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Press Release – Junior League Beacon Honoree

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cathy Easter, Executive Director, Safe Harbor
804.249.9470 x 131
cathy@safeharborshelter.com

Safe Harbor honors the Junior League of Richmond as their 2024 Beacon of Hope Awardee

Award recognizes JLR’s sustained commitment to Safe Harbor’s mission of rebuilding the lives of survivors.

Richmond, VA

In 2000, Safe Harbor began providing life-changing services to survivors of domestic violence. Over the years, Safe Harbor has expanded this work culminating in the creation of the first com-prehensive human trafficking recovery program in the greater Richmond area. The Junior League of Richmond (JLR) has been a vital community partner from the beginning, providing grants that supported their domestic violence program in the first three years of its operations. As the scope of Safe Harbor’s work grew, so did the generosity of the JLR.

Support from the JLR has not only buttressed Safe Harbor’s core programs (shelter, counseling, case management, court advocacy) but it has also improved the quality of life of their clients. The Junior League’s commitment to the organization recognizes that clients heal with commu-nity and connection. For many years, the JLR has helped Safe Harbor by not only providing the organization grants but with support from their trained volunteers and through their clothing voucher program. In 2019, the JLR launched the Little Black Dress Initiative and awarded $15,000 to Safe Harbor to support services that directly impact the lives of trafficking victims.

In 2023, the Junior League of Richmond provided a transformational grant of $155,000 for the creation of a multipurpose building for human trafficking survivors. Clients in the trafficking pro-gram have been trapped in a cycle of violence for years, many since they were children. The vision of this new facility is to provide space for private counseling, classes and group activities, education, and training space. But the greater aim is to offer clients a beautiful new place to heal, dream, and spread their wings.

It is an honor to announce that the 2024 recipient of Safe Harbor’s Beacon of Hope Award is the Junior League of Richmond. The JLR has demonstrated a commitment to helping make Rich-mond, and the world safer, especially for women and girls. Their support for Safe Harbor is transforming the lives of women forced into sex work, many when they were as young as 14. The Beacon of Hope Award was created by Safe Harbor in 2007 to recognize an outstanding individual or agency that has been instrumental in breaking the cycle of domestic violence, sex-ual violence, or human trafficking within the Richmond community.

“We are so grateful to the Junior League for their continued support over the years. The gener-ous grant of $155,000 is a groundbreaking step forward for our human trafficking recovery pro-gram. It’s a safe place for our clients to build community and celebrate resilience,” shared Cathy Easter, Safe Harbor’s Executive Director. “The Junior League not only showed their ded-ication and compassion to helping all women thrive but their larger dedication to helping the community where they are based which has sadly become a hub for traffickers.”

The Beacon of Hope will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Cen-ter

About the Junior League of Richmond

Founded in 1926, the Junior League of Richmond is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, col-laboration, and training. The Junior League of Richmond is an inclusive group of informed thought leaders intentionally serving and empowering women, youth, and families, striving for collective impact through collaboration and advocacy. We are part of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc., which is made up of 295 Junior Leagues in five countries. For more information, visit our website at www.jlrichmond.org.

About Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor, founded in 2000, offers comprehensive and bilingual services for survivors of sex-ual and domestic violence and human trafficking including: individual therapeutic and group counseling, children/youth services, 24-hour helpline, court advocacy, emergency and transi-tional shelters, hospital accompaniment, and community education and training. Safe Harbor’s mission is to provide the support that survivors of sexual and domestic violence and human traf-ficking need to overcome their crisis and to transform their lives. For more information, visit our website at www.safeharborshelter.com.

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