Exxon Mobil Spouses Club of Fairfax
By Mary Harrison
As the Exxon Mobil Spouses Club (EMSC) Co-Vice President of Community, one of my responsibilities in the fall of 2008 was to identify and select an organization that would benefit from our Annual Holiday Luncheon auction proceeds. The Tahirih Justice Center immediately came to mind as I had recently learned about the organization at a women’s group meeting where Tahirih’s Executive Director Layli Miller-Muro and her colleague gave a presentation.
Layli spoke with such passion as to how her work with the organization began and how it has evolved from the first court case she was involved in as a student attorney to what the organization has become today. I took Tahirih’s literature that day and came home to do more research on the organization. I knew it was an organization that I wanted to support and with which I wanted to become involved.
The EMSC Board agreed that the Tahirih Justice Center would be a great fit for us to support from the holiday luncheon proceeds. At our Annual Holiday Luncheon we were able to raise over $7,500 for the organization.
Layli spoke to the spouses at the Holiday Luncheon, giving a background on the Tahirih Justice Center, and how many women and children are now being helped. Her talk generated an outpouring of interest from the members at the luncheon, and since then, many have volunteered their time and talents in support of Tahirih.
One of the most rewarding projects was decorating the children’s room at Tahirih’s new offices so that children could play in a comfortable space, while their mothers meet with Tahirih staff. Several EMSC members organized this project, and provided paint, toys, bins, and a special quilt made by the EMSC quilt group. This quilt was designed with a fun learning motif allowing the children to play “I SPY.”
I could go on for pages describing my sense of the impact volunteering at the Tahirih Justice Center has had on so many women. However, nothing speaks as eloquently as a number of the collected comments of those members who have volunteered at Tahirih.
Susan R. – Members of the Exxon Mobil Spouses Club were thrilled to help furnish and decorate a new children’s playroom at the Tahirih Justice Center, a special place where the children can play safely, express themselves, and feel at home. EMSC members also generously donated funds and art supplies which were used to organize an art party for the kids. Tahirih clients and their children were treated to an afternoon of messy fun and creativity, snacks, and music. Working with the kids at Tahirih has been an enriching experience for all those involved.
Eva K. – The Tahirih Justice Center is a great organization for the women who are battered, abused, or neglected. The organization offers much needed services in legal representation and help accessing social services. I worked on the children’s art project, for which many of the ladies of the club donated art and treats. Prudy T. and Lynn M. were there to help draw, paint, and create collages. It was wonderful. The kids enjoyed their projects!
Dorry E. – I have always felt that children, in most every stage of crisis, are the innocent victims. It seemed to me that the children that need to accompany their mother on a visit to the Tahirih Justice Center are already facing hardship and unpleasantness in their life for reasons way beyond their control. If we could provide a happy and cheerful surrounding for them for the hour or so that they would need to wait then that was something we (the quilt ladies) could easily do. And perhaps just looking at that quilt hanging on the wall and trying to find or identify particular animals or motifs would give them a “time out” from the difficulties of day to day life and be a bright spot in a difficult time. If a client’s child feels happy and secure, then a mother is much better able to cope with whatever life is throwing at her.
As you can see, the opportunity to participate in activities with the Tahirih Justice Center has touched many of our members. I am proud that the Exxon Mobil Spouses Club of Fairfax was able to support such a worthwhile and needed cause. I wish continued success as you continue to serve the needs of so many women and children!
Become a LifeSaver
The legal cases of the women and girls we serve are complicated and time-intensive claims that require legal staff time, client calls, meetings, and court hearings. It costs Tahirih $5,000 to advocate for just one woman or girl fleeing gender-based violence. Yet, when you consider the alternative of a woman or girl being forced to return to face certain violence or even death, the cost of their protection seems like very little.
You can make a secure donation now as a one-time gift or in installments. For more information, please contact us at development@tahirih.org.
