The women's shelter at the Mid-Minnesota Women's Center in Brainerd has received a $20,000 grant from The Mary Kay Foundation as part of the organization's annual shelter grant program to maintain critical services and programs.
The Mary Kay Foundation awarded a total of $3 million in funding to 150 domestic violence shelters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.
"It's been a bigger challenge than ever for shelters to keep their doors open, and grants from The Mary Kay Foundation are a vital part in helping shelters move forward in their missions," said Anne Crews, board member for The Mary Kay Foundation and vice president of public affairs for Mary Kay, Inc. "The shelter grants are a signature program of the foundation and represent just one of the ways Mary Kay is committed to ending domestic violence. We are proud to support local shelters like Brainerd that are on the front lines of helping women and children who need shelter and support from abuse."
"We are very pleased to be selected for this generous grant from the Mary Kay Foundation, especially in these economically challenging times," said Elizabeth Harris, board chair of Mid-Minnesota Women's Center. "The women's shelter offers services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to hundreds of women and children who have fled abusive relationships and need a safe haven. This grant will go a long way in helping us meet the growing needs of the region."
For nearly 20 years, The Mary Kay Foundation has supported the prevention and elimination of domestic violence, an epidemic that touches one in every four women in her lifetime. Through the Foundation's annual shelter grant program, $37 million has been granted to domestic violence organizations since 2000. Nearly 700 shelters requested funding this year.
