Mari

Saturday, May 24th DASH hosted our second Spa Day! After months of preparation it was a day of rest and rejuvenation complete with snacks, childcare, bonding and spativities.

The day was a flurry of activity. One of our lovely front desk volunteers, Cynthia, is also a licensed cosmetologist. She spent her time talking to groups of residents about their skin types and going through basic skin care techniques. At the end of the day she provided full facials for two lucky women! A definite highlight of the afternoon was seeing a mother-daughter duo get facials together.

While Cynthia was was doing facials, Chicara and her team from Chicara’s Dream Salon (of Baltimore) were doing hair. They talked to residents about their hair types, gave tips and even styled and cut hair. While they were scheduled to stay until 6pm, they ended up staying until past 9pm so as to not leave anyone out. As one of the advocates states, “I felt she [Chicara] went above and beyond to meet each residents desires, each resident got exactly what she wanted. She even stayed an extra three hours to make sure everyone got serviced!”

In the other room Michaela, a recent DASH intern, and Princess were doing nails. They were amazing! While neither is professionally trained, no one could tell. As one resident said, “they were using the latest designs which takes a lot of extra effort.” They had every color imaginable plus gems and glitter.

Upstairs, Margaret, our new massage volunteer, was giving massages to grateful residents. We are so excited to have Margaret come in on a regular basis from now on as massage not only relaxes and soothes muscles, it also helps with anxiety, headaches and a host of other serious issues. Residents came downstairs looking more relaxed and peaceful after just 15 minutes of work. We are so thankful to all the volunteers who made this Saturday a success!

We had cupcakes donated by Georgetown Cupcakes!

The best part of the day was not the spa treatments or the cupcakes, though they were wonderful. It was the community that grew and the conversations that were had among the residents, volunteers and staff. During the six hours waiting to get hair done and drinking cucumber water, residents made new friendships, gossiped and sang along to Beyonce. At DASH we are not just a housing program, we are place for survivors to heal and grow on their own terms. Spa day showed us how we can heal and grow as a community.

On April 2^nd DASH celebrated its’ 4^th annual Allies in Change Awards Luncheon. Every year DASH takes a day to honor DC’s safe housing champions and recognize community partners who make a difference in the lives of women and children facing homelessness due to domestic violence. It takes the efforts of a community of organizations and individuals to address homelessness and domestic violence as they are multi-faceted issues. We at DASH are so thankful for the community of hardworking, innovative advocates that motivate us as an organization to do better every day.

This year we were once again joined by Mistress of Ceremonies Erika Gonzalez, Anchor for NBC News Channel 4, and for the first time, special guest speaker Yvette Cade. Yvette Cade, a survivor of abuse and domestic violence activist, spoke about her personal struggle with an abusive partner as well as the importance of options for domestic violence survivors. Yvette described her experience through  a woman who has been living with her family in a car for six months, which unfortunately is a reality for many survivors. According to the census done by The National Network against Domestic Violence, in the space of one day in DC in 2013 there were 40 unmet requests for housing from survivors of domestic violence; survivors are then forced to choose between going back to their abuser and living in their cars. Yvette’s sincere, touching speech was a call to action. No one should have to choose between abuse and homelessness.

Yesterday we honored individuals and organizations who work tirelessly to support survivors of domestic violence and their families. For more information about specific awardees please click here. DASH was also honored to receive the Celebrating Solutions Award from the Mary Byron Project during the event as well. We look forward to another year breaking barriers and providing access to safe housing and services for survivors and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms.

In 2013, DASH safely housed 225 individuals (94 women and 131 children) in our programs, providing over 80,000 “safe nights” for victims away from the threat of violence.

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Jill Hall is our longest term volunteer. She offers acupuncture to our residents and staff on a monthly basis, and has been since the opening of the Cornerstone Program in 2011. Jill has participated in acupuncture for the last 12 years, and started practicing in 2007. Jill’s day job is at Prince George’s Community College where she serves as the Literacy and Tutoring Program Coordinator; before that she was a Montessori teacher. We are so grateful that she finds time in her schedule to work with our residents.

Acupuncture is a form of complementary medicine designed to help reduce pain and stress and support those with addiction. It involves stimulating acupuncture points, most often using penetration with needles. While Jill describes acupuncture as extremely safe and relaxing, some people are apprehensive with the use of needles. Because of this, Jill offers acupuncture using seed beads and magnets for residents as well. Acupuncture has been gaining popularity in the US since it was introduced in the 1970s as an alternative wellness practice. At Cornerstone, Jill uses the “acu-detox” method which is the 5 needle protocol, (inserting 5 needles in each ear). This method boosts the immune system and facilitates overall wellness.

What Jill likes about acupuncture is its holistic nature. It takes the mind, body and spirit into account regardless of what a client comes in with, whether that’s stress, trauma or back pain. Jill believes that acupuncture has a lot to contribute to traditional Western medicine. Jill says that acupuncture is effective without being emotionally intrusive or requiring a lot of conversation. Clients are able to let go and experience relief without saying anything at all. Jill describes this as the de-numbing effect, when the women experience a feeling of being more alive and awake to their bodies and the world.

Jill’s experience at DASH has been pleasant. She says that the “overall commitment by the staff is beautiful and heartwarming.” Most of all she enjoys working with the DASH residents, and says that the “gratitude expressed by the women has been profound.” She enjoys her role and likes to provide a safe space among all the challenges that the DASH residents (and sometimes staff!) may face.

Jill is the February Volunteer of the Month because of her dedication to the DASH mission and because she has successfully taken a relatively unknown activity and transformed it into one of the most popular and consistent wellness programs at DASH. She brings a much-needed holistic approach to the healing process of our residents and they have responded enthusiastically. We appreciate her ability to adapt to the needs of the residents as well as her consistency and professionalism. It is only because of the generosity of volunteers like Jill that DASH is able to serve so many. At DASH we are proud to say that acupuncture is one of our keystone programs. It reflects our innovative approach to holistic healing. Thank you Jill!