Domestic violence does not impact just one person. Its effects can reach throughout an entire family, shaping a child’s sense of safety, relationships, and understanding of the world around them.

For children who have been exposed to violence or trauma at home, finding safety is only one part of the journey. They also need opportunities to heal, build healthy relationships, experience joy, and simply have the freedom to be kids.

In 2021, the Rose Andom Center expanded its vision of survivor-centered care to more intentionally include the children and families who walk through our doors.

It was an important evolution in our work and a recognition of something we had seen from the beginning: when we support a survivor, we are often supporting an entire family.

Through programs like Camp Hope and Pathways, children impacted by trauma were given opportunities to connect with others, build confidence, develop positive relationships, and experience moments of joy in environments created with their needs in mind.

For families rebuilding after domestic violence, those moments matter.

Children may carry experiences they do not yet have the words to describe. They may be adjusting to significant changes in their homes, schools, routines, and relationships. They may be navigating fear, uncertainty, or loss while the adults in their lives are working to create a safer and more stable future.

Providing children with supportive spaces recognizes that their experiences matter too.

Programs focused on children and youth created opportunities for connection and healing beyond traditional services. They offered a chance to build new memories, strengthen resilience, discover new interests, and form relationships rooted in encouragement and trust.

Sometimes, healing looks like having a safe conversation.

Sometimes, it looks like learning a new skill, making a new friend, spending time outside, laughing, playing, or discovering that there are adults and peers who understand and care.

And sometimes, it means simply getting the opportunity to be a child again.

One parent reflected on what it meant to know that a place like the Rose Andom Center existed for families:

“If my children were in trouble, I would want them to walk into a place just like this.”

That sentiment speaks to the kind of community we have worked to create from the beginning: one where survivors and their children are welcomed with compassion, treated with dignity, and connected with people who are ready to listen and help.

By expanding our focus on children in 2021, the Rose Andom Center strengthened its commitment to supporting the whole family. We recognized that helping families move forward means looking not only at the challenges they face today, but also at the opportunities we have to help create a different future.

Supporting children who have experienced trauma can be an important part of interrupting patterns of violence across generations. By giving young people opportunities to experience healthy relationships, build confidence, develop supportive connections, and see possibilities beyond what they have experienced, we can help create a stronger foundation for the years ahead.

Your support helps make that possible.

It helps create opportunities for children to connect and heal. It helps parents know that their children’s needs are seen and valued. And it helps ensure that when families come to the Rose Andom Center, they can find support that recognizes the experiences of everyone impacted by domestic violence.

As we reflect on ten years of the Rose Andom Center, 2021 reminds us that hope is not only about responding to what has already happened. It is also about investing in what comes next.

It is about giving children opportunities to imagine a future defined not by violence or fear, but by safety, connection, possibility, and joy.

It is about supporting parents as they work to build safer futures for their families.

And it is about recognizing that when we invest in children, we are investing in the strength and well-being of our entire community.

The programs and partnerships that grew during this chapter of our history reflected a broader understanding of what survivor-centered care could mean. Our mission was not simply to respond to a moment of crisis. It was to stand alongside survivors and their families as they took steps toward healing, stability, and a future of their own choosing.

Every child deserves to feel safe. Every child deserves the opportunity to heal. And every child deserves the chance to imagine a hopeful future.

As we celebrate the Rose Andom Center’s 10th anniversary, we are grateful for the staff, partners, donors, volunteers, and community members who have helped make that vision possible.

On October 17, we invite you to join us at the Rose Andom Center’s 10th Anniversary Gala as we celebrate this important chapter in our history and honor a decade of creating safety, supporting healing, and building hope for survivors and the next generation.

Together, we can continue creating a community where survivors and their children have the support they need not only to move forward, but to thrive.