Over the last three months, Beacon Center has continued to work actively to provide hope, safety, and resources for individuals in our community. See below for a few of the things we have been up to!
Emergency Shelter
Beacon Center’s emergency shelter has seen a busy three months! Our shelter became full numerous times, with all eight of our fully-functioning apartments occupied.
On the weekend of December 23rd, there were seventeen individuals staying in our emergency shelter.
Currently, seven apartments are occupied by victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Most of these families are close to moving out of the shelter, as they are working with Beacon Center’s intensive case manager to finalize future living arrangements.
Protection Orders
Beacon Center’s advocates have assisted in several protection orders over the past three months.
Protective orders require an individual (typically, those charged with domestic violence or stalking) to stay a specified distance away from a victim, for a certain amount of time. These are legal documents issued by a judge to protect the health and safety of a person who is a victim of violence.
Beacon Center staff can assist clients in completing necessary paperwork, explain the court process, and provide legal resources. Our advocates do not provide legal advice or speak on behalf of a victim, but can attend court hearings as a person of support.
Community Giving
On November 28th, Beacon Center hosted its 9th annual Sell-A-Song event through KXLG radio. On this day, over $20,000 was raised to directly support our mission! Thank you to each of our matching donors: First Premier Bank, Smoke Solutions, Plains Commerce Bank, Dakotaland Federal Credit Union, and Dacotah Bank.
Last Friday, December 22nd, Scooter’s Coffee offered 50% of sales to Beacon Center through their Ultimate Day of Giving. This resulted in $2,840 going back to Beacon Center’s programs! We are blown away by the willingness of both individuals and businesses in our community to provide for our clients. Thank you, Scooter’s Coffee!
We have received immense community support this holiday season! We are so grateful for each of the individuals that have dropped off pantry or monetary donations, as well as the numerous businesses that have held donation drives for Beacon Center this quarter. Our mission is furthered through generous supporters like those who attend our events, provide clothing and food items for our pantry, and help raise awareness in our community. Whatever your reason for supporting Beacon Center, we truly cannot thank you enough.
Outreach
We have three exciting outreach updates between the months of October and December!
On October 4th, Beacon Center hosted Coffee With A Cop. This event invited law enforcement officers from each of the counties we serve to grab a cup of coffee at our office, tour our agency’s facilities and foster relationships with Beacon Center staff.
On October 6th, Beacon Center and the Watertown community participated in Purple Power Day to spread awareness about domestic violence. We had many members of our community wear purple to show that they stand against domestic violence.
Lastly, Beacon Center welcomed our new Rural Outreach Coordinator, Shona Marshall, in December. Shona stated that “as the Rural Outreach Coordinator I will be shedding light on the reality of abuse and trauma within our community through Education, Outreach and Awareness programs. I will be going into the community to bring awareness about the purpose of our organization and to provide education about domestic and sexual violence. In addition to that, I will be providing Life Skills Training to our clients. Life Skills Training provides survivors of abuse with the resources and confidence in skills they need to positively improve their overall well-being.”
We are so excited to have Shona join our team. If you stop by our office, be sure to help us give her a warm welcome!
