Women Against Abuse celebrates 35 years of aiding victims of domestic violence in Philadelphia. To mark the occasion, Executive Director Jeannine Lisitski and her husband John K. Carlson will bike and run 35 miles from Vineland to Sea Isle, New Jersey on July 31st. The tour is dedicated to the importance of maintaining physical, emotional and spiritual health and is inspired by the stories of the 12,500 individuals served by the organization each year.

“With a mission of ending domestic violence and promoting healthy families, the work of Women Against Abuse is foundational to a healthy community,” Lisitski said.

Each year, between two and four million American women suffer from physical or sexual abuse by a partner. The problem has grown to epidemic proportions in Philadelphia, where domestic homicides nearly doubled in 2009.[1] Requests for help have also risen over the past year. Women Against Abuse was forced to deny 5,991 requests for emergency shelter last year, due to it’s 100-bed emergency facility, the only one in Philadelphia for families fleeing domestic violence, being consistently at full capacity.

Join Women Against Abuse in ending domestic violence in Philadelphia with your donation or sponsorship. To become a supporter or to sponsor a mile, please visit http://www.womenagainstabuse.org.

The mission of WAA is to provide quality, compassionate and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence, and to lead the struggle to end domestic violence through advocacy and community education.

During its 35-year history, WAA has been a leader in advocacy and direct services for victims of domestic violence, operating the only shelter in Philadelphia for battered women and their children; the nation’s first legal center for domestic violence victims; and the region’s first transitional housing program for abused women and their children. WAA reaches more than 12,500 individuals each year throughout the City of Philadelphia.

[1] Urbina, I. (2009, December 30). Philadelphia to Handle Abuse Calls Differently. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31philadelphia.html

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About Women Against Abuse
Women Against Abuse, Inc., one of the largest domestic violence programs in the country, serves more than 10,000 individuals each year through emergency housing, legal services, hotline counseling, education and advocacy. Women Against Abuse operates the only comprehensive program in Philadelphia whose sole purpose is to assist victims of domestic violence and their children. For more information, visit http://www.womenagainstabuse.org.

Press Contact: Cheryl Brubaker, 215-386-1280 x116, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)