Through Facebook and Twitter, the “In Celebration of Mothers” campaign asked individuals to send messages of love and appreciation for mothers—and all those who have sparked their strength—by “sharing” their favorite speech bubble image on Facebook.  Check out the images here, and feel free to continue “sharing” beyond Mother’s Day—because honoring mothers isn’t limited to a particular day once a year!

Read more about the message behind the campaign here, and listen to us talk about our efforts on KALW’s “Crosscurrents”!  And click here to learn how a contribution made in honor of a mother or other source of strength will help ensure the future of La Casa’s life-saving services.

Wondering why this is important?  San Francisco is home to the largest proportion of older adults of any major city in the United States.  And the stakes are high.  A victim of abuse later in life not only experiences devastating physical, psychological, verbal, financial, stalking and sexual abuse, but they are at an enhanced risk to lose their independence, dignity, life savings, homes, health and security.  Due to these risks, many victims in later life choose not to seek help, and finish out their golden years with violence, neglect and abuse.  As the American population ages, experts expect to see the incidence of abuse later in life on the rise.

La Casa has been working hard to address this widespread and hidden issue.  The Advanced Officer Training was part of a larger effort to increase awareness, understanding, and services for victims of abuse 50 and older.  To date, La Casa has trained over 550 officers on abuse later in life, and served hundreds of victims 50 and older who have been brutalized by caretakers, family, and friends.  From the 68 year old survivor of abuse (by her caretaker) who attends the “Women 50 and older Support Group”, to the 81 year old who was beaten by her adult child and housed at La Casa’s Emergency Shelter, victims of all walks of life are finding a refuge at La Casa.

You might also recognize La Casa’s End Abuse Later In Life outreach campaign from the streets of San Francisco.  MUNI buses and trains currently display bold ads reading “Is a loved one or caregiver hurting you?  Turn to us. You are not alone.” As always, we don’t do this work alone!  Our training of law enforcement and community service organizations was completed in partnership with the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the Institute on Aging, and Adult Protective Services. Law enforcement agencies who participated in the Advanced Detective training include Antioch Police Department (PD), Brisbane PD, Dixon PD, Livermore PD, Martinez PD, Morgan Hill PD, Napa PD,  Richmond PD, SF District Attorney’s Office, San Francisco PD, San Leandro PD, San Ramon PD, South San Francisco PD, and Walnut Creek PD.

And we march on – day in and day out – training community providers, law enforcement, and others on this life-threatening issue, and providing life-saving services to victims in need.  If you are interested in learning more about this topic or helping victims 50 and older, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Like the home of a nurturing mother, the support provided to shelter residents goes far beyond a safe place to sleep.  Residents receive meals, toiletries, needed clothing, and other basic necessities after often having to leave most possessions behind.  At on-site support groups, survivors are able to connect with other women to help shatter the isolation and feelings of shame that often shroud experiences of domestic violence.  Survivors receive counseling for themselves and their children, and individualized assistance around their unique needs—from finding medical services to applying for housing programs, to registering their kids for a new school in a safe location.  Moms and kids’ playgroups, wellness workshops, and other supports encourage healing and help survivors begin to rebuild their lives.

 “I am grateful for Shelter taking me in at the most critical moment, for the emotional support and legal services, and for helping me to rise above my fear of my ex-partner and rebuild my strength.”      -Emergency Shelter resident

When a diverse group of local women founded La Casa as an emergency shelter in 1976—the first in California and one of the first nation-wide—they chose the “home of the mothers” moniker in part to honor one of their mothers, killed by domestic violence.  They also sought to reflect the unconditional acceptance, safety, and warmth that a mother’s home can provide when embarking on healing and creating a life free from violence.

Today, the Emergency Shelter Program provides safety and comprehensive support to around 35 women and children each night, serving nearly 400 women and children each year.  One floor offers individual rooms for women who come to shelter without children, while another floor offers family rooms for women with children.  Children’s indoor and outdoor play spaces, a community living room, and a single women’s reading room help provide healing spaces and opportunities for all residents.

La Casa strives to maintain a warm, welcoming environment for women and families fleeing violence—and with nearly 400 residents each year, the shelter’s rooms see a lot of wear and tear!  Read here about how to help create a nurturing atmosphere through our Adopt a Room Program!

Celebrating mothers means celebrating the role that they—and all those who embody the qualities of a mom—play in our individual lives, our families, our communities, and our world.  In the fight against domestic violence, celebrating mothers means celebrating the strength and resiliency of moms who—amidst great turmoil and trauma—work to give their children safety, stability, love, and a brighter future.  It also means celebrating the role of mothers, and all adults, in building futures for our children that are free from violence.

What does a mother—or a consistent, caring adult—mean in the life of a child?  It’s difficult to quantify.

(From the Family Violence Prevention Fund’s 2009 ”Connect: Supporting Children Exposed to Domestic Violence”) 

• The #1 factor in how children weather exposure to domestic violence is the presence of at least one loving and supportive adult in their life (Osofsky, 1999, as cited in Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2009)
• Children who are isolated or lack nurturing adults in their lives are more negatively affected by their exposure to domestic violence
• For many children exposed to domestic violence, the single loving, supportive adult in their lives has been their mother, doing her best to care for her children even as she is being battered
• Other adults can also play this role — a grandmother, aunt or uncle, family friend, foster parent, coach, teacher, neighbor

The experience of a healthy relationship with an adult can act as a model for future relationships and can help break the intergenerational cycle of domestic violence.  A 2011 study further showed “the importance of the bond between mothers and children and the importance of positive adult role models in the lives of children who have experienced abuse” (Anderson). 

Support – from caring, nonjudgmental individuals, organizations, and the wider community – is critical for survivors of all ages, not just for children exposed to domestic violence.  Survivors often need assistance with many challenges, like healing from the trauma they have experienced, finding safe housing, or building their economic stability—challenges that La Casa’s service continuum is here to help with.  And wider messages of community support—that the community cares about and stands with survivors—can help someone heal from or reach out for help with domestic violence.  This is part of why we’re sharing messages of support on Facebook—for mothers, for women, for survivors.

Every day, mothers throughout the Bay Area seek safety from domestic violence for themselves and their children.  Every year, La Casa serves 6,700 survivors, reaching more than 60,000 women, teens, older adults, and children.  Explore La Casa’s continuum of services, including specific supports for teens and older adults, and our community outreach and education efforts to prevent future violence.

To explore more about domestic violence and creating healthy relationships, click here. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mother’s Day can be a difficult time for a mom and her children who have fled their home due to violence.  Each year, a Community Involvement Team of LEVI Strauss & Co. employees, spearheaded by Rebecca Malkin Chocron, steps in to help create a warm, festive Mother’s Day for the women and families in our Emergency Shelter Program – planning and preparing a special Mother’s Day meal.  The team coordinates with the program’s cook and brings with them any special ingredients not already on hand at shelter, mindful not to place strain on the program’s limited resources.  They transform the dining room with decorations and even provide a small gift at each woman’s place setting.  Their gifts of time, care, nourishing food, and festivities reach even further through a Levi’s Foundation matching gift program – providing La Casa with a donation matching the hours contributed by each volunteer – and through LEVI Strauss & Co.’s support as a 35^th Anniversary event sponsor.

Year-round, generous community members, corporations, and groups help us meet the basic needs of women and children living in shelter through contributions of items – from toothbrushes to diapers, from nonperishable food to clothing and shoes.  Each month, six young professional women roll up their sleeves and dive in, sorting and organizing these donated items so that they are accessible in the moment when a need arises.  The group members – connected through various walks of life, from childhood friendships to current jobs – decided that they wanted to use their social bond for good, spending time together for a cause they care deeply about.  The time they spend together at shelter helps us respond to the needs of residents and take stock of current needs for our Wish List.

Beyond our shelter program, many groups pitch in to make our full service continuum possible.  HOLA – a group of Gap employees focused on empowering Latino/Hispanic employees and making a positive impact in their community – is kicking off an ongoing partnership with La Casa by holding a drive to assemble emergency domestic violence backpacks.  This project will help to expand La Casa’s capacity to distribute these backpacks – containing basic necessities for victims – to police stations and partner agencies city-wide.  And employees with the women’s interest groups at Oliver Wyman and Mercer – Women of Oliver Wyman, and Women’s Interest Network – have jumped in to help with many different needs, including volunteering to bead bracelets for our Girls Got Each Others’ Backs program, holding drives for school supplies and other items, and participating in our Adopt A Family program for multiple years.  This week they’ll bring donations of journals to our Drop In Center for a decorating party, personalizing the journals with inspirational poems and quotes before they’re given to the women and teens we serve to encourage healing and self-care.

We can’t do it without groups like these – and many others – who generously lend their time and talents!  Interested in learning about opportunities for your group to partner with La Casa?  Email with your ideas or read more here!

Our community hub, our public address – La Casa’s Drop In Center serves as an access point for victims and survivors of domestic violence through every step of their journey.   It offers a safe place to receive preventive and ongoing supportive services, in addition to the crisis interventions available to victims through La Casa.  It embodies our commitment to individualized and unconditional support – that

Yes – for some survivors, our Emergency Shelter program is a critical safe haven when danger in their homes prompts the decision to leave and seek greater safety.  But for other survivors, shelter isn’t what is needed or desired at a given time, or they have already exited the shelter program.  Our Drop In Center provides access to any of our services, so that all survivors – with their unique needs and situations – can receive support with both immediate and ongoing needs.

“I enjoy coming to the Drop In Center to talk to my counselor.  She helps me with my relationship and also helps me to become a better parent and make more informed choices.” -Drop In Center client

Through the Drop In Center, survivors can interact with our continuum of services in endlessly different ways.  For one person, this might mean choosing to meet with an advocate once or several times for information and education on healthy and unhealthy relationships, the signs of abusive dynamics, and how to create appropriate boundaries in a relationship.  Another person might choose to attend a weekly support group for many years, to connect with other women in community and healing.  Still another might come in for assistance seeking a restraining order, and to receive weekly counseling towards healing and greater independence.  And a survivor’s interactions with our service continuum can shift and evolve over time as her needs do.

La Casa’s prevention and intervention services also reach far beyond the walls of the Drop In Center.   Every day, La Casa’s staff and volunteers engage with community members in diverse settings – from schools to community fairs, social service organizations to businesses – providing education, information, and intervention around domestic and teen dating violence.  Advocates offer counseling and support on-site at locations including San Francisco public high schools, the San Francisco Police Department’s Hall of Justice, the San Francisco Unified Family Court, and two permanent housing programs.

Read more here about the many services accessible through our Drop In Center and where it’s located.

Dwight began assisting with the design of La Casa’s holiday card in 1997 while working in the graphic design department of Miller Freeman Publishing (later CMP).   The company’s outreach program, which connected its staff with various community projects—from beach cleanups to tutoring for children—asked his design department to lend its talents to the design of our holiday card.  At the time, he shares that he “didn’t know anything about La Casa.” 

Dwight quickly became dedicated to the agency’s mission and to the provision of shelter and safety for women and children.  “I think the services [La Casa] provides and the amount of work it can handle is amazing,” he shares.  Thus, years after leaving CMP, Dwight continues to volunteer his talents each year.  “You know that you’re doing a good service here, that the job is being done” and having a big impact. 

The most enjoyable part of the holiday card design process, he shares, is “keeping the integrity of a child’s drawing while building it up so that it has more impact.”  Sometimes a child’s delicate crayon strokes, for instance, require some darkening or enhancement so that the drawing translates fully into printed form.  “It’s a blast,” he says, to put his Photoshop skills to use for this purpose. 

His biggest challenge is choosing a drawing that feels joyous and festive for the holidays, while representing the universality of La Casa’s mission through a nondenominational image—which means no Santa Claus, a favorite subject in the children’s drawings!   The most unusual card Dwight has designed for La Casa?  Instead of a drawing, he scanned and collaged a child’s snowflake cutouts.  His favorite design of the last 15 years?  The most recent card—from 2011—because of the drawing’s simplicity.  He was able to leave it nearly untouched without much alteration, just as the child had created it.

A vocal advocate for the importance of volunteering, Dwight feels that “every person has something they can give.  “When people may say that their life is a little bit at a standstill, I always suggest volunteering,” he says.  “It’s amazing what it does to take you out of your individual life and remind you what life’s about.”   

As a La Casa volunteer, Dwight draws on expertise acquired through his nearly 30 year career in book and magazine design.  After studying art at Kent State in Ohio, he moved to San Francisco in 1983 and began graphic design work for magazines shortly thereafter.  During almost 20 years at Miller Freeman, he specialized in high tech magazines, but when the tides shifted and those magazines moved to mostly online publication, he shifted into designing book jackets at Harper Publishing.  His division, Harper One, focuses on books about mind-body-spirit, health, religion, and spirituality.

Dwight finds his volunteering role with La Casa a nice complement to his professional life and his 26 years as a volunteer Special Olympics coach, directing its soccer program.  As a coach, he is closely involved with the athletes; in designing our cards, he gets a unique glimpse into the hearts and spirits of the children in our shelter program without directly meeting them.   For Dwight, volunteering with La Casa and Special Olympics has brought his personal and professional lives into important and fulfilling balance.

The impact and reach of Dwight’s work as a La Casa volunteer became apparent to him in his second or third year of volunteering, when his landlady—a longtime contributor to the agency—called him to ask whether he was the same Dwight Been who was noted on the back of the card she had received from La Casa.  Year after year, the cards Dwight creates reach thousands of community members to share the message of nonviolence and support for survivors at the holidays.

When you make a contribution in celebration of mothers, we will send your honoree a beautifully designed Happy Mother’s Day card acknowledging your gift to let her know she too is a refuge, an advocate, and a voice for others.  

Your donation will help La Casa continue to provide safety and resources 24/7/365.

Every day throughout the Bay Area, mothers seek safety from domestic violence.  La Casa, San Francisco’s prominent voice against domestic violence, empowers these women to find their voice and regain their courage. 

• We provide non-judgemental support. 
• We offer a confidential safehouse. 
• We equip survivors with knowledge, tools, and confidence to exercise their strengths.
• We challenge public tolerance of domestic violence.

The essential qualities of a mother are found in so many.  Honor your mother, or mothers, today!  With your gift, you will send a clear message that your honorees spark strength in others.  You will also offer the gift of mothering to a woman, teen, or child in need.

With your support, La Casa serves 6,700 survivors, reaching more than 60,000 women, teens, older adults, and children each year.  Visit our website or Facebook page to learn more or pledge your tax-deducible support of La Casa.  We could never do it without you. 

A very special thank you to the USF MBA student team that redesigned La Casa’s Mother’s Day Campaign materials through “Learning to Lead” in 2011.

You’ve told us, but to make your voice heard where it counts tell your Supervisor that since Mirkarimi won’t do the right thing, they must. 

Here’s what you can do:

1.  Call or email your San Francisco supervisor.  Tell her or him – in your own words – that your trust is broken.  Something feels terribly wrong if Ross Mirkarimi can plead guilty to domestic violence false imprisonment and continue to act as San Francisco’s Sheriff. 

“Hello Supervisor _______, my name is ______ and I am one of your constituents.  Something is terribly wrong if Ross Mirkarimi can plead guilty to domestic violence false imprisonment and continue to act as San Francisco’s Sheriff.  I urge you to act appropriately, as a member of an independent judiciary, in the face of evidence that the former supervisor has engaged in misconduct.

Find your supervisor’s information below.  Don’t know who your supervisor is?  Find out at http://www.sfbos.org/.   

It’s your story that is most important for San Francisco’s political apparatus to hear.  This is bigger than one person or one incident.  It’s about our community’s response to violence against women.   It’s about victim safety and batterer accountability – the imperative that domestic violence never be minimized or a lack of consequences explained away through technicalities.

District 1: Eric Mar, (415) 554-7410,

District 2: Mark Farrell, (415) 554-7752,

District 3: David Chiu, (415) 554-7450,

District 4: Carmen Chu, (415) 554-7460,

District 5: Christina Olague, (415) 554-7630,

District 6: Jane Kim, (415) 554-7970,

District 7:  Sean Elsbernd, (415) 554-6516,

District 8: Scott Wiener, (415) 554-6968,

District 9: David Campos, (415) 554-5144,

District 10: Malia Cohen, (415) 554-7670,

District 11: John Avalos, (415) 554-6975,

Loud Dog began its support of La Casa by helping us reimagine our annual fundraiser.  The Result?  The redHOT* Party, a signature event kicking off National Domestic Violence Awareness Month celebrates each October with a bit of sizzle and a lot of fun.

“The redHOT* party is a rewarding way for me to volunteer my time as a community member for a very worthy cause, and to work with so many amazing individuals each year that pledge their time,” said Jodi Wing, Loud Dog’s Creative Director, who continues to volunteer on The redHOT* Event Committee, shaping its marketing efforts and contributing her wit, vision, and elbow grease.

Next, the Loud Dog team brought its technical and visionary prowess to redesign our website, offering a very generous contribution of professional serivces to match an award La Casa received through The John Burton Foundation’s Homeless Youth Capacity Building Project.  This redesign brought lacasa.org to life this year.  “We were excited to work with La Casa to transform their website,” Orum said.  “By working closely with their team to understand their organization and goals, we were able to create a dynamic, user-friendly platform that connects La Casa with their community, and helps them help others.”

The refreshed site allows La Casa to reach out and interact with the public, sharing updates about exciting happenings, pertinent issues, and timely ways to take action against domestic violence.  With a live feed of our Twitter posts, an “Our Voice” section with current articles, a place to request free domestic violence education workshops, and more, Loud Dog has equipped La Casa with a vibrant tool for community connection.

It also speaks directly to victims who may be exploring their options online.  La Casa’s 24-hour Hotline is prominent on each page alongside a “quick escape” button and information about how to safely get help.

In 2012, you’ll see Loud Dog teamed up with La Casa as a sponsor of our upcoming 35th Anniversary Event!  The details of their influence here are yet to be revealed… But Loud Doug has generously inspired us once again to mine La Casa’s mission, hopes, values, and assets.  For the event, their team is developing a visual and emotive illustration of our 35-year commitment to supporting victims of domestic violence in San Francisco.

“Loud Dog has helped us to hone our message cisually and ushered us into the powerful age of social media.  Their contribution has really been priceless.  We’re alive online!”  said Executive Director Kathy Black.  “We now have a presence that’s enticing to the individuals we are trying to attract to our issue, and a fantastic platform through which La Casa will mark 35 years of work transforming the present and future of local women and girls.”

Join us for this celebration–a cocktail reception on August 23rd in the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco’s Crown Room–and we’ll be happy to introduce you to our friends at Loud Dog!