To kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, leading domestic violence website DomesticShelters.org has launched the most comprehensive calendar of domestic violence events in North America. The calendar offers events, conferences, seminars, webinars, support groups, vigils, marches, advocacy activities occurring in October, as well as hundreds of dates into the future and looks to become the go-to place for victims and professionals looking to learn, engage and find help.
"Back in 2014, DomesticShelters.org was launched to address the problem of there being no single place people could go to find a list of all the domestic violence services available. Similarly, the events calendar is addressing the problem of there being no single place people can go to find all the domestic violence events that are available," explains Anita Hildreth, executive director of Theresa's Fund, the 501(c)3 that operates DomesticShelters.org.
Within the first two weeks, there are already 55 separate events listed on the calendar. And with many of the events -- like support groups -- being recurring, there are hundreds of dates in which events are currently available. Any organization can submit an event through an easy online form. Listings are free.
The events can be for professionals or individuals and are tagged accordingly to make filtering easy for viewers. Additionally, the calendar can be sorted by state, so that viewers can find local events quickly. Each event is reviewed by DomesticShelters.org using the following criteria:
- National and local events are welcomed.
- Events must be operated by recognized, duly incorporated organizations.
- Host organizations must be in good standing and of good reputation.
- Event presenters must be domestic violence trained and knowledgeable.
- Event submissions must be made by individuals working for the host organization.
- Events types must be educational, advocacy or support oriented.
- Events with a primary purpose of fundraising will not be accepted.
- We must be able to easily reach the event submitter.
DomesticShelters.org is the fastest growing website in North America on the topic of domestic violence. It launched in August 2014, offering a searchable online and mobile database of domestic violence programs to make finding help faster and easier, and has since expanded to include over 500 articles on domestic violence, checklists, risk assessments, toolkits, comprehensive statistics, widgets, recommended books, surveys, videos, and now, an events calendar.
About Theresa’s Fund
Theresa’s Fund is an Arizona-based 501(c)3 non-profit charity started in 1992 by Preston V. McMurry, Jr. At a time when domestic violence wasn’t yet a headline, Theresa’s Fund focused on changing the landscape of domestic violence services in its home state through grantmaking, board development and fundraising for Arizona-based organizations like East Valley Child Crisis Center, Sojourner Center, Florence Crittenden, Emerge, UMOM, and West Valley Child Crisis Center. In 2014, it developed the DomesticShelters.org concept as a way to expand its reach to people across the U.S. and Canada. DomesticShelters.org is the first online and mobile searchable database of programs and shelters in the U.S./Canada, and a leading source of helpful tools and information for people experiencing and working to end domestic violence.
