Posted by Elizabeth Schön Vainer

JF&CS Journey to Safety's "Love Should be Safe" fundraiser was a great success! Because of your generous donations, we raised close to $190,000. Whether you were a sponsor or guest, thank you for your support and for saying no to domestic abuse.

Almost 200 guests enjoyed the warm ambiance and elegance of Pine Brook Country Club. Jorge Quiroga, an award winning television journalist and a dear friend of Julie Riven Jaye, was a charming master of ceremonies, and his admiration for Julie as a leader to end domestic abuse was palpable and heartwarming.

As she stepped down from her position as Chair of the Journey to Safety Advisory Committee, we honored Julie Riven Jaye with the 2012 Leadership Award, a sculpture created by artist Nancy Schön, which she humbly accepted. Julie wowed everyone when she recounted the courageous steps to create a culturally sensitive domestic abuse program in the Jewish community - moving us all and bringing many to tears.

Joan Anderson, author and guest speaker, did not disappoint as she took us all on her journey captured in her memoir, A Year by the Sea. Her uplifting message encouraged us to be "generative" and always to remain "unfinished," giving us much to think about.

As the evening came to an end, we were moved by the youth and energy of Brandeis' acapella group Up the Octave and were reminded of the power of voices joining together.

We are proud to serve survivors and remain deeply committed to prevent and end domestic abuse - thank you for supporting the work of Journey to Safety.

If you would like to learn more about Journey to Safety, please contact Elizabeth Schön Vainer.

Elizabeth Schön Vainer is the Program Director of Journey to Safety, the JF&CS response to domestic abuse. Elizabeth is pleased to bring her many years of experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to investigate child and domestic abuse to Journey to Safety and JF&CS. She believes that only through collaborative efforts can we truly serve our clients. Elizabeth has a BSW from the University of Tel Aviv and a MS in Organization and Management from Antioch University.

Read more from our Domestic Violence Awareness Month blog series.