September Letter from the CEO

Forty-six years ago, this community made a promise: that no one facing domestic violence should have to face it alone. As we mark BRASS, Inc.'s 46th anniversary, I've been thinking about how far that promise has traveled.

This year, that promise is moving forward in new ways. Our Mobile Advocacy Unit has rolled from county to county all summer, welcomed by chamber partners and neighbors who believe safety shouldn't depend on where you live. It was stitched by the hands of WKU students who embroidered survivors' stories into quilts. It was felt from the generosity of Magna employees who turned a workday into a fundraiser and the Starbucks neighbor who quietly put our name forward. It was celebrated with an armful of dahlias left at our door by a florist who asked for nothing in return. Our promise to walk with survivors travels every single day in the work of our advocates — the people who pick up every call, whatever the hour, because a survivor's courage rarely keeps business hours.

The distance ahead is longer than the distance behind — and we have no intention of slowing down. Survivors are reaching out more than ever, and in this issue you'll read honestly about the gap between what our community asks of us and what we're able to provide. But 46 years has taught us one thing above all: this promise has never been kept by BRASS, Inc. alone. It's kept by neighbors.

That's the heart of our 46 for 46 anniversary campaign — 46 community members, each helping carry this promise into its next chapter. As we head into Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, I hope you'll consider being one of them.

Thank you for 46 years of showing up. Here's to the next.

With gratitude,

Tori Henninger

Chief Executive Officer, BRASS, Inc.