loveisrespect.org News

Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation Supports Loveisrespect

Loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline would like to thank the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation (MKACF) for joining with us to help raise awareness and champion the prevention of dating violence among teens. This year, MKACF awarded a $200,000 grant to loveisrespect.org. This grant supports efforts to implement abuse prevention strategies on a national level through our telephone and live chat helpline, providing 24-hour assistance to teens and parents seeking help and guidance for intimate partner violence.

“Through motivation, recognition and an unlimited opportunity, Mary Kay Ash empowered women to create better lives for themselves and their families,” said Ryan Rogers, Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation board member and Mary Kay Ash’s grandson. “The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation sees this grant as an important expansion of my grandmother’s legacy and her mission. We believe, as she did, that by listening, educating ourselves and joining the effort to help women and children affected by this epidemic, we can break the cycle of domestic abuse and its effect on children.”

The grant supports the helpline’s operational needs, ensuring a continuation of peer-to-peer support via the telephone and live online chat, and will also be used to expand marketing efforts designed to reach teens and parents in need of these critical services.

Marketing efforts include an interactive quiz, Does Your Relationship Need a Makeover?, which will go live in February 2008 at loveisrespect.org. Using the online quiz, teens may assess their relationships and, if needed, connect to a peer advocate immediately. A banner ad on myspace.com, also provided through the grant, will draw more visitors to the quiz and Web site.

 “We have learned that teen dating abuse begins early and affects one in four girls and young women and yet, what are we doing to help our youth form positive values about dating relationships?” said Sheryl Cates, Chief Executive Officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. “With the support of the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, we have an opportunity to get the message to young people through their preferred media that helps them form positive views about what to look for in dating relationships, help them evaluate their existing relationships and know how to get help for an abusive situation. This program will empower teens to influence other teens about seeking healthy dating relationships. We appreciate the leadership of Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation in helping us put this critical issue at the front of our society, which is where it belongs.”

“The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting programs that address the serious problem of violence against women, and to raising people’s awareness of these crimes in order to give victims the courage to help themselves and their families,” said Michael Lunceford, board member of the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation. “Our partnership  with loveisrespect.org enables us to reach the root of this epidemic. By helping teens find the path to healthy relationships now, we can make a positive change for generations to come.”

The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation was created in 1996 to fund research of cancers affecting women, and in 2000, expanded its mission to include the prevention of violence against women.  Since that time, the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation has awarded more than $11 million in grants to women’s shelters throughout the country. 

Announcing Dating Bill of Rights Video Contest Winners

We’re excited to announce the winner of our very first contest, the Dating Bill of Rights Video contest – Ashley Hoyle of Wichita, Kansas. Second and third places were awarded to Adrian Guadalupe, Kristine Mitri, Isabel Ortiz-Garrett, Alan Reid, Ashley Tedesco, Jessica Bury and Amy Crettaci, John Sciortino and Amanda Szulist of Buffalo, New York.

Here’s how we got to this point: From October through December, students from all over the country created and sent in videos focusing on the Dating Bill of Rights and the theme of teen dating abuse. The loveisrespect.org staff and peer advocates watched all of the videos and picked the top ten (it was difficult!). Then, our celebrity judges (Tim Gunn, Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne Inc., Jaslene Gonzalez, winner of Cycle 8 of America’s Next Top Model and Ann Shoket, editor- in- chief of Seventeen magazine)) narrowed it down to five finalists. Those videos were posted to loveisrespect.org and we invited the public to vote for their favorites.

Ashley Hoyle will receive a trip to New York City for her first place win. Second and third place winners will receive Apple gift cards. While we’re truly happy to be able to award these prizes to our top entrants, we want to recognize the great deal of time and effort that went into making all of the entries. Thanks also go to everyone who took the time to watch the videos and vote. Our first contest was a great experience and we’re already thinking about our next.

loveisrespect.org Celebrates One Year Anniversary

On February 8th, loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline will celebrate its one year anniversary. Since opening last February, peer advocates, each of whom have completed 40 hours of training, have received over 888 calls and 888 chats. These calls and chats have come from a variety of individuals - teens in abusive relationships, concerned parents and friends, and those with questions about healthy relationships.

Over the past year, we’ve sent out thousands of requested loveisrespect mini posters, cards, and quizzes . We’ve met with hundreds of teachers and school counselors at conferences across the country. As the word of our services spreads, we know our peer advocates will talk to many more individuals in the next year. But already, they’ve given parents the tools to talk to teens about their potentially abusive relationships, they’ve helped teens make plans to safely end abusive relationships, or take their first steps toward changing their abusive or controlling behavior.
February also marks the third National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week.

We’d like to thank Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho for introducing the resolution to dedicate this week to the important issue of preventing teen dating abuse and promoting healthy relationships. National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week will be observed February 4-8, 2008.

Related links:

• Sterling Silver Necklace Heart Lariat Necklace Proceeds benefit loveisrespect.org

 

Connect With Us: Social Networking

Connect with loveisrespect.org by friending us at MySpace, Facebook, or the new MTV site, Think MTV. Any of these sites will allow you to receive messages from us, but you can communicate with us too – leave us comments, participate in a discussion, or send us a message. We’d love to hear what you have to say.

MySpace- Since starting our profile in August, we’ve made over 3000 friends on MySpace. Many of them have posted our “I believe that love is respect” badge on their own profile, letting their friends know they support the helpline and our work to prevent dating abuse. You can do the same. Find the badge plus simple instructions for posting it at the loveisrespect MySpace profile.

Facebook – If you’re a member at Facebook, you can join us at the loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline group. You can also find us through the Causes application.

Think MTV – Think MTV is a new social networking site that focuses on social issues. It’s still in beta form, but we expect big things from this site in the near future. Start a profile now to start blogging, posting videos, and connecting to loveisrespect and other organizations you support.

Peer Advocate

In the future, this spot will be home to an article or story written by one of our peer advocates covering topics related to volunteerism, dating abuse or teen dating abuse in the news. But for this first issue, we decided to dedicate this section to a collection of quotes from our peer advocates.
Peer advocates are what make helpline run. Knowing what they appreciate about the time they spend at loveisrespect.org helps with our volunteer recruitment and training. So we asked them a question, and we kept it simple: What do you like about working or volunteering at loveisrespect.org?

Their replies:
“I like actively spreading the word about dating abuse and healthy relationships.”

“I love the atmosphere. It’s friendly, hopeful, and fun! Plus, I like the snacks.”

“My coworkers are awesome. I can always get help with a chat or call if I need it.”

“I like helping people.”

“I love watching the helpline grow. So many teenagers I talk to are excited to know something like this exists. Even though they may not need to contact us again, it’s nice to know they will spread the word to their friends that do need someone to talk to.”

Spotlight on Cornerstone in Minneapolis, MN

At loveisrespect.org, we strive to be a national contact for teens with dating abuse issues and those concerned for them. However, our peer advocates often refer callers or chatters to a program in their area for further services. We also hear from individuals that want to volunteer or donate locally to a program that serves teens. We love to have a place to send these people – and we’re always looking for programs that serve teens or work to prevent teen dating abuse in their communities.

This issue, we’d like to recognize Cornerstone in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cornerstone’s PAVE (Preventing Abuse and Violence through Education) program focuses on prevention; students at all grade levels are educated on topics ranging from self esteem to domestic and dating violence in hundreds of classrooms in the Minneapolis area.
PAVE also engages students in creating awareness and prevention materials. U Have the Right, a website developed by PAVE, features information and resources related to dating abuse plus spoken word pieces recorded by Minneapolis teens. Recently, PAVE teamed up with local students to create video for their KNOW ABUSE program. The video will be presented in classrooms in conjunction with KNOW ABUSE curriculum.

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