Trade a Latte for LAAW!

As a new board member, I am supporting a holiday campaign for Legal Advocates for Abused Women (LAAW), an organization that provides truly unique services to victims of abuse. LAAW provides not only crisis intervention & support, but also legal information & advocacy, safety planning, and legal & social service referrals for victims of domestic violence. LAAW works within the legal system, law enforcement and criminal & civil court systems to break the cycle of violence at the earliest possible stage. The organization embodies the principles of a field that I aspire to join post graduation as an attorney working with victims of domestic violence.

This year has been one of the toughest in LAAW's 23-year history. Due to the economic downturn, they’ve experienced a big reduction in funding, and they’ve had to cut their staff in half.

Unfortunately, domestic violence in St. Louis has recently dramatically increased. There have been 17 domestic violence-related homicides this year alone in the St. Louis metro area. With half the staff members, LAAW has responded to 30% more victims than last year (they’ve logged over 9,000 cases this year so far). They are a truly dedicated group of people, and I’m so fortunate to be a part of their efforts.

I invite you to join me in "trading a latte for LAAW" this holiday season - if you can contribute the cost of one latte (or other regular treat for yourself) toward this cause, we can really create great power in numbers. LAAW is also accepting in-kind donations -- see www.laawstl.org/WishList.html for more information. My personal goal is to raise $1000 for LAAW, and every $10 counts. Please know that your donation will make a big difference for the thousands of women in our city who are experiencing unacceptable violence.

Sincerely,

Katie