The Rose Andom Center Provides Hope and Safety for Domestic Violence Victims on Their Path to a New Life
Have you ever wondered what a victim of domestic violence looks like? They could be your neighbor, your best friend, your sister or brother. In fact, domestic violence affects millions of Americans each year regardless of age, gender, race, religion, education level or economic status. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) estimates that one in three women, and one in four men have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. So, chances are, someone you know has been directly impacted by domestic violence.
According to the Denver Police Department, there have been over 3,000 domestic violence crimes reported in Denver so far in 2018. However, many instances of domestic violence go unreported as victims are often isolated, afraid to reach out, and unsure of where to find help. For those trying to find help, services often are challenging to access, requiring multiple trips across town, with victims repeatedly telling their story.
Thankfully, in Denver, community service providers and city agencies have partnered to create a more streamlined way to help victims of domestic violence. After more than 10 years of planning and fundraising, the Rose Andom Center – a family justice center that provides access to domestic violence services and government organizations in a single, safe location – opened in June 2016. Since opening its doors, the Rose Andom Center has helped more than 2,300 survivors and their children break the cycle of abuse.
October marked Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), a time when advocates and victims band together to shed light on this national epidemic. Purple ribbons and lights flood our city and neighborhoods reminding all of us to mourn those who have lost their battle, celebrate the survivors who have found a path to freedom, and encourage those experiencing abuse to seek assistance.
To that end, the Rose Andom Center would like to announce our third annual New Experience Gala – Beginning Your Journey, which will be held on March 29, 2019, at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Beginning Your Journey encapsulates the essence of what the Rose Andom Center provides to victims – a place to find new beginnings, free from domestic violence. The New Experience Gala is the signature annual fundraising event for the Rose Andom Center and helps to ensure that collaborative services can stay under one roof.
The third annual event will feature honorary chairs: Rose Andom, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and First Lady Mary Louise Lee, along with Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen and his wife Shirley Pazen. They all have been instrumental in the fight against domestic violence in Denver. Uniquely, they all been touched, personally or professionally, by the devastation that domestic violence brings to the community.
Rose Andom, the namesake of the Center, ascended to become a successful Denver entrepreneur. As a child she, too, witnessed domestic violence in her home. After increasingly aggressive assaults, her mother fled with young Rose and her siblings. As Rose worked her way up in the business world, especially flourishing with the McDonald’s Corporation, she also became an active pillar in our community. Her personal experience with domestic violence led her to generously donate $1.5 million toward the early development of the Rose Andom Center.
Mayor Michael B. Hancock was also instrumental in the early development of the Rose Andom Center. Speaking at the opening of the Center, he recalled visiting a similar family justice center in San Diego along with former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and his wife Maggie Morrissey, currently Board Chair of the Rose Andom Center, when Denver was in the infant stages of developing its own family justice center. Like Ms. Andom, the mayor has a personal connection with domestic violence. In 2002, his sister Karen was fatally shot during an episode of domestic violence that culminated in a murder suicide.
At a recent event in Denver for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Hancock said, “Survivors don’t need to suffer in silence, like my sister did.” He went on to say that victims, “do not deserve what is happening to you. Nor is it your fault. There are resources. There are those of us who are here to help.”
Police Chief Paul Pazen has made domestic violence a top priority for his department since becoming Denver Police Chief in late June 2018. Chief Pazen has spoken several times about the need to focus on stopping these crimes before they start and providing early intervention for offenders before their actions can become even more dangerous and harmful. The Denver Police Department moved its entire Domestic Violence Unit (11 detectives, a lieutenant and two sergeants) to the Rose Andom Center to enhance collaboration with other criminal justice system partners and increase access to services for victims.
“We must do everything we can as a city to prevent domestic violence and its harmful effects on families and our community,” Chief Pazen said. “I am incredibly proud of, and committed to, the Rose Andom Center’s innovative, collaborative approach to providing resources for victims of domestic violence, and believe we have a real opportunity to help break that cycle of violence for future generations.”
If you are interested in learning more about our 3rd Annual New Experience Gala – Beginning Your Journey, please click here!
If you would like to purchase a table or a single ticket today, please click here!