Resilience Appoints Megan Hennessey as Executive Director At our second annual Denim & Desserts event on Wednesday, April 24, we proudly announced our new Executive Director. Since the fall of last year, our Board has been hard at work on the search for our next Executive Director. During that time, they selected our Program Director, Megan Hennessey as Interim. After an extensive search, the Board of Directors have selected Megan to become Resilience’s permanent Executive Director. As Interim Director, Megan has admirably steered us through a time of transition, ensuring the continuity of ..read more

Consent: More Than Just a Buzzword Carole Chee, Prevention Intern  In an era marked by heightened awareness of sexual misconduct and abuse, the term “consent” has taken center stage in discussions around power dynamics, accountability, and justice. Increased scrutiny, however, brings increased resistance; usage of the term has been met with heavy backlash, with some viewing consent as an infringement on personal freedom by an overly intrusive state. Understanding and practicing consent has become harder as societal tensions grow. What does the term actually mean, how has it become a buzzw ..read more

Disability and Abuse: Understanding the Intersections Carole Chee, Prevention Intern  According to The Disability Justice Resource Center, people with disabilities are sexually assaulted at nearly three times the rate of people without disabilities. Even more distressing, only 3% of sexual abuses involving people with developmental disabilities are ever reported. These statistics point to violent structures of power that enact abuse and silence survivors in highly detrimental ways. To thoroughly understand how these structures relate specifically to the topics of abuse and disability ..read more

Michigan’s New Gun Laws Aim to Protect Survivors Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation aimed to keep guns out of abusers’ hands, 24 years after the tragic death of Maggie Wardle, a teenager who was killed with a gun by an ex-boyfriend. Stories like Maggie’s are all too common. Every year in the United States, more than 600 women are shot to death by intimate partners – roughly one every 14 hours. In fact, firearms are used to commit more than half of all intimate partner homicides in America. The danger extends beyond a partner – in more than half of mass shootings where four or mor ..read more

Michigan’s Address Confidentiality Program Aims to Protect Survivors For anyone who is at an increased risk of physical harm or threats – including victims of stalking, domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking – the fear of being found by their perpetrator can be overwhelming and terrifying. Many survivors often decline to do important, routine things like requesting government assistance or registering to vote, out of fear that their abuser will locate them through public records. The Address Confidentiality Program is designed to assist victims of violent crimes and individual ..read more

 Michigan Implements New Legislation on Emergency Risk Protection Orders On February 13, 2024, Michigan enacted a “red flag law”, formally known as Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws. ERPO laws authorize civil courts to temporarily prevent people at risk of harming themselves or others from possessing or purchasing firearms. In Michigan, the ERPO law allows law enforcement, families and household members, and healthcare providers to file an ERPO petition. ERPOs are filed only in rare instances when an imminent threat to an individual arises from the presence of firearms. Resilience ..read more

WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Tell Congress that a 40% cut to VOCA will be devastating and dangerous for survivors! Resilience: Advocates for Ending Violence relies on VOCA funding to provide life-changing support and resources for local survivors in our community. With a $700 million cut to VOCA funding, victim support agencies may be forced to lay off staff, cut programs, or even worse, shut their doors. We invite you to read our blog about VOCA funding and the impact these cuts will have on our community.   What is VOCA? The Victims of Crime Act’s (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is a specia ..read more

Resilience Announces New President & Vice President for Board of Directors As we kick off 2024, we are thrilled to welcome Ortencia Bos as Board President and Shannon Garrett as Vice President! We give our appreciation to Sandy Trammell for her time and dedication to our mission of ending domestic and sexual violence as Board President. Ortenicia has served as a Resilience Board Member since 2019 and was previously in the role of Vice President. Ortencia is the Director of West Shore Counseling Services and has served in this capacity since 2011. She began her work at the agency as a cert ..read more

January is National Stalking Awareness Month January 2024 marks the 20th annual National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), an annual call to action to recognize and respond to the serious crime of stalking. Stalking often co-occurs with — and increases the risks of — domestic violence. Millions of individuals of all genders are stalked every year in the United States and nearly half of stalkers are intimate partners (current or former). Many abusers stalk their partners both during and after the relationship has ended as an extension of coercive control. Stalking is a terrifying and psychologic ..read more

Thank you, Mary Kay Ash Foundation, for awarding Resilience with a $20,000 grant to provide life-changing support for local survivors of abuse! In support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Mary Kay Ash Foundation is awarding $1.2 million in grants to 60 domestic violence shelters across the country. Resilience: Advocates for Ending Violence is honored to have received a $20,000 unrestricted grant to support local survivors of domestic violence in Ottawa and Allegan Counties. The Mary Kay Ash Foundation was established in 1996 with the overarching purpose of supporting issues impacting wome ..read more