It’s time to Wine Down at The Wine Loft!
Call your friends, get your sitter, do whatever you need to do to make sure you’re hanging out with us Wednesday April 1, 2015.

Each month we give away great prizes, soak up a relaxed atmosphere, chow down on delicious free appetizers and have a really great time… who knew philanthropy could be this fun?!
If you haven’t joined us for Wine Down yet here’s what you can expect:
– $10 at the door goes directly to charity.
– Generous glasses of wine at a great discount.
-Delicious FREE appetizers provided by The Wine Loft (if you haven’t been there yet, you’re in for a real treat).
– Raise more money for the selected non-profit by purchasing raffle tickets and winning great prizes.
-Meet new people (like Richmondmoms Christa and Sarah) and network or grab a quiet spot for you and a friend to enjoy a kid-free night to catch up.

As much as $1,000 is raised each month in just a couple hours at each event at the Wine Loft so feel good about connecting with other parents, family-focused businesses and raising money for a great cause.

In April we raise a glass (and some funds) for the incredible work done by Safe Harbor.

Safe Harbor is the only dedicated sexual and intimate partner violence program in Henrico County. Our mission is to empower survivors of sexual and domestic violence to transform their lives, and to promote healthy relationships for all. SafeHarbor offers comprehensive services for survivors of sexual and/or intimate partner violence including: A 24-hour helpline, children/youth services, community education and training, trauma-informed counseling, court advocacy, emergency shelter and hospital accompaniment. All of our services are confidential and free of charge to anyone seeking help. We are here to create a community filled with happy, healthy relationships. Join us!

Wine Down
At The Wine Loft in Short Pump
April 1, 2015
6:30pm
All funds will be donated to Safe Harbor.

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook!

For businesses owners who would like to donate a raffle prize, we appreciate you! Please contact us:christa@richmondmom.com.

These events may also be sponsored by businesses owners. If you’re interested in sponsoring a future Wine Down event, let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.

Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced domestic violence ¹

YWCA of Richmond, Hanover Safe Place, Safe Harbor, The James House and Project Hope at Quin Rivers have come together with the financial support of The Jenkins Foundation to create a new 24 hour crisis hotline for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Greater Richmond Regional Hotline Collaborative (GRRHC) allows each of the five domestic and sexual violence agencies to streamline the call process and provide multiple levels of service with just one phone call.  The 24 hour crisis hotline is staffed with trained professionals and volunteers who’s first priority upon taking a call is to determine the caller’s level of danger and respond to all immediate safety needs.

The Greater Richmond Regional Hotline: 804-612-6126, serves survivors and their loved ones who need support navigating domestic, intimate partner, family, and/or sexual violence in Chesterfield, Richmond, Hanover, Henrico, Powhatan, Goochland, the Tri-Cities, King William, King and Queen, New Kent and Charles City.

If you believe you or a loved one has experienced domestic, intimate partner, or sexual violence, please call the Greater Richmond Regional Hotline. All calls are confidential.

Read our Real Richmond Mom Survivor story

1. Black, M.C., Basile, K.C., Breiding, M.J., Smith, S.G., Walters, M.L., Merrick, M.T., Chen, J., & Stevens, M.R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Photo via Flickr

Every little girl dreams of the day they will fall in love with a man, move out and have kids – living happy ever after.  Our fairy tales tell of the prince charming and how blissful being in love is. You never think about not getting prince charming but getting just the opposite – the villain. But that is just what happened.

My fairy tale turned out to be a nightmare instead. I could talk about the physical part of the abuse – the routine beatings; the screaming so loud it made the kids run and hide; the time HE tried to run me over with his car – but most physical wounds heal in time.

Much deeper lie the scars that stay forever.

The ones that become a part of you; that change you little by little, until one day you look in the mirror and you no longer recognize yourself. Because you are not you, you have become HIS property. You do as you are told. You don’t argue back. You hang your head and try not to upset him, telling yourself he loves you and it’s your job to make him happy. That it’s normal and if you just do what you’re supposed to then things will be fine. And when its not fine it’s your fault. You tell yourself “I should have known better. If I wouldn’t have taken too long eating lunch I would have had dinner started on time. If I would have taken the baby to the bathroom with me her cry wouldn’t make him angry. If I wasn’t so stupid he wouldn’t call me worthless. If I was a better mother he wouldn’t tell my children that I was worthless, no good and they didn’t have to listen to me – that they were the boss.”

HE turned out to be the villain that destroyed my self esteem and made me believe I had no self worth, tearing me down in front of my children. My children learned to belittle me. I became so isolated from my friends and family I developed a social anxiety. The biggest thing I had to learn about myself while at Safe Harbor was that I had a lot to offer the world and I shouldn’t be afraid to go to a job interview and meet people.

That it was OK to put makeup on and get dressed up.

I had to learn how to feel good about myself and through all the counseling I still second guess myself. I always hold back, not fully trusting anyone, much less myself. Some days are still hard where I think I don’t deserve happiness; that I’m not good enough for anyone to love. My children and I had to be uprooted from our home, from everything we knew, to start over in a shelter, losing all of our things. We left right after Christmas. My boys didn’t even get a chance to ride their new bikes from Santa. HE took them back to the store.

I can never replace some of the things that were lost – my mother’s wedding rings; her purse; the last things she had at the hospital before she passed away. The memories of my children growing up in the only home they knew. It will be a long road to rebuild and heal from the damage and pain that was caused. I share my story not only for my own personal healing. I am here as a mother. I’m here to show my boys that what HE did to us was wrong. That women are not property. They deserve respect. That when you hurt people, you are punished.

I’m here to show my little girl she is beautiful and deserves to be treated as the princess she is and it’s not normal to be hit and put down.
I am here to stop the cycle and close this chapter of our lives so my children and I can start to heal.
I am here to show HIM he no longer has control and he is not above the law and crimes do not go unpunished. I’m here today because today I am strong.
Today I am ME.
I am my own person.
I no longer belong to anyone.

This story has been told anonymously thanks to Safe Harbor
Learn more about Safe Harbor.
To help Safe Harbor and their incredible mission in a fun (and fashionable) way, join us for Handbags for Hope.