In this issue, we introduce two new executive directors, highlight a teen dating violence foundation, the TCFV African American Caucus and some upcoming prevention opportunities.  We’ve also included resources for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and for ending family violence in the African American Community.

Brighter Tomorrows, Grand Prairie, TX

New Executive Director: Diana Franzetti

On October 1, 2011, Brighter Tomorrows in Grand Prairie welcomed new Executive Director Diana Franzetti.  The 22-year-old program serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Dallas County, Franzetti comes from a lengthy background in nonprofit management.  A native of Austin, she now lives in the Metroplex with her children and grandchildren and says she loves living there.

“I am very proud to be a part of the Brighter Tomorrows team as I have already seen successes from the work we are all doing daily, and I know that we are making a difference in many lives. Deterring our youth from becoming either a victim or perpetrator of domestic violence affects everyone in society, whether they realize it or not.  A very wise person told me that we are on the pathway these victims are traveling, and we are here to help them in this portion of their journey.  Empowering them to have a safer and stronger life will help us all have a safer and stronger community.”

Brighter Tomorrows is a TCFV Family Violence Program Member.  For more information about the program, click here.

Abigail’s Arms, Gainesville, TX

New Executive Director: Kim Cook

Kim Cook is the new Executive Director at Abigail’s Arms in Gainesville.   Cook previously worked for Family Gateway, Inc. in Dallas, serving homeless families with children.  Prior to that, she worked for the Family Place, also in Dallas, serving victims of domestic violence.

“The Family Place has been a long-standing DV agency in the community that afforded me the training and opportunity to grow in the field of victim’s services.  Under the great vision and leadership of Paige Flink, and others like her, my professional career was developed and strengthened.”

Currently, Abigail’s Arms is embarking on the project of building a 24-hour emergency shelter that will house victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes. They broke ground in December of 2011 and anticipate the completion of the project by fall, 2012.  The facility will be the only emergency residential program in Cooke County.

“Although challenging, transitioning from an urban/metropolis to a rural area is very rewarding.  The citizens of Cooke County have been extremely supportive to the shelter project as well as to me coming aboard as the agency’s new executive director. I am pleased to be a part of such a giving community that expresses such compassion and is empathetic to the needs of their victims.”

Abigail’s Arms is a TCFV Emerging Family Violence Program Member.  For more information about the program, click here.

Ortralla LuWone Mosley Foundation, Austin, TX

“Preventing Teen Dating Violence and Building Healthy Relationships”

The Ortralla LuWone Mosley Foundation’s mission is to empower teens to choose healthy relationships through education, advocacy and support. To that end, they developed a model prevention and awareness curriculum, “Preventing Teen Dating Violence and Building Healthy Relationships”, available to all public schools across Texas.  The Foundation enables teens to become survivors of, and advocates for, the prevention of teen dating violence, and to mobilize the community through social, political and legal action.

The Ortralla LuWone Mosley Foundation is a 501 3(C) nonprofit founded in 2005 to prevent teen dating violence throughout Texas.  On March 28, 2003, Carolyn Mosley’s life was changed forever when her 15-year-old daughter, Trella, was brutally stabbed by her former boyfriend. Carolyn’s grief was channeled into the creation of the Foundation to become a vehicle to help save other teens and their families from experiencing the unimaginable pain that she had lived through.

The Foundation is planning its second annual LOVE TRELLA (Leaders of Valor Embrace Teaching Respect Encouraging Listening Love Always) Gala on February 25, 2012. At the Gala, they will honor Leaders of Valor in their community: Sheriff Greg Hamilton and Chief Art Acevedo, both staunch advocates of victim’s rights.  They are now securing individual, business and corporate sponsorships for this special event. For more information, click here.

Carolyn Mosley is a TCFV Friend member.  For more information about her organization, click here.

African American Caucus

The mission of the African American Caucus is to bring about awareness of domestic violence within the various African American communities and families throughout Texas. The caucus addresses oppressive social, economic, and institutional issues that perpetuate and encourage domestic violence within African American communities throughout the state of Texas.

The African American Caucus is committed to our warm rich heritage, rejuvenation of spirit and souls, and critically thinking about and improving our roles in ending family violence in Texas for women of color. We welcome all activists of color to join the African American Caucus.

Contact membershipmatters@tcfv.org for information about joining African American Caucus.

What’s all this talk about Primary Prevention?

Please join TCFV’s Prevention Team for a webinar entitled Primary Prevention 101. Renée Gillespy, Manager of Community Education and Training for the Houston Area Women’s Center, will lead the webinar and provide valuable insight about the work to end violence before it starts.

The Primary Prevention 101 Webinar will take place on Thursday, February 16 from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon. You can register for this webinar by clicking here.

Please contact María Limón, Prevention Coordinator, at mlimon@tcfv.org if you have any questions.

Prevention Coaching Group

TCFV’s Prevention team launched the Prevention Coaching Group in 2010 to support prevention efforts around the state by creating a community of practice and offering targeted training and program implementation guidance. The Coaching Group consists of prevention workers from both rural and urban communities who gather twice a year in Austin.  This community of practice teaches and learns from each other’s prevention efforts.  The Group also celebrate successes, share strategies, and solve problems.

Current participants report that the Coaching Group has proved to be a great resource. One participant at the last Coaching Group gathering said “Because of this coaching group my agency was able to retain its prevention funding. This group provides endless information, support and inspiration. I love the coaching group!”

The Prevention team is pleased to announce that the Group is expanding, and interest forms are currently being accepted. Please consider whether your prevention program could benefit from targeted technical assistance, training, and support for your prevention workers. More detailed information about the Prevention Coaching Group is included in the application form, which can be downloaded here. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2012.

Please contact María Limón (mlimon@tcfv.org ), the Prevention team member who is coordinating the Prevention Coaching Group, if you have any questions about the application or participation in the Group.

On September 27, loveisrespect.org, a collaboration between the National Dating Abuse Helpline and Break the Cycle, announced the nation’s first dating abuse texting service. Teens and 20-somethings can now ask questions about healthy relationships simply by texting “loveis” to 77054 to directly connect to a peer advocate.

Vice President Joe Biden premiered the service on September 26, sending the first text to peer advocate Whitney Laas, thanking loveisrespect.org advocates for their work to end dating abuse.

An additional feature of the brand’s re-launch is the updated website, which contains interactive quizzes, as well as expanded information about LGBTQ dating, legal support and digital abuse. The innovative online chat is still accessible through the website. Young adults are now able to receive services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The re-launch of loveisrespect.org was made possible by the Office on Violence Against Women, Liz Claiborne Inc., Healthy Kids Healthy Families and the Verizon Foundation. To learn more, please visit loveisrespect.org.  Or click here to watch a video about the launch.

The National Resource Center for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: http://www.teendvmonth.org/

Break the Cycle and the National Dating Abuse Hotline’s loveisrespect.org : http://www.loveisrespect.org/

Break the Cycle:  http://www.breakthecycle.org/

Love is Not Abuse: http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/

Presidential Proclamation: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/31/presidential-proclamation-national-teen-dating-violence-awareness-and-pr

Resources for Ending Family Violence in the African American Community

African American Domestic Violence Resrouces: www.aardvarc.org

Women of Color Network:  www.womenofcolornetwork.org

Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community: http://www.idvaac.org/

Presidential Proclamation- National African American History Month: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/31/presidential-proclamation-national-african-american-history-month-2012

CJSRT (Lufkin, TX) February 16, 2012. Click here to register.

CJSRT (Waco, TX) February 24, 2012. Click here to register.

Soul Murder – Understanding the Devastating Effects of Trauma/Abuse (Dallas, TX) February 26-27, 2012.  Click here for more information.

2012 TAASA Annual Conference – 30 years of Working to End Sexual Violence in Texas (San Antonio, TX) February 26-March 1, 2012.  Click here for more information.

2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters – Creating a United Voice, English, Français and Español, (Washington, D.C.) February 27-March 1, 2012.  Click here for more information.

CJSRT (Abilene, TX) March 7, 2012. More information soon.

Domestic Violence Danger Assessment and Risk Management: A Two-Day Training Conference (San Antonio, TX) March 15-16, 2012.  Click here to register.

2012 Conference on Crimes Against Women (Dallas, TX) March 26-28, 2012. Click here for more information.

The 6th Biennial National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence (San Francisco, CA) March 29-30, 2012. Click here for more information.

2012 Investigating and Prosecuting Domestic Violence Cases (San Antonio, TX) April 11-13, 2012.  Click here for more information.

TCFV 9^th BIPP Statewide Conference (Austin, TX) April 13, 2012. Click here to register.

CJSRT (Amarillo, TX) May 4, 2012. More information soon.

TCFV Statewide Conference (Austin, TX) September 5-6, 2012. More information soon.

We further our message with the motto Go Purple as a way to reconsider and recast the conversation around family and dating violence. Please see the map on page three of the link below – counties shaded in white show where a young woman was killed; purple counties show no fatalities of young women. It comes down to a simple statement: We want all Texas to Go Purple.

In this issue of The River, we emphatically point to Prevention as a priority. We provide information on serving teen victims as opposed to youth victims: where to draw the line, our approaches in school with the newest legislation, loveisrespect.org, and much more.

The River

• The River
• Youth Activities – Outreach and Education Ideas
• Student Health Advisory Council Toolkit
• TCFV Prevention Efforts
• loveisrespect outreach onepager

Status: Full Time

Schedule: Monday-Friday (8:30am-5:30pm)

FLSA: Exempt

Job Posting Date: 12/05/11

Closing Date: Until filled

Salary: $30,000

Position Summary:

Grant Compliance Manager at The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc. (The Bridge) is responsible for maintaining legal and regulatory compliance for all grants by researching and communicating grant requirements.  The Grants Compliance Manager completes all grants by submitting proper documentation to funders.

Essential Functions:

Researches regulations for all agency grants by reviewing regulatory notifications and other sources of information and maintaining a comprehensive list of reporting requirements for each contract/funding source.

Compiles information by reviewing prorammatic reports in a timely manner to funding sources per contract requirements (i.e. monthly, quarterly,or as required); reading and becoming familiar with new contracts.

Keeps other departments abreast of requirements by researching regulatory and grant filing information; writing and communicating grant guidelines, keeping grant record work for all employees in the agency.

Prepares grant reports by working with executives in the preparation of all new and continuation of government grants; setting up new contract files and maintain existing contract files.

Maintains quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards; issuing instructions to appropriate staff regarding compliance entity finding and follow-through to make sure that responses are complied; training all clerical staff in proper documentation of client data.

Reviews requests for reimbursement ­­­­to funding sources on a regular basis by assisting Finance Department in revising budget per grant compliance needs

Develops and maintains grant record systems in all divisions by creating and/or revising forms as needed.  Training all clerical staff in proper documentation of client data.

Collaborates with client services by reviewing data collection forms and reviewing data for grant application process; overseeing two client services databases (in-house and state).

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business or Public Administration or in lieu of degree five years experience in non-profit setting with proven track record of managing grants and foundation funding, writing grants and handling all aspects of grant compliance.

Minimum Knowledge/Skills/Abilites

• Knowledge of the dynamics of sexual and domestic violence, laws related to sexual and domestic violence and an overview of legal system.
• Demonstrated Advanced Microsoft Excel and Word skills.
• Demonstrated ability to give oral presentations for grants.
• Demonstrated grant writing skills.
• Ability to lift/carry up to 40lbs.
• Demonstrated ability to manage both program and financial associated with grants.
• Demonstrated ability to read and comprehend all federal requirements with awarded grants.
• Demonstrated ability to translate a proposal into a program plan and ensure it is implemented according to proposal.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budget and finances awarded by setting up a comprehensive system to account for all expenditures.
• Demonstrated ability to develop comprehensive systems to capture data for grants.
• Knowledge of funding resources both grant and foundations.
• Knowledge of Health & Human Services Commission, Office of the Attorney General,  Supportive Housing Program funders is highly desired.