South Suburban Family Shelter gets $20K from Mary Kay Foundation
The Mary Kay Foundation recently awarded South Suburban Family Shelter a $20,000 grant to further the organization's efforts to combat domestic violence and provide rehabilitation services throughout the south suburban and Chicago metro region.
This year's grant slate brings the total investment in the foundation's annual shelter grant program to nearly $42 million. South Suburban Family Shelter will use the grant funding to help provide emergency shelter and supportive services to families who have fled their homes in danger of their lives and the lives of their children. Funds will be used to pay for the hotel/motel expenses, food, and supplies while victims are in shelter; the transportation to/from shelter; and the salary of the crisis intervention staff that go to the shelter locations to provide safety planning, counseling, advocacy, and referral services to victims while in emergency shelter.
"At SSFS, we are incredibly grateful for support from The Mary Kay Foundation℠ and its continued commitment to break the cycle of domestic violence," said SSFS executive director, Jennifer Gabrenya.
SSFS provides services in the southern suburbs of the Chicagoland metropolitan area, including Cook and Will Counties. Services to over 2100 victims of domestic violence and their children include: a 24-hour bilingual hotline, emergency shelter, crisis intervention, individual and group counseling for adult victims, individual counseling for child victims/witnesses, family counseling for victims and their children, parenting classes, court advocacy, and medical advocacy. All services are available in Spanish and English. Services to victims are provided free.
"More than 700 domestic violence shelters nationwide applied for The Mary Kay Foundation shelter grants this year, which demonstrates the overwhelming need to maintain critical services and provide a safe haven for the survivors of an epidemic that impacts one in every four women," said Anne Crews, board member of The Mary Kay Foundation and Vice President of Public Affairs for Mary Kay Inc. "Working to prevent and end domestic violence is a cornerstone of The Foundation, Mary Kay Inc. and for countless members of our independent sales force. "
Mary Kay Inc.'s global cause-related program, Beauty that Counts, helps support The Foundation's annual shelter grant program. Applications for the 2018 shelter grant program will be available January 15 through April 30. Please visit marykayfoundation.org for additional information.