FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Heather Bellino

Cell (512)468-9137

“Handbags for Hope” Helps Texas Domestic Violence Victims

Calls for Help Increase 57% in two years
Handbags for Hope provides victims with hotline numbers in times of greatest need

AUSTIN, TX, March 3, 2010

As domestic violence hotline calls increased for the second year in a row, attorneys and advocates at Texas Advocacy Project are meeting this growing need using innovative tools, such as the Handbags for Hope campaign, to reach victims. The campaign places the Project’s unparalleled array of legal support into the hands of families in crisis at the moment they need it most. According to the Uniform Crime Report, domestic violence has shown a measurable increase in Texas.

On Thursday March 4, at 10:30am, Texas Advocacy Project and Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton will ask Austin area residents to donate new or gently used handbags as part of a unique campaign aimed at placing vital information in the hands of victims.

Children from the Round Rock Hope Alliance, Bastrop County Family Crisis Center, and Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, and various other shelters across the state will select a donated bag to gift to their moms on Mother’s Day. A chance for a new life will be tucked away inside the handbags - each one will be fitted with a tag providing Texas Advocacy Project's life-saving, toll-free domestic violence hotline number and a pamphlet detailing steps to develop a safety plan.

Last year, roughly 2,000 purses were collected through Handbags for Hope drives in the Austin area. This is the third year for the campaign that uses partnerships such as those with the Travis County Sherriff’s Office and corporate ally, Accenture to promote access to legal services to victims in need.

Accenture’s Women’s Interest Group and the Travis County Sheriff’s office have already collected hundreds of purses. Community members can continue to donate by dropping off purses at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office located at 5555 Airport Boulevard.

For victims striving to become survivors, an attempt to seek help can be a life threatening effort. By stitching the Project’s domestic violence hotline number inside the handbags, victims will be armed with one of the strongest tools to break the cycle of domestic violence – access to legal aid.

“Our attorneys are committed to advancing our vision that no child should ever have to watch one parent abuse another,” said Heather Bellino, the Project’s Director of Development and Communications. “This campaign will provide victims with access to life-saving legal services that can help to save their lives.”

Find Help
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the Project’s Family Violence Legal Hotline (800) 374-HOPE.

Project Particulars

Texas Advocacy Project is a statewide, nonprofit, legal organization that provides free legal services to Texas women and children in need. Started in 1982 as a legal hotline, the agency has evolved as an expert on legal issues affecting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. We now provide a range of services that promote the use of legal protections to end violence against women.

For more about their programs and ways to support their mission please visit TexasAdvocacyProject.org.

#####