SPARCC surprised me

In This Issue Auxiliary Membership Reminder Community Giving Treasure Chest Empowerment Project Back To School Join the SPARCC AUXILIARY The SPARCC Auxiliary is a group dedicated to raising funds and awareness for SPARCC. Annual events include the Second Hand Rose Fashion Show and the Venice Golf Tournament, to name a couple. Monthly membership coffees are held and membership is just $25 per year. New members are always welcome! If you have questions, or are interested in joining the Auxiliary as a new member, contact Membership Chair Sherry Stich at 350-3349. SHARE THE NEWS If you know of someone who would like to receive this newsletter, feel free to forward this email. Your friends can join our email list by clicking the link below. Thank you for your continued support of SPARCC! CELL PHONE DRIVE Please donate your used cell phones to help victims of domestic and sexual violence. Phones should include chargers (if available but not necessary) and be cleared of all personal numbers and information. Donations accepted at SPARCC's Outreach Office 2139 Main Street, Sarasota Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00 JOIN OUR LIST Helping Hands The next time you order from Beneva Flowers make sure to mention the Helping Hands program. With each order, Beneva Flowers will make a 5% donation to SPARCC. When ordering online, simply select the "Helping Hands" pull down menu on the order form and choose SPARCC to receive the contribution. If you call in the order, make sure you mention SPARCC! SPARCC is on Facebook Are you on Facebook? Make sure to find "SPARCC Sarasota" and become a fan. We post updates about fundraisers, Treasure Chest sales & specials, media, and updates about the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault. Click on the icon below to find us on Facebook!

July 2011 Auxiliary Membership Reminder Reminder - Membership renewals for the SPARCC Auxiliary 2011-2012 year are due by July 31st! Don't miss the exciting kick-off meeting at the beautiful Sarasota Yacht Club on September 21 at 10:00 am! The SPARCC Auxiliary is a fundraising arm of the organization that meets on a regular basis to plan fundraising events and raise awareness for SPARCC. This group was founded in 1983, and since that time, has raised more than a million dollars to support SPARCC programs and operations. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Membership Chair, Judy Weaver at 350-7259 or Auxiliary President, Susan Erhart at 349-3346. Community Giving Gracie Kennedy, a student at Ringling School of Art and Design recently completed a special volunteer project for SPARCC. Gracie used her talents to create two digital prints that will be displayed at the SPARCC Outreach office and at special events. Using colors that are meaningful to the issues of domestic violence (purple) and sexual assault (teal), the art she created symbolizes hope, peace and empowerment. Thank you Gracie for these beautiful pieces of art! Treasure Chest Jewelry Donations Needed! The Treasure Chest is in need of donations of jewelry - real or costume! And don't forget to shop and tell your friends. Shopping and donating are a win-win for everyone! Recycle your shopping bags at the Treasure Chest! Please remember to recycle your used shopping bags at the Treasure Chest! Save The Date - Yard Sale The Treasure Chest's annual Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, October 15. Save the date, this is always a great event. Volunteers are always needed, for more information, call the Treasure Chest at 953-7800. Empowerment Project Update In our March e-newsletter, we introduced The Empowerment Project, a pilot project that SPARCC was selected to be a part of in partnership with The Suncoast Workforce Board and Hope Family Services. The program helps domestic violence survivors with job readiness and employment skills and seeks to empower survivors to find employment that will lead to a sustainable living situation. For some participants, the goal will be immediate employment, for others, the program will focus on life skills training, resume building, and may even include extended training for a particular trade or industry. The latest development in this project is the Life Skills Workshop Series that began earlier this month. This series of four workshops offers survivors of domestic violence an opportunity to obtain knowledge , resources, and tools that will enable them to establish control over their circumstances, improve the quality of their lives, and begin a more secure future. The first class series was very successful, with five women completing the program. Workshops are scheduled to continue into the Fall and and will provide valuable skills to many women. Another exciting development in The Empowerment Project is that six women have begun classes to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. We are thrilled to be a part of this program that is providing life changing skills and opportunities to so many women! Stay tuned for more good news ... Back To School It's almost time for school to start again and SPARCC is collecting school supplies to assist our clients with this important time of year. In addition to basic necessities such as pens, pencils, folders and notebook paper; we are seeing an increased need for items such as USB flash drives, backpacks, and gift cards to to purchase back to school clothing (Target, Wal-Mart, etc).

Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center (SPARCC) is the only state certified center providing services to victims of domestic and sexual violence in Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. All services are provided at no cost. Additionally, SPARCC offers community education and professional training, as well as volunteer training and placement. SPARCC also operates the Treasure Chest, a resale store that generates revenues for SPARCC programs.

Safe Place & Rape Crisis Center
2139 Main Street Sarasota, Florida 34237

Admin: (941) 365-0208 ~ Hotline: (941) 365-1976

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE WITHIN FLORIDA 1-800-435-7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION NUMBER CH580