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CHILDREN’S CRISIS HOTLINE
816-321-7060

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
816-321-7050800-491-1114

YOUTH CRISIS HOTLINE
816-741-8700888-233-1639

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Coming Together To Support Domestic Violence Survivors

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As we wrap up 2020’s Domestic Violence Awareness month, we look back on the question we have been asked most often this month. That question is, "What can someone do who wants to help survivors of domestic abuse and their children?".

The list below can help answer that question and offer additional ideas as we come together to support domestic violence survivors. We desperately need you as our partner in this life-saving work!

For questions or more information on how to get involved in supporting our community please contact Tara Syndergaard at tsyndergaard@synergyservices.org


1. Volunteer!

Yes!  You can still reach out and do safe activities from home or at a safe distance from others.  You can volunteer at Synergy or volunteer with other agencies that help our community.  This serves to both help support survivors and can help improve one’s mood after months of surviving 2020. 

2. Donate Needed Items.

Domestic violence survivors who leave an abuser often have little more than the clothes on their backs. This year donations look a little different but with so many in our community hungry and in need of support this is a great way to help.  To donate items to Synergy Services, contact Claire Sundermeyer at csundermeyer@synergyservices.org for specific items we are in need of!

3. Provide a Financial Gift

Every dollar counts as we continue our work to create a community free of family violence.  As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, we need all of the help we can get to continue serving our community. To give a gift and leave your impact today click here!

 4. Join the #MoveToEndDV Ambassadors Program.

Ambassadors reach out to local domestic violence shelters and ask them for a wish list of goods and services they need, then connect with local businesses that might be able to fill the wish list.

5. Ask the editor of a high school or college newspaper in your community to run a story on teen dating violence.

6. Publicly thank community members who are working to end domestic violence with a letter to the editor of your local paper or a statement in social media.

7. Share articles from DomesticShelters.org on social media.

While you're at it make sure to follow and like Synergy Services on social media! 

8. Educate yourself.

 Would you know if a friend was being abused? By the time bruises appear, abuse may have been going on for years. Encourage them to call shelter!  Or contact shelter for resources to help advocate for your friend. Synergy Services is always here to help you or anyone you know get to a safe place. Call our 24/7 Domestic Violence Hotline at (816) 321-7050 to talk to a trained Domestic Violence Advocate.

9. Know what to do.

 If a friend or loved one is being abused support them even if they make choices you don’t agree with. Don’t insist that they leave their partner, but help them develop a safety plan!  There are a lot of great safety plans out there and the Synergy team is always here to help provide you with resources! 

10. Send letters to organizations in your area asking them to address domestic violence in their meetings or newsletters. Tony Dishman, Synergy Services’ very own Batterer’s Intervention Program, Program Manager wrote his dissertation on this topic and I am sure he would love to support efforts to educate our community about Domestic Violence.

11. Work with a local animal shelter to encourage people in the community to foster pets for survivors who need temporary pet care.

12. Start a supply drive.

Enlist your community and collect clothing, personal care items, diapers and toys to donate to your local shelter. Contact Claire at csundermeyer@synergyservices.org  to learn more about our most needed items.

Together, we can take a stand to create a world without family violence.