In researching statistics for my social justice project issue I found out many facts.  One statistic that I found interesting was one woman is beaten by her partner every 15 seconds in the U.S. Statistics say women make up 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence, while men account for 15%.  That is more than three quarters of women go through domestic abuse from one of their relationships. I found this interesting because if there is about 320 thousand people in the U.S. 85% of women get abused that a huge amount. The second statistic that  found interesting was not only do the women suffer from this issue but children do as well.  More than 3 Million children witness domestic violence in their homes every year. Because of this children who live in homes with domestic violence also suffer abuse or neglect at a high rate. Children that are exposed to domestic violence at home are more likely to have health problems, as in becoming sick more often, having frequent headaches or stomachaches, and being more tired and lethargic. . I found this interesting because we forget that children probably suffer as well.  

With this project my partner Jackie and I have met with the Director of the Elizabeth House.  We sat down with her after school to have a meeting to schedule our upcoming events and plans. We scheduled our big event at the hair salon which is where we decided the day and time.  We also talked about the drives we are going to do.  Jackie and I decided we are going to do household items and clothes drive. With the household items we are collecting things such as paper towels,tissues,toilet paper, and utensils etc.  Going along with the household drive we will have a clothes drive where we will be collecting maternity and regular womens clothes.  

Me and Jackie will also be making gift bags for the girls. Me and Jackie will also be volunteering Saturday April 18th at the church by the House.  They will be holding an Alumni meeting and we will be babysitting their kids as they socialize with their past friends and attend the meeting.  This experience has be a lot of fun for me, being able to build up the excitement for this project. I’m looking forward to Saturday and the big event we have coming up. I look forward to hopefully be making an impact on their lives. I think the thing that has stood out to me the most was the statistics that I learned.  I knew it was a huge issue but the statistics are insane.  Its terrible to know how many women suffer from domestic violence.  The amount of times it happens to women shouldn't be this high.  I think we should all try to spread awareness to make this a bigger issue.  What also stood out to me was seeing how much the women have suffered with reading the stories of the women at the home.  It blows me away to see how strong the women are after going through all that they have been through.  

- Samantha Glassick

Forever A Queen: In the Making

After researching my social justice issue, domestic violence, many statistics about the violence were brought to my attention. The first statistic that stood out to me was that more than four million women experience physical assault and rape by their partners. After reading this statistic, it made me perplexed how someone who you love could hurt you. People get into relationships because they trust and love their partner, but for your partner to break that trust and abuse someone they “love” is wrong. The second statistic that stood out to me was that more than three million children witness domestic violence in their homes every year. It’s heartbreaking to read that not only is the victim being exposed to the abuse, but so are their children. This is a perfect example to exemplify that domestic violence does not just affect the victim.

Although Sam and I haven’t physically started volunteering with the Elizabeth House, we’ve met with Kristen, the director, and have set up dates for our drives and “Big Sunday Event”. Before spring break, we went to their organization’s location in Pasadena and shared with Kristen our ideas to help the women. We spoke about leading a paper drive due to their low supply of toilet paper, feminine products, paper towels, etc. Besides the paper drive, we’d also like to have a clothes drive which will benefit the residents of the Elizabeth House, especially the mothers. Sam and I are planning to ask friends to donate their clothes that they don’t need and instead of throwing it out, they could donate it and make use of the clothes. We finally planned our “Big Sunday Event” and are excited to see it happen in May.

While partaking in this service project, the one thing that has stood out to me the most was the way the women are living and how much the volunteers care about them. It was great to walk through the Elizabeth House and get to evaluate their life. I would say that all seven women are in good hands and have a bright future ahead of them. Kristen and the volunteers are all welcoming and very flexible with mine and Sam’s school schedule; including Michael’s salon schedule. Overall this has been a great experience and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

- Jackie Quintero