Women Against Abuse, Inc

Shakeda G. is a survivor/advocate and chief of staff for Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, and she recently took the brave step of sharing her survivor story with our friends at PWPvideo. Her video will debut on June 11 at Dish It Up, a friendly competition among Philly’s best women chefs that benefits our life-saving services. Shakeda, we are so honored that you have entrusted us with your story to help empower survivors of abuse. You are truly amazing! Swipe through to see more more pictures. Check out Shakeda’s story and get your tickets for #DishItUp so you can be the first to see her video debut! [Image descriptions: Three panels of Shakeda Gaines during the filming of her survivor story, including a panel of a group shot with Shakeda in the center with the PWPvideo crew and Katie Young Wildes of Women Against Abuse, a panel with a group of pictures including Shakeda with a make-up artist, a picture of Shakeda being filmed by the crew of PWP Video, and a picture of the video monitor showing a wide angle shot and a close up shot of Shakeda side-by-side. The third and final panel features a purple-tinted version of the image of Shakeda on the video monitor, with the phrase “Read Shakeda’s story and grab tickets to Dish It Up at WomenAgainstAbuse.org!” in white letters. The website appears in teal letters.] #SurvivorStory #advocacy #DomesticViolenceAwareness #event

Treat your taste buds to good food for a good cause - join us at Dish It Up on June 11 at the Crystal Tea Room in the Wanamaker Building as we celebrate Philly’s best women chefs and empower survivors of domestic violence. We’re also still looking for sponsors. Promote your brand as you support our life-saving work! #event #ChefCompetition #philadelphia #sponsors

Now this is community advocacy in action! Recently, employees of Saint-Gobain North America learned about our work empowering survivors of domestic violence and immediately got involved. After watching a presentation by our Executive Director & President Joanna Otero Cruz, 90 staff members rolled up their sleeves and took action by assembling 1,000 care packages for community members seeking safety from abuse. We are profoundly grateful for the care and dedication of Saint-Gobain’s team, and to Board Member/Treasurer Patrick Mundy, who is Corporate Controller at Saint-Gobain North America and made this special event possible. [Image description: A collage of five pictures (plus the Women Against Abuse logo) of Saint-Gobain staff members assembling care packages for our clients, Executive Director & President Joanna Otero Cruz with Board Member/Treasurer and Saint-Gobain North America Corporate Controller Patrick Mundy and a picture of Patrick speaking at a Saint-Gobain-branded podium.] #grateful #volunteers #AdvocacyInAction #community #philadelphia

We're very grateful to Peirce College for inviting our Executive Director & President Joanna Otero Cruz to its recent Women in Leadership panel. The movement to end domestic violence is gaining momentum thanks to Peirce alumni like Joanna! #WomenLeaders #philadelphia #WomensHistoryMonth

Our Executive Director & President Joanna Otero Cruz recently attended Louis H. Farrell Elementary School’s Career Day and spoke with groups of 7th and 8th graders about our work and her personal career path. They also played “What Would You Do,” an interactive game to help students recognize and begin thinking through healthy relationship dynamics. A member of our Ameya’s Place emergency shelter security team, Kareem Davis, was also at Career Day to speak with students about his work and career. Many thanks to Louis H. Farrell Elementary for inviting us! We appreciated this opportunity to speak with students about healthy relationships and our work to ensure safety for all survivors of abuse. We love getting out into our community and meeting advocates in-person. If you’d like to invite a Women Against Abuse representative to your community event, get in touch via the link in the comments! Pictured: Our Executive Director & President Joanna Otero-Cruz and Kareem Davis of our emergency shelter security team at Louis H. Farrell Elementary School’s Career Day. #CareerDay #CareerGoals #NonprofitWork #DomesticViolenceAwareness

Today is Equal Pay Day, which represents how long the median American woman would have to work in order to earn the same amount of money as a median American man last year. Women are more likely to experience intimate partner violence, which makes closing the gender wage gap an urgent call to action in the movement to end abusive relationships. Here are some ways to close the gender wage gap right now: ✅ Publish salary ranges for all open job opportunities. ✅ Make sure all opportunities submitted to your job board, networking group or professional association have the salary included in the job description. ✅ Become a mentor and share your knowledge. We can help with this last one! Become a mentor to survivors of domestic violence through Women Against Abuse’s Aspire Alliance. We’ll drop the link in the comments. --- Image Description: An affirmation in neon teal letters on a purple brick wall by Women Against Abuse for Equal Pay Day - "All jobs are women’s jobs, and all women should have equal pay." A woman with her arms folded and looking confidently ahead stands next to the neon affirmation. #EqualPayDay #FinancialEmpowerment #advocacy #CloseTheWageGap

Come with us to a cool networking opportunity in Philly! Our Executive Director & President Joanna Otero Cruz is participating in a special Women’s History Month leadership panel and networking event at Peirce College on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 6:00pm. Joanna will join a panel of celebrated women leaders, including: 🎤 Khine Arthur, Ph.D. - President & CEO of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia 🎤 Keisha Hudson - Chief Defender, Defender Association of Philadelphia 🎤 Nicole Pumphrey - Vice President of Talent & Workforce, The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia 🎤 Moderator: Ivy Kempf, J.D. - Professor of Legal Studies, Peirce College The event is free and open to all, and will be presented in-person and virtually. Reserve your spot via the link below in the comments! [Image description: An invitation to Women In Leadership: Channel Your Inner She-E-O, a panel and networking event on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 6pm at Peirce College in Philadelphia. Women Against Abuse’s Executive Director & President Joanna Otero-Cruz is part of the panel alongside Khine Zaw Arthur, Ph.D., Keisha Hudson, Nicole Pumphrey and moderator Ivy Kempf, J.D.] #WomenLeaders #NetworkingEvent #WomensHistoryMonth #philadelphia

The movement to end domestic violence needs you. Check out open opportunities at Women Against Abuse, Philadelphia’s leading domestic violence advocate and service provider! All positions are based in Philadelphia, PA, and survivors of abuse are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply [link in the comments]. #JobOpportunities #hiring #NonprofitJobs #ApplyNow #Philadelphia

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re proud to highlight the impactful work of our partner Women Against Abuse, Inc . Since 1976, Women Against Abuse has been advocating for domestic violence survivors across the Philadelphia area. They originally started as a part-time hotline and over the decades have expanded to become one of the leading service providers for survivors of domestic violence. Today, Women Against Abuse serves over 10,000 people annually through their comprehensive service offerings, which include emergency shelter, crisis hotline counseling, long-term supportive housing, legal support, and more. Their work is challenging but rewarding, and we’re honored to provide weekly trauma-informed yoga classes to their staff to support the sustainability of their work. If you’re interested in bringing Exhale to Inhale’s trauma-informed yoga offerings to your staff, reach out at partnerships@exhaletoinhale.org. 💜

Our work to protect and empower survivors of intimate partner violence has never been more urgent. One crucial way to advance our mission and create a safer Philadelphia is through volunteering. We have numerous opportunities for small groups to engage in our work in meaningful ways, from delivering donated goods to our residential facilities to representing our organization at health fairs and community events. Ready to get involved? Visit our website to get started ➡️ bit.ly/VolunteerWAAPhilly #volunteer #philadelphia #nonprofit #CommunityService