Thank you to those who selected TWC during the 2011 PFD filing process! The funds donated are allocated for youth and shelter needs. Don’t forget to file for your 2012 dividend and please consider TWC when you Pick.Click.Give.

For more information about Pick.Click.Give., check out the  project’s website at www.pickclickgive.org or click on the logo.

Pick.Click.Give is making an extremely positive impact on Tundra Women’s Coalition. Several weeks ago, TWC received a check for $8,900 in funds donated by Alaskans through their permanent fund dividends – the highest amount TWC has received since Pick.Click.Give began in 2009.

“I am so humbled by what Alaskans have pledged for TWC, and I can only thank folks and hope that for the sake of our program needs, that this level of support continues,” said Michelle DeWitt, TWC’s Executive Director. “This year’s Pick.Click.Give. program highlighted once again that people believe in our mission and efforts to both address and prevent family and sexual violence. For me, seeing more than 132 people who selected TWC as an organization to donate to this past year is valuable, regardless of how large or small the amount they were able to afford.”

DeWitt said TWC will use the 2011 contributions to support shelter needs and youth programs. “We are serving more people than in the past, yet our funds for items like laundry detergent, food or household supplies have stayed essentially the same or been reduced over the years,” said DeWitt. “We also offer many opportunities to program participants both in the shelter and outside the shelter, such as with our teen and children’s programs, that are not supported by grants or other revenue – so this gives us a resource for all these efforts you see us conducting in Bethel and the region,” said DeWitt.

Pick.Click.Give. is a charitable contribution program that recipients of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend can use to support organizations they care about in the state.

The Pick.Click.Give. campaign is already underway for 2012. The ability to donate is available to people at the time they apply for their PFD. The minimum donation is $25.

TWC’s annual Peace Walk took place this Wednesday, October 12, 2011. The event drew a diverse group of people from the local community, from State Troopers and VPSOs/VPOs to Bethel Alternative Boarding School students. Notable guests who attended include Alaska’s DVSA Initiative Coordinator Katie TePas, Alaska Commissioner of Public Safety Joe Masters, Elder Ella Kinegak, as well as staff from key partner agencies.

As in previous years, the Peace Walk was accompanied by unusual weather. This year, the season’s first snow continued to fall as the75 participants gathered at the Cultural Center and began the walk to TWC at noon. Following the walk, participants enjoyed soup and sandwiches and learned about the new Love, Heal, Protect Media Campaign.

The campaign is a series of 6 posters and 9 radio ads featuring individuals from the Yukon Delta and was conducted with support from the Elluatmun Partnership, with a special thank you to ONC and AVCP staff participation. The campaign was funded by an Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault grant from the Office for Victims of Crime. TWC will post the radio ads and posters to the Web site later this week. Please be on the lookout for posters throughout our region and for the radio ads on KYUK.

TWC’s Alfred Michael, Marci Amik, and Debbie Michael are one of many staffers who tabled a Domestic Violence Awareness  information stand at the local hospital all this week, October 3 – 7. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Please mark your calendar and join TWC for the upcoming events:

• Wednesday, October 12 at Noon: Annual Peacewalk & Potluck. Cultural Center to TWC with soup and sandwiches
• Friday, October 14 at 7PM: Drumming and Dance Groups at ONC Multipurpose Building
• Tuesday, October 25 at 7pm: Candlelight Ceremony Honoring Victims and Witnesses at TWC
• Wednesday, October 26 at 11AM: Listen to TWC’s Peacetalk Radio Show on KYUK