Thank you for supporting me during this difficult time in my life. I remembered what it was like to feel beautiful, joyous and happy again. Thank you.

RESPOND ha sido una gran ayuda para mí; un lugar donde uno supera su crisis. Es un segundo hogar y más que todo, un segundo chance. En RESPOND, la gente respeta y se preocupa por nuestras metas.”

Translation:
“RESPOND has been a significant help for me; a place where one overcomes their crisis. It is a second home and more than anything—a second chance. In RESPOND, people respect and care for our goals.”

I have been coming to Respond for several weeks now for counseling and calling the hotline for help when I do not know what to do with my situation at home. For the first time in many years, I now feel hope for my domestic situation and safety. Thank you Respond! As a survivor of childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse, I found getting out of my recent abusive relationship almost overwhelming. Coming to Respond has helped me to see my path clearly for safety’s sake and for the first time.

If it weren’t for Respond I can honestly say I would not be alive to tell my story right now. I had lost hope and thought there was no help for me. As soon as I called Respond, the advocate assessed how dangerous my situation was and immediately called the police to intervene. My abuser was immediately arrested and after three years, I finally live free from abuse. What I lived through was not easy. I continued working with Respond in one on one counseling. The support and advocacy has helped me greatly. I admire the organization as a whole and am forever thankful for the advocate and can never finish thanking her. I thank Respond for all their great work and the great people who are part of it.

I have been receiving services from Respond since I found myself in a domestic violence dispute a year ago. My ex-boyfriend verbally abused me, put financial conditions on me and controlled me in a variety of other ways. I went to the police station to get a restraining order and they told me about Respond. The police officer suggested I call so I could receive support and possibly shelter because as I was told, “they see this situation all the time.” Respond was a private and safe place. My advocate knew the mental games my boyfriend was playing to trigger me, break me down and make me it difficult to keep a job or any appointments. My advocate went to court with me, showed me the process and sat there with me until I got my first Restraining Order. From there, I went to a support group and I enjoyed one on one counseling. In group, I connected with other survivors in abusive situations from different backgrounds and social classes. They and my advocate have taught me that Abuse is Abuse. Today, I am just getting back to school. I can thank Respond for being free of my abusive relationship after 8 years of suffering and abuse.