The Family Co at Jannali, which provides domestic and family violence support, has received a donation of more than $48,000, thanks to a fundraiser recently held in Sutherland Shire.
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In late June, Leona Bennett from Southern Waters Legal at Cronulla and Sarah Lamb of SP Screens co-hosted a women's networking event at Elouera Surf Club.
"The premise of the event was women supporting women, with the event aimed to foster relationships and networking with women in business and importantly to raise money for the Family Co - a local amazing organisation that's assists women escape domestic violence," Ms Bennett said.
"We had an amazing response to the invites sent out and sold out of the tickets two weeks prior to the event with 160 attendees. We had more than 100 local businesses involved. The involvement included sponsorship and businesses donating items for the auction or donating food that was shared on the night."
The Family Co Interim Chief Executive, Michelle Fairweather, said support workers were extremely grateful for the huge effort and generosity.
"To Leona Bennett from Southern Waters Legal, Sarah Lamb from SP Screens and everyone involved in the Women Supporting Women networking event, The Family Co is amazed at the amount of funds raised," she said.
"It will be instrumental in expanding our reach and increasing the support we provide to those in need, including those who are impacted by domestic and family violence. This event has truly showcased the power of community and the impact we can have when we come together."
There are upcoming events hosted by The Family Co that will benefit the community. One of them, which starts on August 2 at 10am, is the Pathway of Change: Domestic Violence Support Group, which is open to Sutherland Shire residents only. The group provides a safe and nurturing space for women to understand the complexity of domestic and family violence and reduce the social isolation of their experience and supports women to develop strategies for healing.
The five week program covers a range of topics including: what is domestic violence and how prevalent it is, how is it that domestic violence exists in our society, patterns of domestic violence and how abusers retain power and control, barriers to change and reducing shame about experiences, developing resilience in children and exploring strategies to support them to grow into healthy adults, and planning to keep safe, and self-care.
