News releases from the Mary Byron Foundation

Mary Byron Foundation honors four agencies for innovative domestic violence programs

Organizations in Arizona, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania receive cash prize

Louisville, Ky. — The Mary Byron Foundation is honoring four programs across the nation for their pioneering efforts to stop domestic violence.

The Foundation’s Celebrating Solutions Awards recognize institutions that demonstrate an innovative approach to confronting the root causes of domestic violence and developing solutions to break the cycle. Each winning agency will receive a $10,000 cash award in recognition of their work.

The four winners are:

  • The Area Agency on Aging, Region One in Phoenix, Arizona. The Area Agency’s DOVES (Domestic Old Victims Empowerment and Safety) program provides permanent transitional housing for victims of late-life domestic violence. While residing in the DOVES facility, older victims regain their sense of well-being and independence by receiving safe, affordable housing, counseling, and services designed to help the older victim of abuse become self-sufficient and move on to a life free of violence.

  • The Jewish Family Service Association in Cleveland, Ohio. The JFSA’s Family Violence Prevention Program provides comprehensive, wrap-around services to support families affected by domestic violence. JFSA also offers outreach to underserved populations such as the elderly, Orthodox Jews, new immigrants, adolescents and refugees — in particular those from the Soviet Union.

  • The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society in Boston, Massachusetts. This leadership program motivates student-athletes and student leaders to play a central role in solving problems that historically have been considered “women’s issues” — rape, battering, and sexual harassment. Through its training program, MVP encourages men and women to work together in preventing gender violence.

  • The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) in Enola, Pennsylvania. This organization works at the state and national levels to prevent sexual violence through public awareness and education. PCAR’s Rallying Youth Organizers Together (RYOT) campaign provides sexual violence prevention educators and school personnel with cutting-edge, state-of-the-art multimedia tools that resonate with youth.
Marcia Roth, executive director of the Mary Byron Foundation (right), with Mary Lynn Kasunic, president and CEO of the Area Agency on Aging, Region One.

“Our winners do not fit the mold of traditional domestic violence shelters or counseling programs,” said Marcia Roth, executive director of the Mary Byron Foundation. “AAA and JFSA are social service agencies that assist unique populations, while MVP and PCAR are working to educate young people about healthy relationships, which in turn helps to stop violence before it begins. The work of these four agencies is commendable.”

In the second year of the awards program, the Mary Byron Foundation received nearly 300 nominations from 45 states and Washington, D.C. The Celebrating Solutions Awards are open to non-profit or governmental programs that have been operating for a minimum of three years and have demonstrated innovation, positive outcomes, evidence of partnerships and community support, and potential for duplication in other communities.

“An overall goal of the Mary Byron Foundation is to promote best practices and encourage practitioners to implement programs that have proven to be effective elsewhere,” said Foundation President Pat Byron. “Because of this, we were encouraged to find that this year’s winners are offering unique solutions that can be replicated in other communities.”

The Mary Byron Foundation will begin accepting nominations for the 2005 Celebrating Solutions Award in July 2004 on its website, www.marybyronfoundation.org.


About the Mary Byron Foundation

The Mary Byron Foundation, a public grant-making charity based in Louisville, Kentucky, funds programs throughout the United States that are working to stop domestic violence.

The Foundation seeks innovative efforts that extend beyond crisis management to attack the root causes of this nationwide epidemic and prevent the violence from infecting the next generation.

Contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations make it possible for the Mary Byron Foundation to serve as a clearinghouse of proven, replicable solutions.

The Mary Byron Foundation is named in memory of a Louisville woman whose murder led to the creation of VINE?, the nation’s leading system of automated crime victim notification. Appriss?, Inc., the company that continues to provide this life-saving service, provided seed money to help establish the Mary Byron Foundation in 2000.

 

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