achieve improved health leads to higher levels of self-reliance and achievement of personal goals and dreams of both the women and the children who come through the program.