Improving Women's Shelters From the Outside
As many people know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What people may not know, though, is that it's also Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). In honor of that, Mary Kay Inc. and its foundation (along with the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation) are building Nature Explore Classrooms in five different women's shelters -- one each in California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.
According to this Business Wire release, Nature Explore Classrooms (photo at right) are "outdoor learning spaces designed to include nature in the daily lives and learning of children," and this is the first time these types of classrooms have been built at a domestic violence women's shelter.
"Bringing these Nature Explore Classrooms to women's shelters is just one example of how we are addressing domestic violence," said Anne Crews, Mary Kay Inc.'s VP of government relations and board member of the Mary Kay Foundation, in the press release. "We know that helping women and children connect with nature during the healing process will empower them. Our primary goal is to enrich women's lives. Because of this, Mary Kay will continue to be an advocate on the issue of domestic violence and a champion for women around the world."
According to the DVAM Web site, setting aside the month of October "evolved from the 'Day of Unity' in October 1981 conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence." 1987 was the first year Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed, then in 1989, Congress passed a law officially designating it as such.
In addition to the Nature Explore Classrooms, Mary Kay Inc. and the company's foundation have made multiple contributions to address the issue of domestic violence, including lobbying Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Act and underwriting two PBS documentaries on the subject of domestic violence.
To learn more about what Mary Kay does in the community, check out this video:
Photo courtesy of Business Wire
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