First Friday

November First Friday: Kicking off the Holiday Season!

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2friends_november.jpg

Please join us this First Friday, November 2, from 5-7 as we celebrate friends, art, and the festive season to come. The gallery is all decked out for Christmas and Hanukkah with a fresh selection of ornaments, mittens, holiday cards, and other cozy winter-inspired delights.

Our November non-profit is AWAIC, Abused Women's Aid in Crisis.

In the fall of 1976, a volunteer group of determined Anchorage women decided to address their concerns about domestic violence in the community. Hard work and persistence resulted in the creation of a safe home for battered women and their children. Initially, the shelter provided only temporary, emergency refuge where victims could escape abuse and have time to consider their options for the future. As staff collected more information on domestic violence, programs expanded to include the dynamics of battering, addictive behavior patterns, traditional male/female roles and how violence is perpetrated in society. In January of 1983, AWAIC opened the doors of the present facility. The 52-bed shelter allows women and children a stay of up to one month with extensions on approval.

Last year, AWAIC provided more than 20,000 shelter nights to 436 women and 245 children, reaching or exceeding capacity 55 percent of the time.

Holiday volunteer opportunities at AWAIC include gathering donations of winter gear for women and children, along with nightgowns, children's PJ's, and underwear. You can also adopt a family, wrap gifts, provide a food basket for non-residential clients, or come in and cook Christmas dinner!

To learn more, call 279-9581 or visit www.awaic.org.