DOVE Center celebrates silver anniversary
By Adele Pincock
A silver anniversary is kind of a big deal. It marks 25 years of commitment and hard work. It represents stability and loyalty, trust and care. On March 2, DOVE Center will hold its annual fundraising gala at SunRiver St. George. This year’s theme, “Love the Dove,” was chosen to celebrate the community support and collective love that has been shared for a quarter century, enabling DOVE Center to reliably provide essential support to local survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The year 2019 marks DOVE Center’s silver anniversary in this community, although it might be better said with this community, because throughout DOVE Center’s history, the community has been DOVE Center’s devoted partner. It was, after all, a group of community members who got the attention of elected officials all those years ago and forged a broad collaboration that ultimately produced the DOVE Center.
When DOVE Center’s journey began, there was one simple goal in mind: provide safe refuge to individuals and families escaping domestic violence. Through tremendous gifts of time, treasure, and talent from compassionate community members, the doors to DOVE Center’s safe shelter opened in 1994. Since that time, DOVE Center has provided safe shelter to thousands of individuals, many of them children, and outreach services and advocacy to thousands more, including almost 1,600 in the last two years alone.
A lot has changed at DOVE Center during the past quarter century. Operations have expanded to three separate locations to accommodate growth and demand for services. Programs have been developed to better meet the needs of survivors and their children, including transitional housing, crisis counseling for kids, and bilingual advocacy to support those who speak Spanish. And DOVE Center is more actively engaged in community awareness and education efforts than ever before.
Even in the face of so many changes and consistent growth, one thing has remained the same, and that is the intrepid efforts of community members and local businesses to provide needed support when asked.
A quick peek back at local news archives revealed headlines like “Realtors fund DOVE Center class,” “Girl Scouts donate care packages to DOVE Center,” “Musical play to benefit abuse victims,” and “Sexual Assault Response Team formed at DRMC,” each one illustrating the community support and collaboration of which we speak.
Whether organizing a donation drive or Eagle Scout project, serving as a volunteer or board member, coordinating a community fundraiser, or making financial donations that underwrite services, the members of this community continue to rise to the occasion to help DOVE Center maintain the safety net that thousands of local survivors have relied on over the years and still do to this day.
This tradition of community support has ultimately contributed to the safe, healing environment at DOVE Center that allows brave and traumatized individuals who walk through the doors a place to tell their stories and be believed. Their voices deserve to be heard, and you have helped make that possible.
Many months ago, we began reflecting on how to best commemorate DOVE Center’s silver anniversary. It didn’t take long to decide the best way to celebrate DOVE Center is to celebrate the community that brought it to life and sustains it still, making such a celebration seem oh so apropos!
We hope you’ll join us to celebrate this very special anniversary ~ DOVE Center wouldn’t be what it is without you. Tickets available for purchase at dovecenter.org.
