In support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, wpg’s corporate office in Columbus, as well as 37 property teams from across the country, took action in partnership with community-based domestic violence prevention and victim service organizations.
This year, colleagues at the Columbus corporate office volunteered their time to pack 300 welcome kits for LSS Choices, the only domestic violence shelter in Franklin County, Ohio. Choices provides a safe space and 24-hour crisis and information hotline, as well as counseling services and support groups to victims of domestic abuse. The kits packed by wpg colleagues in Columbus contain personal care items which will be given as welcome kits to women and children when they come to the shelter.
Dozens of wpg properties joined the Columbus colleagues virtually and packed kits for their local domestic violence shelters at the same time. Some of our properties also held events and donation drives for this important cause throughout the month of October. In total, between the property teams and the Columbus office, wpg colleagues packed more than 1,670 kits for local domestic violence shelters.
Meanwhile, wpg donated needed items to The Julian Center in Indianapolis on behalf of our colleagues there.
First observed in 1981, Domestic Violence Awareness Month unites advocates in their efforts to end domestic violence. Across the country, communities and advocacy organizations prioritize building awareness of signs of abuse, providing resources to victims and policymakers and sharing survivor stories. Although there has been substantial progress in reducing domestic violence, one in three women and one in four men have been physically abused by an intimate partner.
We’re thankful to all colleagues who participated in this meaningful event. To learn more about wpg’s give back efforts and community support, visit our community page.