Cindy L Repella's Fundraising Page
Dear Friends and Family,
This fundraiser is a personal effort to engage my family, friends and immediate circle of influence to prevent Sexual and Domestic Violence. Working as a rape crisis/ domestic violence counselor one encounters many challenges daily. Often times, I tend to get caught up on the daily hassle or the job, and forget the bigger vision that led me to work in this field. One big part of that vision is to find opportunities to engage the community in prevention of Domestic Violence/ Sexual Violence and the support of social justice. One of my strategies to begin engaging the communities, is to start engaging the one I am part of.
Sometimes I engage my community by telling them about the work I do. When I tell my friends or family that I work as a rape crisis counselor, I often get responses like "that must be so hard", "it must be draining to do this kind of work." The truth is, yes, trauma stewardship can be an exhausting job. Some days, I come home feeling helpless when I know that the systematic guidelines will probably cause one of the families I work with, to become homeless. Other days, I feel like I was the one who got on the way of their success. That is because I have so much to learn, that sometimes I don't even know there are resources available. But, trauma stewardship can also feel amazing. It feels rewarding to come home every day, knowing that I have the chance to do something that had a positive impact on someone's life. I come home happy to have been able to help a family find a safe place to spend the night. I come home happy when I am able to translate for a family at the courthouse, when they need to have a conversation with the District Attorney about their case. I come home humbled every day, that many people have so much need, and lack so many opportunities, yet I get to come home to a loving husband, a comfortable bed and a chance to choose which opportunities I can take advantage of. But what makes me happy the most, is that I get to have an impact on helping other people empower themselves. I have the privilege to help them find their voice, and with that encourage myself to find my own voice. and I think that is why this race is called 5K Run/Walk to Break the Silence. For many survivors, the hardest part was that of taking the first step to make their voice be hear. Either to ask for help, or to demand respect, dignity and healthy relationships.
Another way in which I try to engage my community is by asking them to donate families in need. Creating a micro-culture of giving can be difficult. Some do not have the financial capacity to give money or material goods. To those, I ask you to please consider donating your time. You are welcome to join me in this 5K Run/Walk to Break the Silence by walking without race wire bid. I can assure you will have the opportunity to practice compassion by mingling with others to support a cause and raise awareness by just being present there, and acknowledging that Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault are topics that deserve our attention and commitment.
To those who do not have money to donate, but would like to contribute with material goods please consider donating furniture, gently used toys, personal care or household items. When I was an Au Pair to the 4 wonderful kids who changed my life, I encouraged them to donate their toys to other kids in need. Once, they donated some toys to poor kids in Colombia, the Colombian kids sent them pictures and a thank you message. Seeing my american kids happy to give their toys to make other kids happy made my heart grow sizes. And I am sure it made theirs too. After that, my American kids asked me when they could donate toys again. That's when it hit me. The spirit of giving was changing my american kid's spirits as well. Lets keep the spirit of giving all year round.
To those who can and would like to contribute financially to this fundraiser, please click and follow the instructions here http://racewire.com/fundraiser.php?id=267540&npoid=511. A little bit of money can go a long way helping survivors. Some of them could use it to put money on their laundry card, to buy school supplies, clothes vegetables and fruits for their children, or to put down a security deposit on a place place for them and their families to live in. You can also help by signing up for a timed running bid yourselves here: https://racewire.com/register.php?id=6717.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and for engaging your lives, energy and compassion to begin part of a systemic change from a small scale. To those who sign up and wish to have a running/ walking buddy, let me know. I would love train with you.
Sincerely, Cindy L Repella
Voices Against Violence (VAV) located at 7 Bishop Street, Framingham MA is part of the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC). The agency's mission at VAV is to end sexual and domestic violence. They provide a wide range of services meant to assist survivors in the healing process and to prevent future acts of sexual and domestic violence.
