Sojourn Shelter Receives $20,000 Grant

Sojourn Shelter & Services, Inc. has received a $20,000 unrestricted grant from the Mary Kay Ash Foundation to support survivors of domestic violence in Central Illinois.

The funding is part of a broader $1 million grant initiative announced late last week by the Mary Kay Ash Foundation, which is awarding funds to 50 domestic violence shelters across the United States. More than 300 organizations applied for this year’s shelter grants.

Founded in 1996, the Mary Kay Ash Foundation focuses on issues impacting women and expanded its mission in 2000 to include efforts to end domestic violence. Through its annual shelter grant program, the foundation has invested more than $57 million to support services such as emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling and legal aid.

“The Mary Kay Ash Foundation is honored to support domestic violence shelters and their staff on the frontlines to ensure women across the country have access to critical, life-saving resources,” said Michael Lunceford, president of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation Board of Directors. “By providing unrestricted grants, they can address their communities’ most pressing needs, which range from physical shelter and trauma counseling to legal aid and on-site pet kennels. When a woman makes the difficult decision to leave, these organizations help ensure she has access to everything she needs to never look back.”

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, more than 72,000 adult and child victims receive domestic violence services across the United States in a single day. However, more than 11,000 requests for services go unmet during that same period due to a lack of resources.

Sojourn Shelter & Services plans to use the grant funding for client food and transportation, shelter supplies, staffing and operations.