In the next weeks and months before we ring in 2013, many of you will help the families living at Rose Brooks Center. You may volunteer to decorate the shelter, prepare a holiday meal, sponsor a workplace coat drive, or collect toys that ensure every child has a surprise gift Christmas morning. Others will remember Rose Brooks Center in their holiday giving. It is a time of giving thanks, supporting those less fortunate, and enjoying time with friends and families.

For families in violent homes, however, the holidays can be a time of great sadness - and even more tragically - a time of great danger. In fact, Rose Brooks Center receives more calls for help in November and December than at any other time of year. That’s why we work so hard to make our shelter a safe, quiet, peaceful home for the 100 women and children who live here.

Your support provides desperate families with no place to turn a home for the holidays, three hot meals each day, and all the support they need to re-claim and rebuild their broken lives.

In this special holiday issue, you will read about the different ways you can make a tremendous impact this holiday season. But we also share with you the messages of thanks we have received from those lives we have saved. For so many, Rose Brooks Center is the new start families need and deserve. Thank you in advance for your incredible generosity this season. I am hon-ored to live in a community that is so com-mitted to helping its own.

A Giving SeasonSpreading comfort and joy to the women and children in our community who need it most

A message from Susan Miller, CEO

w w w. ro s e b ro o k s. o rg

Become a member of our online community, committed to educating our

neighbors about domestic violence. Check out our blog, RiskHope.

LIFE IS A CABARET

RBC welcomes Broadway legend

SPEC IALISSUEthank you

HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDEThese businesses

support RBC families

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Planning underway Holiday Store ‘12

“I AM THANKFUL” Messages of joy

and peace from the families we serve

PLEASE REMEMBER ROSE BROOKS CENTER THIS HOLIDAY SEASON www.RoseBRooks.oRg

FALL 2012

Project SAFE changed my life. It taught me fighting was not the answer to my problems. Without it, without someone who listened to me and believed in me – I don’t know where I would be.

anthony, 11th gRadeR

Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t thinkI was worth believing in.

tina, suRvivoR

Someone at Rose Brooks once told me that if all the victims of domestic violence

held hands, we would reach all the way from New York to LA.

When I am feeling alone, I meditateon that mental picture and somewhere

around Kansas City in that line of survivors my children and I are holding

hands with complete strangers.

Thank you for that amazing image of hope. melissa, suRvivoR

That day, my dog suffered two broken ribs and a fractured hip. My body was bruised and my spirit was broken. And

Rose Brooks Center healed us both.

They didn’t have to take us. They could have stuck to their rules and said, “I’m sorry, we don’t allow pets.” But their commitment to keeping families safe was more powerful than any rule. And I thank God every day for that.

motheR of j. matthew, the dog who inspiRed the pet shelteR

I know I would be dead if

you hadn’t had space

for me. Thank you. vicki, suRvivoR

GIVE THANKS:Messages from our community, survivors and supporters who are thankful every day Rose Brooks Center is here to make Kansas City safer for us all

Thank you - not for what you did for me - but for what you did for my two boys. I didn’t want them to think that’s what love looks like, sounds like, feels like. I wanted them to become men who will love their wives, and thanks to RBC, they will.

antoinette, suRvivoR

CabaretJoin us for a glamorous evening of dining and

entertainment from the ultimate Broadway star

Proceeds support Rose Brooks Center’s life-saving programs

Bebe Neuwirth

SPECIAL THANKS TO PRESENTING PARTNER

DST SYSTEMS, INC

sunday, marCh 3, 2013Sponsorship and Ticket Information • www.RoseBrooks.org • 816-523-5550 x418

For our city to survive and thrive, we all must invest in a violence-free KC. Rose Brooks Center is working toward this goal by building partnerships with other community systems. Currently, Rose Brooks Center partners with more than 100 agencies throughout the metro, greatly increasing the community’s capacity to recognize, respond to and support victims of violence.

Rose Brooks Center also has staff co-located at policedepartments, court systems, schools and hospitals to help ensure victims are receiving care at every possible access point.

The map highlights our strongest partners and the scope of our

work throughout the metro area. For a complete list of partner

agencies, please visit our website.

CLAY COUNTY

CASS COUNTY

jOHNSON COUNTY

COUNTY

LEAvENWORTH COUNTY

PLATTE COUNTY

Scope of ServiceRose Brooks Center’s violence intervention and prevention services span the entire metro

“Stopping violence is key. You save a life and if that

woman has kids, you teach her children that they don’t

have to be in a violent relationship. And so I say

donate to Rose Brooks Center. You’ll save more than one life,

you’ll save a generation.”

staci, suRvivoR

The Best Time of the YearDuring this most generous season, consider all the ways you can make a difference for the families living in shelter

GrEATEr ImpAcT RBC raises almost 70% of its program budget from individuals during November and December. This vital funding provides emergency safety all year long to families escaping violent homes.

DONATE SECURELY ONLINE AT WWW.ROSEBROOKS.ORG

A HoT mEAl, A wArm SmIlE Gather your family and come to shelter to help prepare and serve dinner to the 100 women and children living in shelter.

FOOD DONATIONS ARE ALSO IN GREAT DEMAND

GIfTS from SANTA Teach your children the spirit of giving this Christmas by participating in the 17th annual Holiday Store. We collect new gift items so mothers can shop for their children.

LOOK FOR THIS YEAR’S WISH LIST IN THIS NEWSLETTER

SHElTEr from THE cold During winter, we often run out of essential items that keep our families healthy, including coats, hats and gloves, blankets, robes, slippers, and cold medicine.

SIGN UP ONLINE FOR URGENT NEEDS EMAILS

brING rbc To worK Have your work team or business support RBC this holiday season by hosting a workplace coat or slipper drive, collecting gifts for the Holiday Store or sponsoring a Jeans Day fundraiser.

FOR MORE IDEAS, vISIT WWW.ROSEBROOKS.ORG/EvENTS

The Furry NoelFor the first time in RBC history, pets will be part of our holiday festivities. Help make our favorite four-legged friends feel loved and safe this season by providing items on our pet wish list:

Holiday Store 2012 Rose Brooks Center has hosted the Holiday Store to collect gifts for the women and children in our emergency shelter. Holidays are difficult for families struggling with domestic violence, especially for those families who have had to leave their home to escape violence. In many cases, the women do not have the money to purchase gifts for their children – and even if they do, it’s not safe to go to the store. Your support of the Holiday Store ensures every child has a special and memorable holiday season.

Wish List All donations received through the Holiday Store are given directly to the families receiving our services.

we ask that all gifts come new and unwrapped.

Remember these supportive businesses while you are holiday shopping:AMC TheatersAnthropologie Town CenterApplebee’sBag & BaggageBath & Body WorksBeauty BrandsBlo SalonBrooks BrothersElegant LinensThe Fiddly FigHallmark CardsHalls Kansas CityHarrah’s J Hathaway Shoe BoutiqueJ. JillMacy’s Mimi and ChichiNoah’s Ark Animal ClinicNordstromPeruvian ConnectionPetSmartPolkadot PoochPower & Light DistrictPrior Attire Resale ShopRyan Lawn and TreeScandia DownSleep Number Bed StoreSoma Intimates SprintStandard Style BoutiqueSuburban Lawn and GardenSuperlativesThe Garment District BoutiqueVerizon WirelessVictoria’s Secret Ward Parkway CenterWestwood Animal HospitalWillow Hill Animal ClinicWorld’s Window

For more than 17 years,

Gifts for Children and TeensNon-violent toys for all agesArt supplies and craft kitsCamerasMP3 playersDolls and stuffed animalsVideos (English and Spanish)Movie passesSports equipmentWalmart and Target gift cardsItunes and GenX gift cardsBillfolds for young menWatches for teensNail polish kitsHoodies for teensAxe gift sets

Gifts That Offer ComfortChildren’s pajamas Women’s nightgowns and robes Women’s slippers Children’s socks and underwear Women’s socks, underwear and bras Journals Bath gel/body lotion gift sets

Gifts That Keep Us Warm Children’s coats Children’s hats and gloves Scarves Women’s coats Women’s hats and gloves

Gifts For The HomeAlarm clocks Used cell phones Curling irons/flat irons Personal hygiene items Blankets and pillows Towels and washcloths Cleaning supplies Canned fruit and vegetables Cereal and breakfast bars Coffee, tea and cocoa mix

Ward Parkway CenterMonday, December 3 – Tuesday, December 18

Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sunday 12/9: 12:00 - 5:30; Sunday 12/16: 11:00 - 7:00

Collars and LeashesMetal Food BowlsBones and TreatsBlankets and TowelsChew ToysCat Litter PansScratching PostsCat ToysGift Certificates for Vet Care or Grooming

Paws Place Pet Shelter has been full each day since opening last june. The shelter houses eight family pets each night.

Resolution ReadyRBC renews its commitment to wellness for residents and staffIn time for the New Year, Rose Brooks Center opens an updated on-site workout room, equipped with treadmill, elliptical and stairstep machines, free weights and various exercise videos. In addition, RBC now offers weekly wellness classes and activities, including walking clubs, yoga, pilates, meditation and massage.

To avoid exhaustion and employee burnout, and promote a successful work/life balance, staff is now encouraged to make self-care goals.

VolunteersWe need elves this season to decorate the store, collect items during mall hours, and sort and wrap gifts.

If you or your family, church or business is interested in volunteering for the Holiday Store at ward parkway center, please contact Joan at816-523-5550 x417 orjoan@rosebrooks.org.

A GREAT GROUP vOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY FOR WORK TEAMS AND SMALL BUSINESSES.

2012 SAFETY LINK PARTNER HCA Midwest Health System and Research Medical Center