The Nancy Tree

The week of Earth Day and National Arbor Day, a live oak tree was planted at the Hubbard House Emergency Shelter. The tree, which has been named “The Nancy Tree” was planted in honor of Nancy Taylor and Nancy McDonald, two women who have made a significant impact at Hubbard House. A stainless steel plaque donning this honor was posted in front of the tree.

“Both Nancy Taylor and Nancy McDonald have been instrumental in building a stable foundation for the future of Hubbard House,” said Ellen Siler, Hubbard House CEO. “The Nancy Tree acknowledges that and as it grows and develops its own strong foundation it will be a reminder of the wonderful contributions they have made; contributions that will help victims build new strong foundations of their own as they seek peaceful lives.”

Nancy Taylor is a long-time supporter and volunteer of Hubbard House. She served on the board of Hubbard House, Inc. from 2003-2011 and has remained involved. She was the driving force behind the formation of the Hubbard House Foundation and the endowment campaign, without which Hubbard House would have $300,000 a year less in its operating budget (interest earned on the endowed funds).  Because of the many contributions that Nancy has made with helping end domestic violence in our community, she has been recognized locally with several honors including the Hands of Peace Award and most recently the Domestic Peace Award.

Nancy McDonald had been a long-term devoted donor to Hubbard House and then contributed over $200,000 to the endowment campaign in 2007. At her passing, Nancy left a bequest of $1.7 million to the Hubbard House Foundation to help provide long term financial stability to the organization.  Her bequest is the largest endowed gift the Foundation has received.

“A hundred years from now, the Nancy Tree will still stand honoring these two women. The names of many of the women who were instrumental in the early years of the struggle to end domestic violence are distant memories that will be forgotten by future generations.  We do not want these names forgotten,” said Siler.

The tree was graciously donated to Hubbard House by GreenReleaf, a partnership between Greenscape of Jacksonville and JEA.

Click here to view photos from the Nancy Tree planting.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 5,000 women, children and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic child care, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit www.hubbardhouse.org  to learn more.

PEACE Garden

Friday April 12, employees from GE Unison, United Way of Northeast Florida and Hubbard House planted a PEACE Garden at Andrew Robinson Elementary School. The purpose of the PEACE garden is to encourage the students to work together and learn healthy ways of communicating.

While the kids were in school the volunteers put in a diamond shaped garden complete with benches, a tree in the center of the garden, and flowers and smaller plants which are easy for the kids to maintain. The idea for the garden came from the Community Action Team for the W.A.V.E. (Working Against Violence Every day) program, which is a primary prevention initiative of Hubbard House. “We hope to put in more gardens in the neighborhoods we are working with in our violence prevention based programs,” said Laine Reinecke-Clayton, Hubbard House Community Education Manager. “These gardens will provide the opportunity to promote peace in our community and reduce the incidence of violence which devastates families and neighborhoods in our area.”

The W.A.V.E. program administers a violence prevention curriculum to local students in the 3^rd through 5^th grade. This program aims to provide them with skills and tools to navigate relationships with their peers, families and community. The program teaches youth healthy relationship skills before abuse occurs, how to identify and prevent bullying and helps them gain a better understanding of how violence affects their lives.

According to GE Unison Human Resources manager Tiffany Patrick the idea for this project had been in the works for about two years. A recent corporate grant from GE allowed the collaborative effort of the three organizations to come together and move forward with the PEACE garden.

 “This opportunity is important because it gives us a chance to give back to our community,” said Jason Swinny, Plant Manager at GE Unison.

Pictures from the PEACE garden project are available on our Facebook page.

To learn more about Hubbard House programs and services visit www.hubbardhouse.org.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE

Founded in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 5,000 women, children and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic child care, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit http://www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.

By Hannah Johnson

Workplace Conflict Awareness Month

April is Workplace Conflict Awareness Month. Conflict among co-workers can be toxic to the environment and culture of an organization, therefore when conflict occurs it is important to deal with the issue openly and honestly. Outside stress can cause workplace conflict, but by fostering an environment that promotes honesty in sharing information, employees will be more likely to discuss issues in their personal lives, such as domestic violence, with their immediate supervisors.

When domestic violence occurs, it does not stop at home. Victims are often followed or harassed at work by their abuser. According to a study conducted by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, 74 percent of employed domestic violence survivors were harassed by their partner while they were at work. It is even common for the person behind the abuse to use workplace resources, such as their company phone line, to pressure their victim.  The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence reported that over 75 percent of domestic violence perpetrators used workplace resources to check up on or threaten their victim.

Domestic violence can also lead to absenteeism and lower productivity in the workplace. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is approximately $727.8 million. A contributing factor to loss of productivity in the workplace is caused by employees arriving late or missing work entirely.

Although over 66 percent of corporate leaders consider domestic violence a major social issue, more than 70 percent of workplaces do not have a formal program or policy that discusses domestic violence, according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund.  It is important to educate employees in the workplace so that they can help co-workers, family and friends who are living with domestic violence.

Raise awareness in the workplace by:

1. Educating employees on warning signs of domestic violence.

2. Creating and distribute informational resources on domestic violence to employees.

3. Collaborating with local domestic violence shelters and providing contact information for those seeking help.

4. Developing a workplace domestic violence policy including security measures.

5. Advocating domestic violence awareness.

If you are a business or organization located in Duval or Baker County in Northeast Florida and are interested in educating employees on the dynamics of domestic violence, its impact, and the importance of intervention and prevention, visit Hubbard House’s website to learn about the training opportunities that are offered.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please call the Hubbard House 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.

Other domestic violence shelters in Northeast Florida include:

Clay County: Quigley House, 904-284-0061 24-hour Hotline

Nassau County: Micah’s Place, 877-228-7388 or 904-225-9979 24-hour Hotline

St. Johns County: Betty Griffin House, 904-824-1555 24-hour Hotline

If one of these shelters does not serve your county please call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-500-1119.

ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE

Founded in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 5,000 women, children and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic child care, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit http://www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.

 

By Kristen Comeaux