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Shelter House Celebrates Tenth Year of Purses with a Purpose Local non-profit holds annual fundraiser to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Okaloosa and South Walton communities B y Te s s F a r m e r
P urses with a Purpose, a signature Shelter House event, held its 10th-anniversary fundraiser this fall in Destin. “Over the past decade, Purses with a Purpose has become a must-attend annual shopping experience for ladies across the Emerald Coast,” says Rosalyn Wik, executive director of Shelter House. Shoppers at Purses with a Purpose had the opportunity to select from hundreds of new and gently used purses, wallets, and accessories up for sale or auction. Since its inception, Purses with a Purpose has raised more than $125,000 to support Shelter House’s critical services for domestic and sexual violence survivors in the local community. Shelter House accepts donations of new and gently used handbags throughout the year. New to the event this year, shoppers who were unable to stop by the pop-up shop in Destin Commons had ac- cess to virtually bid on the handbags in the silent auction. Shelter House created a boutique pop-up shop at the Destin Commons where locals and area visitors were able to stop in to shop through the luxury and designer
houses more than 45 women and children in transitional housing apartments, and provides services to nearly 400 adults and children through outreach. “And there are so many more right here in our community who have not yet reached out to us. We are here to help.” For more information on the organization, event, find the Purses with a Purpose event on Shelter House’s Facebook or visit www.shelterhousenwfl.org and bid- pal.net/purseswithapurpose. Support is available 24/7. If you feel a family member or intimate partner is endangering your physical or emotional safety or if you know someone experiencing this in their home, call Shelter House’s domestic violence hotline at 1-800-44-ABUSE or (850) 863- 4777. If you or someone you know has survived a sexual assault, call Shelter House’s sexual assault helpline at (850) 226-2027.
label bags featured in the virtual silent auction, as well as the shelves filled with hundreds of handbags for immediate purchase. Shelter House, Inc. is the state-certified domestic and sexual violence center serving Okaloosa and Walton counties and offering emergency confidential shelter, cri- sis counseling, a 24-hour hotline, children’s programs, information and referrals, education, professional train- ing, safety planning, and prevention services to survivors of domestic violence and their children and sexual violence survivors. All services are free and confidential. Volunteers and board members worked to open a shelter in Okaloosa County in 1992 that would better serve both Okaloosa and Walton county victims. With the opening of the Kind Heart Kennel in 2013, Shelter House became the only domestic violence shelter in Northwest Florida to allow pets. “Domestic violence happens everywhere,” says Dawn Hoffman, president of the Shelter House Board of Directors. In a single year, Shelter House provides emer- gency shelter to more than 220 adults and children,
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