News & Blog - Page 7 of 8

Human Options Partners with Groupon Grassroots in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Its Day 5 of our 7 day Groupon Grassroots campaign and we are so appreciative of our supporters. We decided to partner with Groupon during the month of October in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month. This partnership is a unique new way of organizing people in the community to support our cause to provide safety, healing and a way forward for families who have experienced domestic violence. We have 24 donations so far and hope you can help us reach our goal of 40 donations by Day 7. You can pledge support for our mission to break the cycle of domestic violence in increments of $10, with each $10 providing…

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Win 2 Tickets to Human Options Fall Luncheon featuring Dr. Drew

“GET PERSONAL WITH DR. DREW” Ever wanted to ask Dr. Drew a question? Well, here is your chance to have your questions answered! Dr. Drew is the keynote speaker at Human Options’ Fall Fundraising luncheon on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa. The person who submits the best question related to “Domestic violence or Unhealthy relationships” will win two tickets to the event (valued at $500) and Dr. Drew will answer your question at the event! Here’s what you do: Submit a question through the comments section of this blog (link is located left of this blog) related to the theme of…

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Dr. Drew Pinsky named keynote speaker for Human Options event

Today we are officially announcing that the keynote speaker for our 13th annual Fall Luncheon will be DR. DREW PINSKY!! We at Human Options are incredibly excited that Dr. Drew agreed to be this year’s speaker. As a practicing physician Dr. Drew has seen how abusive relationships and domestic violence has dramatically impacted the lives of his clients. We look forward to hearing about his perspectives and experiences. The luncheon will be held on October 17, 2013 at the Westin South Coast Plaza from 11:30 a.m to 1:00 p.m with a theme of “Restoring Positive Outlooks, Rebuilding Broken Lives”. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the women and…

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What Newtown and Santa Monica Have in Common

By Vivian Clecak, Founding CEO and Cristi Dugger, Safe Options for Seniors Supervisor What common element do these two tragedies share? More than guns, both terrible killings started with elder abuse, domestic violence directed at an older family member. Both began with the shooting of a parent (in Santa Monica a parent and a brother) by a troubled adult child living in their parent’s home. In the Santa Monica case there was a clear history of psychiatric issues. In Newtown there were concerns but no documented history. What we know after twelve years of our unique Safe Options for Seniors program is that seniors living with adult dysfunctional children, especially…

The Sad Reality One in Ten Seniors Experience

By Cristi Dugger, LCSW, Safe Options for Seniors Program I was fortunate to find my passion for elders and victims of abuse early in my career. It happened when I met Lupe, a woman whose own son, his wife and child moved into her home to assist her and then physically, financially, and emotionally abused her until another family member alerted authorities. Like domestic violence and child abuse, elder abuse is most often committed by family members and in the place we all should feel the safest, at home. For the past six years I have had the honor of hearing victims’ stories of tragedy and triumph and thankfully-being a…

Serious Fun Nets Over $300,000 & Nancy Dahan and Elaine Weinberg

Newport Beach, Calif. – It was an evening of “Serious Fun” as Human Options’ Mint Julep themed fundraiser cleared an estimated $305,000 and honored philanthropists and legal advocates Nancy W. Dahan and her mother Elaine Weinberg with the 2012 Dove Award. Held on May 3 at the Balboa Bay Resort, all event proceeds benefit the Irvine-based nonprofit working to stop the cycle of domestic violence in Orange County for over 30 years. Attendees donned big hats and seer sucker suits that tied into the next day’s Kentucky Derby. Cocktail hour took place at an expansive poolside silent auction and guests gathered later in the ballroom for gourmet dinner, live auction,…

Teens Pay it Forward—Everyone can make a difference

Blog by Vivian Clecak, Founding CEO One out of five teens has been involved in date abuse. We read again and again about teens who see a rape and either ignore it or shoot a video and share it with other friends. As adults we ask ourselves how we can possibly change this teen culture of acceptance and even approval of violence, of blaming the victim, of not caring about the girl who was unconscious and vulnerable. Five days a week, sometimes as many as five hours a day, Human Options’ community educator is teaching teens in high schools and community programs about the nature of date abuse, warning signs,…

Human Options Serious Fun Honors Nancy Dahan and Elaine Weinberg

For Immediate Release March 28, 2013 Human Options Serious Fun Fundraiser Honors Domestic Violence Legal Advocates Nancy Dahan and Elaine Weinberg Newport Beach, Calif. – Community leaders, philanthropists and legal advocates Nancy Dahan and her mother Elaine Weinberg will be honored with the 2012 Dove Award at Human Options annual Serious Fun fundraiser on Friday, May 3 at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach. All event proceeds benefit the Irvine-based nonprofit working to stop the cycle of domestic violence in Orange County for over 30 years. Dahan grew up in a family dedicated to social justice and started advocacy programs for girls and women in her early teens. All…

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Steubenville – “I didn’t know it was rape; it wasn’t violent”

Words from Vivian Clecak, LCSW, MFT, and Co-founding CEO of Human Options The rape of the girl whose inability to move or respond earned her the name “the dead girl” in the texts among the teens shocks us all. That this outrage can happen and so many spectators remain silent after all we have done as a culture to strengthen respect for women and girls requires us to review the challenges we face in changing harmful long held cultural beliefs. Domestic violence, date abuse and date rape (one form of date abuse) are the only crimes in which the victim is blamed as much or as more as the criminal….

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Legacies Happen–Don’t Leave a Bad One

Each of us, throughout our lives, has encountered a wide array of people. As we look back we might remember a teacher, a neighbor, a friend, a leader, or even a stranger who made a lasting impression on us. At any given moment of life, we share time and space with these people; whether it be in stores, on the highway, on a bus, or at an event. Some encounters are brief, some are long-term, some are intense, and some hold great meaning to us. Regardless of the type of encounter, each moment has some type of impact on us, and a lifetime of moments creates a legacy. A legacy…

News & Blog - Page 7 of 8 - Human Options

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