Safehaven of Tarrant County

 

 

I am so humbled and thankful to become a partner with the SafeHaven of Tarrant County.  Because SafeHaven is so central to my reign as Miss Tarrant County, I have decided to make this an ongoing post that I will continuously add to throughout my year.

For over 35 years, SafeHaven of Tarrant County has changed the lives of countless women and children caught in abusive relationships and homes.  They have two shelters in Tarrant County – one in Arlington and another in Fort Worth.  Their passionate goal is to end domestic violence through safety, support, prevention, and social change.

 

My contact with SafeHaven is Annie Potasznik – a former associate producer and reporter for NBC and the current Communications Coordinator for SafeHaven.  This woman is an inspiration due to her outreach and unremitting dedication to helping those in abusive relationships.  She is a pageant-girl’s dream contact because she truly wants to include me in the works of SafeHaven – and I could not be more thankful for her in helping me to spread my story and message.

 

My first appearance for SafeHaven was actually at the Arlington shelter.  The employees for Mercedes-Benz came out to build a brand new playground for the children that they had designed themselves!  In attendance were Senator Wendy Davis, Mayor of Arlington Robert Cluck, and the reporter Deborah Ferguson.  At the end of the event, Annie actually showed me around the shelter so that I could really see and understand where these women and children live and are counseled.

 For the dedication of the playground, I sang “God Bless America” and briefly spoke about my experience with domestic violence and my platform L.O.V.E: Learning to Overcome Violent Environments.  After I spoke, Deborah Ferguson said a few words about how important this work was and then she said something that will always stick with me as a definition of why I tell my story and spread my word.  She said to those who had worked so hard all day to build the playground, “Behind the walls of this shelter, there may be a little girl who is able to become the future Miss Tarrant County because you have given these children a sense of normalcy.”  The fact that my presence and mention of how I had overcome domestic violence made her think about how important any grasp of normalcy is to have a positive future really touched me.

 

 

My next appearance for SafeHaven was for their fundraiser at J Pepe’s in Dallas.  One of the best parts of this appearance was that I was able to spend quite a bit of time getting to know Annie.  SafeHaven collected so many valuable donations for the shelter and both Annie and I told our stories and how our lives had been impacted by domestic violence.  I cannot express how proud I am of her for having the courage to get on a stage and tell her story (this was her first time telling her own!)

 

I was then invited to speak and sing at the Women Are Golden Holiday Affair that was sponsored by the Texas Business Woman of Arlington on behalf of SafeHaven.  The women heading the event for the organization, Daphne Banks, was so hospitable and wonderful in making me an integral part of this event.  I was also excited to have my associate director, Lynn Alexander, present for this event.  Lynn’s platform was also supporting victims of domestic violence when she was competing so it mean the world to me to have that connection with her.

SafeHaven of Tarrant County and particularly Annie are really helping me to spread my message and allow me to really act upon my platform to make my year as Miss Tarrant County leave a legacy of hope and dedication.  I cannot express my gratitude for their assistance and inclusion in their work to combat domestic violence and empower those who have been victims and witnesses to such violence.