Calling All Toys...

Open Arms Domestic Violence & Rape Crisis Services is seeking donations of gifts for children and women who have been affected by domestic violence. A Client Christmas Party will be held in December, providing many clients with food, games, and gifts for Christmas. Items needed include sports equipment, gift cards, games, cars and dolls for the children. We are also seeking bath and body type items, photo albums/frames, calendars, gas/phone/gift cards, tote bags, purses, gloves and perfume items for our female adult clients. Donations are also being sought for the Client Christmas Party, with needed items including hamburger buns, plastic silverware, baked goods, vegetable trays, chips and dip and beverages.

If you wish to be one of Santa's helpers by providing gifts or adopting a family, please contact Open Arms at 419-420-9261. All donations can be dropped off at the Open Arms Administrative Office, 401 West Sandusky Street, by December 11th. We ask that donors take care to ensure that all toys, books, games or other gifts are nonviolent. We also ask that the gifts not be wrapped in order for our staff to sort and separate the toys for age appropriateness.

Support Open Arms and Our Clients this Holiday Season

You can make a difference this holiday season with three options to support Open Arms and our clients.

OPTION 1: Donate items for the Christmas Party. The Client Christmas Party is Tuesday, December 15. Call to find out how you or your group can help by volunteering or donating tape, ribbon, toys, food or drinks for the party.

OPTION 2: Sponsor an Angel Tree. Put up a tree in your business and decorate it with names of individual "angels" (provided by Open Arms). Members can select "angels", purchase gifts and deliver to Open Arms by December 11.

OPTION 3: Adopt A Family. After registering for a family, you will be contacted and provided with information to guide appropriate purchases. Families are selected by Open Arms staff. For safety purposes, the family's name and member's identities are confidential. Gifts should be delivered to Open Arms Administrative Office at 401 West Sandusky Street before December 11. We ask that the gifts not be wrapped, as many of the moms enjoy wrapping them themselves.

If you are interested in helping Open Arms in one of the three ways above, contact our Administrative Office at 419-420-9261. We thank you for your support!

Meeks to Leave Open Arms

Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services announced this morning that effective December 28, 2009 Beth Meeks will be resigning her position as Executive Director after more than 13 years in that role.

Meeks has accepted the Executive Director position at The Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The Louisiana Coalition is a statewide network of 20 domestic violence agencies. The Coalition supports those organizations through resource development, allocation of funds, technical assistance and training. It also acts as the statewide voice on behalf of the domestic violence community to elected leaders at state and federal levels.

Open Arms Board President, Lonna Bruskotter, announced that Yvette Mains, a Program Manager who has been with the organization for more than 18 years, will be serving as Interim Director while a search committee locates a permanent Executive Director. ‘Yvette is very familiar with agency staff and programs. She has a long history with the organization and is respected both inside and out. We are confident that she will provide the stability and leadership we need during our search.’, said Bruskotter.

Bruskotter, who will oversee the search process, thinks the leadership role at Open Arms provides an exciting opportunity. ‘We have accomplished a lot. We own two debt free facilities and operate 6 programs with more than 20 staff. Last year the programs served more than 8,000 people.’ She says, ‘We have a really strong staff and board who operate well as a team. It will be a great experience for the right candidate.’ ‘I have learned much, been cared for and seen many positive changes and much growth in the people and community around me.’ Says Meeks, the longest serving Executive Director in Open Arms’ 30 year history. ‘It is so hard to leave. This agency and this community mean so much to me.’

Meeks will be tasked with leading the Louisiana Coalition through the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which completely destroyed some of the domestic violence agencies there. Most of the agencies are reopened but in various states of rebuilding. She hopes to issue a report that provides legislators and key stakeholders a comprehensive review of the state of services in Louisiana at the five year mark.

SEVERAL HONORED AT OPEN ARMS ANNUAL MEETING

Several local volunteers were honored at the Open Arms Annual Meeting on October 20 at First Presbyterian Church. Award recipients included Dave and Erik Glass, The James H. Brannigan Unsung Hero Award; Denice Ziebold, Tom Croasmun Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award; Mark Plesec, Board Member of the Year; Larry Dunfee, Special Achievement Award; and Carol Dale Joseph, Lifetime Achievement Award. Beth Meeks, Open Arms Executive Director, was also presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for twenty years of service with the agency. Carol Dale Joseph was recognized for six years of service as her board term expired. One new Board Member, Brian Haehl, was welcomed to the Board of Directors.

As part of the Annual Meeting, Open Arms also presented an unveiling of the NW Ohio Silent Witness Project for the first time in Findlay, Ohio. In memory of local victims, this event gave voices to fifteen women from this area who lost their lives at the hands of someone they loved. For more information about Silent Witness Project or Open Arms, call 419-420-9261 or visit us online at www.openarmsfindlay.org.

Open Arms Annual Meeting Features Silent Witness Project

In memory of local victims who lost their lives as a result of domestic violence, Open Arms Domestic Violence & Rape Crisis Services is proud to host an unveiling of the NW Ohio Silent Witness Project for the first time in Findlay, Ohio. This event will give voice to the victims who lost their lives at the hands of someone they loved.

The Unveiling Ceremony will be held immediately after the Open Arms Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 20, 2009 at 7:00 PM at First Presbyterian Church, Findlay. A donation of $20 per person is suggested by not required to attend the event. Refreshments will be provided.

The Silent Witness Project is a powerful and reverent project consisting of life-sized silhouettes representing victims from NW Ohio whose lives ended as a result of domestic violence. We ask community members to attend this event to remember these women, to hear their stories, to honor their families, and to remember their names. For more information about Silent Witness Project or Open Arms, call 419-420-9261 or online at www.openarmsfindlay.org.

OPEN ARMS RECEIVES GRANT FROM THE MARY KAY FOUNDATION TO COMBAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services has been chosen to receive a $20,000 grant from The Mary Kay Foundation as part of the organization’s annual $3 million national domestic violence grant program. Open Arms is one of 150 domestic violence organizations participating in the program. The grant will be used for shelter operations.

“This grant is such a blessing to Open Arms,” said Beth Meeks, Executive Director. “It couldn’t have come at a better time.” Open Arms realized last fall that the economy was about to create a deficit in its operating budget. They predicted about a $60,00 hole. That amount doubled in the middle of 2009 through uncollectable client fees and state cuts that trickled down. “We have already lost two full-time positions, cut the hours of 38% of our staff and renegotiated everything from utility costs to health insurance. After all that we still had a gap.” In a sort of ‘hail Mary’ attempt Meeks applied for grant funding from several sources. “We’ve applied for the Mark Kay money in past years but the competition is so tight we never got it.” ‘We did receive some stimulus money which is helping but we still had a deficit. I was literally staring at the hole in the finances and trying to figure out what to do next when the email came from the Mary Kay Foundation.”

Besides the loss in income Open Arms has had to deal with increased expenses due to lost donations. Meeks explained that in 2007 Open Arms received $22,000 in in-kind donations like cleaning and paper supplies and other household goods. This year that amount is less than $7,000, meaning the agency has had to buy those things. “Its put a strain on our budget. But the Mary Kay money gives us hope that we can hold steady through this year and next if we can just maintain some local donations.”

The economic climate has not only caused a decrease in donations but can also be attributed to an increase in the need for domestic violence services. In May 2009, Mary Kay’s Truth About Abuse survey of domestic violence shelters across the country revealed some alarming results: three out of four domestic violence shelters report an increase in women seeking assistance from abuse since September 2008, a major turning point in the U.S. economy. The survey data directly connects the downturn in the economy to an increase in domestic violence.

“In light of the economic downturn and alarming increases in domestic violence, The Mary Kay Foundation’s mission is more critical than ever before. Open Arms has helped so many women and their families in the Hancock County area. We know they will use these funds to benefit even more domestic violence survivors and their children and help end domestic violence,” said Jennifer Cook, The Mary Kay Foundation board member.

Open Arms Domestic Violence & Rape Crisis services is a nonprofit agency supported in part by the Hancock County United Way. Open Arms provides six program services to those living and working in the greater Hancock County community. The six programs include Rape Crisis Services, Child Advocacy, Violence Recovery Project, Outreach Services, the Harmony House Visitation & Exchange program, and Emergency Shelter Services. The 24-hour Crisis Hotline is 419-422-4766. Join us at our blog at openarmsfindlay.blogspot.com for updates on our everyday life here at Open Arms.

About the Mary Kay Foundation

The Mary Kay Foundation was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. Since the Foundation’s inception, it has awarded nearly $22 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and $13 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation, log on to http://www.marykayfoundation.org/ or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).

Tough Economy Takes a Toll on Open Arms

Wow, it has been quite the rollercoaster ride this year, for all of us. Just as households and governments have struggled with a falling economy, so have non-profits. Open Arms has not escaped the consequences of the economy either.

Last year by September we were predicting a $60,000 deficit in our 2009 budget due to falling grant and donation income. That amounts to almost 10% of our budget. Part way through 2009 we got hit again with another loss of income that amounts to almost $50,000 in trickle down state funding and lost client fees. Many of the persons we serve have lost jobs and are unable to pay service fees. They are on scholarships or reduced rates or paying over extended periods of time.

And of course we know that family violence calls for assistance increase during economic hardship. Last month we served more than 50 clients through outreach and court advocacy. That’s an agency record for one month.

In addition to the direct economic loss, costs for everything continue to rise. We have battled significant increases in regular expenses like health insurance and utilities, just like many of you have. We have also been faced with unusual expenses. More clients need assistance with food while in shelter and we have fewer in-kind donations coming in.

In-kind donations are the non-cash donations that provide things like cleaning supplies and paper products. In 2007 we had more than 255 in-kind donations valued at more than $22,000. In 2008 that fell to $11,000 worth of items and so far in 2009 we have only had $7,000 worth of those donations. This means that we have been forced to spend more cash than usual on supplies.

To weather the economic losses, we started working last summer on ways we might be able to save money and raise additional dollars. The Board of Directors had a strategic brainstorming meeting and created goals to focus on for the coming year, many of which have been achieved. The staff got together and agreed to change some procedures that make more work for them but saves the agency money. And we started applying for funding in every nook and cranny we could find it.

We renegotiated every utility and line item expense we have to make sure we were getting the best deal possible. We cut two full-time positions and reduced the hours of 38% of our staff. We were awarded some stimulus funding that will help get us through this year and next and we were the surprise recipients of a Mary Kay Ash grant. Several local funders have given us the dollars we need to buy supplies for school prevention programs and Rotary honored its commitment to provide us with funding to handle building needs.

It has been a wide scale community effort. Open Arms staff should be commended for their sacrifices. The agency looks a little different, but we’re still standing. We are grateful to everyone who has helped along the way. As long as donations hold steady for the remainder of the year, we are hopeful we will not post a significant deficit. Like anything, as long as we stick together, we can get through it.