You have to stay home indefinitely the authorities on TV said very clear.

Although confused and scared of what my life would be like over the next days, weeks, months, I was safe in my home. I had food to eat, a bed to sleep in and virtual school. Did you know 1 in 4 woman will be abused by their partner before the age of 24? Did you know nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US per year?  Lockdown was not going to make that statics better but only worse.

I had to do something, the thought of kids just like me not having school or friends to go to when things at home were not the best mad me sad. Sad enough to brainstorm what I could do. I contacted a local domestic violence shelter in my community and asked what they needed most. The response was cereal and diapers.

That next day I reached out to neighbors, friends, family and my social media followers asking for donations. Within one week I drove over 50 miles picking up cereal and diapers off of 100’s of doorsteps. With no human contact I was able to deliver the fruit of my labor to the local shelter.

What next I thought? Of course the shelter would need more things, but I wanted to take this a step further. I decide to start a club and reached out to a few of my peers. After contacting the shelter I realized that they had a violence prevention program. I was psyched! In the land of ZOOM it would be possible to educate youth like me form home.  Before I knew it there was a large group of us on a zoom learning about teen dating violence and what to look out for. It was engaging and eye opening.

With that the  S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Club was born.

In a world of differences you can make a difference! As of today we have held various fundraisers. We have raised over $50,000 in goods, services and funds to support our local shelter, but most importantly we have raised awareness and hope for not only enriching our lives but the lives of those in need.

Commit to change, its possible!