MILWAUKEE — Piles of diapers, boxes full of wipes, and so much more.
Carmen Pitre with the Sojourner Family Peace Center says these are things domestic violence survivors need.
“No survivor should have to choose between diapers and formula and safety,” Carmen says. “Many survivors say if they’re unsure of how they’re going to take care of themselves or their babies, they’re less likely to leave the situation.”
Sojourner serves more than 8,000 domestic violence survivors each year – and many of them come with children. That’s where Carmen’s team comes in.
“Really trying to help people move from that state of emergency and homelessness because of the violence into something more stable,” Carmen says.
Support like that is why WaterStone Bank wanted to get involved with the Community Baby Shower. Bill Bruss is the president and chief operating officer.
“We’ve been firm believers that in order for us to be a strong bank, we need to have strength in the community,” he says. “We’re fortunate to be able to give back and enrich the communities that we serve to support local non-profits.”
One of those groups is the Catherine Early Childhood Development Center. Director Olivia El-Amin says kids deserve a solid start in life.
“We want to make sure that those babies all the way up to bigger kids in preschool have the resources and academic support to succeed,” she says.
But sometimes to see that childhood success, you need to support the parents – who might be struggling financially.
“So if we can have that backup and have those support items ready and available and we can just say ‘here, we have a pack of diapers for you, please take this,’ that really takes the burden off of the family,” Olivia says.
Your donations make all the difference for families all over our community.
“They are overjoyed – I think it says to them that someone is thinking of them and that makes them feel like they’re not alone,” Carmen says.
It’s not too late to give to the Community Baby Shower, which is going on until the end of January. Drop off baby basics at any WaterStone Bank. If you can’t make it, you can also make a monetary gift online at TMJ4.com.