On April 17, Sweet kicked off our Live Sweet Voluntour with a project at a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Orlando, Florida. Our Sweet voluntouristas (and voluntourmista) hounded their friends, families and co-workers for donations in the weeks prior to our event.
Because of the women in the shelter often continue to be in danger, the location of the shelter is a closely guarded secret. Our volunteers met at a nearby church, then drove to the secret location, our vehicles stuffed to the gills with food, clothing, toys, bedding, cleaning supplies, cell phones and other shelter wish list items. We even gave cashy money. Yeah, the women of Sweet really stepped up for Harbor House.
Our donations overwhelmed the storage area. We ended up filling external sheds and a pantry at a second house! The residents and staff were thrilled by our visit. Supplies, especially expensive things like diapers and tampons, get dangerously low in the spring and summer. Robin, one of the directors of Harbor House, said they don’t often see donations (especially in this volume) unless it’s the holidays.
As further proof that lesbians are everywhere, Robin came out to us and told us about the training Harbor House staff receive to work with same-sex victims of domestic violence. It’s much more prevalent than we think. In fact, nationwide, one in two women will be victims of partner abuse at least once and one in four women will be victims on a regular basis. That’s shocking.
Luckily, for victims of battery in Central Florida, there’s Harbor House. They are a beacon of hope and a model for shelter’s the world over. If you’d like to contribute to Harbor House, visit HarborHouseFL.com. There are a ton of ways you can contribute.
The Live Sweet Voluntour heads to New York and New Jersey next week and Denver, May 7-9. Join us for some fun and fabulous events. Details.
Tags: Live Sweet Voluntour 2010, Shannon Wentworth, Sweet Somethings
