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My summer in DC has been one that I will never forget, and working at Becky’s Fund has been a huge part of that experience. Before I came to D.C., I was extremely interested in women’s issues both nationally and globally. When I learned that I was going to be interning at a nonprofit that works to end domestic violence, I was very excited and knew that I was in for a very educational experience.

During my time at Becky’s Fund, I got to develop many skills that will help me in my future professional career. One thing that I particularly enjoyed working on was the Health and Human Services grant that we submitted at the beginning of the summer for our Men of Code program. It was extremely beneficial for me to get hands-on experience with writing and editing the grant, and I was very grateful to be able to be involved in the process. I also learned useful skills such as updating social media sites, working with platforms such as Constant Contact and WordPress, and researching in-depth the different aspects and components of domestic violence.

One of the biggest things that I learned this summer was how large of an issue domestic and sexual violence really is. One of my biggest tasks this summer was to research domestic violence statistics as well as sexual assault policies on college campuses. It shocked me to learn that one in four women in the U.S. are survivors of some kind of abuse and that most college campuses do not have an enforced sexual assault policy. I also learned about how big of an issue that violence against women is in the NFL. Domestic and sexual violence are still huge issues in the United States, and I was honored to be able to work with Becky’s Fund in order to join the movement to end it.

My favorite part about the summer was meeting my fellow interns. I was extremely blessed to have been able to meet three extremely incredible and hard-working women. Each of them had a unique story behind why they wanted to work in a domestic violence nonprofit, and they all inspired me to keep working in the movement to end domestic violence. I feel lucky to have worked along side of my peers as well as Becky, who is a great asset to this city and inspires me to work hard at making a difference. The things I have done, places I’ve been, and most notably, the the people I have met this summer, are all things that will not only help me in my future career, but will be memories that I will admire and appreciate the rest of my life.

I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to intern for Becky’s Fund this summer, it has been an amazing and educational experience that I will always carry with me. I never thought coming in that I would have the opportunity to gain as much experience and knowledge as I did. I learned so much about not only dating and domestic violence, but also about the inner workings of running a successful nonprofit organization. Being a nonprofit major, I had studied program implementation, fundraising, and grant writing, but to be able to actually put all that knowledge into practice was very humbling and educational. I was able to gain professional experience and better understand my strengths and weaknesses in a professional work environment. My time at Becky’s Fund helped me to develop not only my personal skills but also my future plans.

Because my work at Becky’s Fund was so multifaceted, I was able to get practice and professional experience in almost every area of nonprofit work. I experienced all of the hard work that goes into planning and organizing events, implementing programs, and the tireless work of grant writing. Having never had formal experience working for a nonprofit like Becky’s Fund, coming in I thought that I would be doing simple tasks to help around the office. That was not the case and I was able to gain more professional experience than I ever thought.

Becky’s Fund also opened my eyes to the world of dating and domestic violence. I have studied many women’s issues and I knew the basics of dating and domestic abuse, but after working at Becky’s Fund I see that this is an issue that needs a lot of attention. Seeing the different issues behind domestic violence and speaking with survivors gave me motivation to work hard to stop all violence against women, in the United States and around the world.

Although my time at Becky’s Fund is coming to an end, the one thing I will never forget is the amazing and inspiring women I was able to meet and work with this summer. In our culture, you don’t always see smart, successful women who are also beautiful and kind, this summer I was able to work with four women with all of those characteristics. All of my coworkers and my boss Becky Lee are amazing leaders who defy the typical stereotypes placed on women. I am so grateful for my time this summer as a Becky’s Fund intern and I will take everything I have learned and use it in all my future ventures.

It is no shock that America has a gun violence problem that is growing more prevalent as each day passes. The Brady Campaign is taking initiative to take a stand against gun violence and is pressing to create stricter policies on gun laws. The campaign has reported that most women murdered with a gun is from an intimate partner or family member. This has to change! How can we let our loved ones be murdered day after day because of a lack in something as simple as background checks? Those states that do require a background check show lower rates of women being murdered by intimate partners. This is why the Brady Campaign is pushing for change, to better protect our neighbors, sisters, children, wives and loved ones. Gun violence is also harming more and more youth. More than one in five U.S. teenagers (ages 14 to 17) report having witnessed a shooting and an average of eight children and teens under the age of 20 are killed by guns every day On

average, 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day and 140 are treated for a gun assault in an emergency room. Every day on average, 51 people kill themselves with a firearm, and 45 people are shot or killed in an accident with a gun. In comparison to other countries, the United States firearm homicide rate is 20 times higher than the combined rates of 22 countries that are our peers in wealth and population. Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to discuss strengthening laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. The Brady Campaign will be there, urging the Senate to close existing loopholes, like the lack of background checks, that allow domestic abusers to easily get guns. The Brady Campaign does not suggest to take away the right to bear arms, but is pushing for stricter regulations to better protect the American people. Owning a gun is a constitutional right of every American but before purchasing a firearm a background check is necessary and will lower the rates of domestic violence leading to death. States with stricter gun policies show a lower rate of gun violence than those with lenient gun laws that don’t require gun permits and background checks.

My name is Najaah Daniels and I am a survivor of domestic violence. Before

my adoption in 2006, I grew up in the South Bronx with my biological parents. My mother, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, had two addictions: heroine and my father. My father manipulated his use of power by physically and verbally abusing my mother and me. I can recall many instances of abuse and neglect yet closeness and sacrifice that have shaped the woman I am today.

I am a first-generation college student and senior at St. John’s University majoring in Rhetoric and Public Address with a double minor in Sociology and Philosophy. I have served in the public sector for the past seven years with the NAACP, Latino Justice PRLDEF, Manhattan County District Attorney’s Office, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and U.S. Congress. This past spring I had the great privilege of being an intern in the Office of the Vice President. Under Lynn Rosenthal, the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, I had the unique opportunity to work alongside the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault created by President Obama on January 22, 2014. The Task Force is an interagency effort dedicated to address and combat campus rape and sexual assault across the nation.

My empowering experience at the White House led me to Becky’s Fund. I never imagined something so meaningful emerging from being a domestic violence survivor. This year is my first time publicly vocalizing my story and utilizing it as a vehicle of motivation. I look forward to working closely with the Men of Code program, which enlists men and boys as allies and proactive participants in the movement to end violence against women, as well as, obtaining skills in grant writing, budgeting, and increasing revenue through fundraising. I am humbled by the opportunity to work beside the Executive Director of Becky’s Fund, Becky Lee. As the Fundraising Organizer and Programming Assistant I will assist with the organization’s vision of combating domestic violence through: awareness, advocacy, activism, and support.

My experiences and travels have taken me many places in my life and has helped me form who I am. My name is Caroline Davis, I am a rising Junior at High Point University in North Carolina. I am currently a double major in Nonprofit Management and Political Science,   I hope to study Public Policy in my future education. I have had some different experiences working with different nonprofits, I am a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as Habitat for Humanity, but I have also worked with nonprofits on SWOT and program analysis and implementation.

In my future I hope to work with international women’s rights and empowerment, currently I am very interested in the culture in India and fixing the different mentalities of women in that country. This was cultivated when I went to Morocco last summer to volunteer at the Rabat Children’s Hospital, and learned about new cultures and the needs in different parts of the world. I believe that empowerment and education are two big factors in women’s empowerment and I especially think that education of men on women’s rights is important in changing attitudes.

On the political side I am interested in policy changes and working with the government in setting up laws or changing policies in place. I am also interested in looking at statistics of domestic violence and the accuracy of those statistics. I am very excited to be working with Becky’s Fund and learning the different aspects of a nonprofit as well as the different pathways to promote advocacy and awareness of important issues.

Being the programs and outreach intern at Becky’s Fund this semester has been an amazing and transformative experience. I never imagined coming into my internship the multitude of experience I would gain or the amount of personal growth I would see in myself, but I am ecstatic that these are the realities of my time at Becky’s Fund. I learned so much during my time at Becky’s Fund, not only about the issues of dating and domestic violence, but also about some of the more logistical, behind-the-scenes aspects of working at a non-profit organization. I also learned more about my own leadership abilities, as well as how I can improve upon them. I was able to learn so much about so many different things due largely to the fact that my work at Becky’s Fund was incredibly multi-faceted. I was charged with working on Becky’s Fund’s social media accounts, helping with volunteer outreach, helping to plan a Becoming Your Own Heroine workshop, planning and executing our large fundraising event at Gold Cup, composing educational articles and pamphlets, and other smaller-scale tasks.

I have been interested in the issues of dating and domestic violence, as well as women as victims of crime on a more general scale, since I took a class entitled, “Women, Crime, and Justice,” during my sophomore year at The University of Iowa. The issue stood out to me during this class as one that deserves more attention than it gets. It’s an issue that’s more pervasive in our society than many people realize, and in order to counter it we must make it more of public discussion than it currently is.

Although I do not know if working directly on the issue of domestic violence is in my future, I do know that this semester taught me that I have a crucial desire to better the world around me, whether via working on this issue, or any of the others that currently plague our society. I know that my newly improved sensitivity to victims, along with some of the knowledge I have gained this semester, will help me in achieving this goal. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Becky’s Fund this semester, and I am truly grateful for having the opportunity to spend a few months working on such an important issue.

Hello, my name is Jose Lorenzo Jimenez and I have been the graphic design intern for Becky’s Fund the past two semesters. Before I talk about my experience as an intern, I would first like to talk about my motivation to join Becky’s Fund. It is unfortunate how society still fails to see how serious of an issue domestic violence is. There are still an absurd amount of domestic violence incidents that go unreported. There are misconceptions on what counts as domestic violence and who can fall victim to it. Being the avid sports fan that I am, I have read too many articles on athletes who either abuse their wives/girlfriends or are abused themselves. I joined Becky’s Fund in hopes of helping raise awareness on this issue. as well as helping those who have been victims of domestic violence. Now you may be wondering how I would able to do these things as a graphic design intern, but you would be surprised on just how much you can help by being a part of Becky’s Fund.

My main job as a graphic design intern was to design materials for the numerous programs and events that Becky’s Fund holds throughout the year. It was my job to create different designs for flyers, banners, Facebook cover photos, etc. These materials would inform the public of important details regarding each event. Another responsibility of mine was to create sponsorship packages for each event to send to potential sponsors. These sponsorship packages would hopefully entice sponsors to support that particular event, as well as, Becky’s Fund. I was also in charge of updating the Becky’s Fund website whenever necessary. I would help post articles relating to domestic violence that the other interns wrote. In addition to these design focused tasks, I also helped out with other projects. For example, I occasionally updated our Facebook fan page with news regarding domestic violence. Not only was I introducing people to these articles, but I was also reading them myself. I learned a lot about domestic violence while doing this particular task.

I enjoyed my time working for Becky’s Fund. It made me feel like I was doing something worth while. Even though I was only designing materials such as flyers, banners, and sponsorship packages, I could not help but feel like I was helping spread awareness about domestic violence. I guess that is what is most important, it is not the fact that I gained job experience, it is not that I collected new designs to include in my portfolio, what is most important is that I played a part in the fight against domestic violence, no matter how small the part.

Becky’s Fund has allowed me the opportunity to participate in an organized team that works hard to overcome domestic violence. I have learned from the focused effort of Becky and the other interns here, which is quite inspirational.

I was vaguely aware that some issues must be addressed to perfect my favorite city, but not well researched in the particular problem dealt with at Becky?s Fund. The first week changed this. The Becky’s Fund website, a few news articles and the government reports such as the NISVS 2010 Summary quickly made it apparent that domestic violence was prevalent and that by being aware, I could begin to keep my eyes open for ways to reduce such crime.

I?m very lucky to have the opportunity to work as a graphic artist to make a contribution here. I will take over Taylor’s role, creating web and print media for Becky’s Fund. From these responsibilities, the organization allows me to grow as a graphic artist and also as an informed person.

My time at Becky’s Lee Women’s Support Fund (Becky’s Fund) allowed me to receive an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of domestic violence. One of my favorite aspects of Becky’s Fund is its emphasis on prevention by focusing on education programs. I learned that Becky Lee started the nonprofit organization in 2006 when she noticed the lack of educational programs for today’s youth on domestic violence. This past summer Becky’s Fund worked with over 100 high school male athletes at Friendship Collegiate with its Men of Code (MOC) program. I was honored to be a part of the MOC team as I traveled to and from Friendship Collegiate Academy in helping instruct the young men, plan activities, and even leading a lesson. I acquired leadership skills, communication skills, and computer skills. I could not have asked for a better way to spend my summer. The rapport and interactions I had with the young men and MOC team will stay with me as I plan to work with youth in my career.

In addition to assisting with MOC, I had a chance to work as a domestic violence advocate. As I built rapport with the survivors, Becky Lee would advise me along the way on my role as a survivor’s advocate. I learned that it is important to present resources and information as options rather than demands. While it is important to respect and be there for the survivors, it is more important that I tell her the things she needed to hear with honesty. At the beginning, I struggled with being “too nice.” Over the course of time, I was more professional by detaching myself as her friend and, instead, stated facts and let the survivors make the decisions. By the end of the internship, I learned how to interact with someone vulnerable without sacrificing my work ethic.

The internship with Becky’s Fund has become one of the most valuable ones in my college career. I have seen what Becky Lee has accomplished, motivating me to pursue my passion in criminal justice and to not be intimidated by the hard work or people that will come up along the way.

Because Becky’s Fund has help me in numerous ways, I doubt that my help will end with the internship. I look forward to continuing my support in its mission in ending domestic violence.

My semester at Becky’s Fund truly exceeded my expectations of an internship. As a psychology major, I chose to work at Becky’s Fund with the hopes of learning more about victims’ services and support systems. What I got out of my time here was that and so much more. I was able to do hands on work while learning a wide variety of skills, I made connections with others working with Becky’s Fund, and I learned an incredible amount about the effort to end and prevent domestic violence that fueled my passion for the cause.

As a Programs and Outreach Intern, I worked with everything from event planning to college presentations to research projects. One of my tasks was handling administrative tasks for events such as the Tough Mudder Race and 2013 Walk This Way Fashion Show. Through this process I learned the importance of organization and clear communication in order to plan a successful event. Getting to see the 2013 Walk This Way unfold in the end was a beautiful experience. My main task at this event was to be a greeter at the front entrance. Becky’s Fund has really helped me to discover new strengths in myself, such as public speaking and a energy I get from working with people.

Another prominent part of this semester was the chance to present to college classes on the issue of dating violence and unhealthy relationships. Along with Becky and two other interns, I would travel to local university classrooms and present the facts of these issues in a clear way. I was nervous before the first presentation, but I quickly learned how much I enjoyed teaching these students the importance of awareness and what they can do to help the cause. Even though I was the one teaching others, this is possibly where I learned the most about statistics and methods for preventing domestic violence.

I was also able to expand my knowledge through multiple research projects that I worked on throughout the semester. I focused on a variety of topics including: how PTSD in military veterans impacts relationships and can lead to domestic violence, how passport laws effect immigrant women and their children when trying to escape an abusive relationship, and the relationship between domestic violence and mental health issues. These research projects were ideal because they allowed me to combine my interests and major with the mission of Becky’s Fund.

In addition to this wide range of responsibilities, I got the chance to work with victims on a personal level. I had the opportunity to interview and create and intake form for one woman, which is later used to determine what resources are most appropriate for Becky’s Fund to provide. Near the end of the semester, I was also fortunate enough to be asked to support woman during her court hearing. I was there in person to provide support after the hearing and I continued to follow up with her regarding the progression of her case and to provide emotional support.

I was genuinely impressed with the variety of responsibilities that Becky gave me this semester, and I cannot wait to take everything I learned here with me into other aspects of life. I learned the art of multitasking, how to remain calm under pressure, how to have fun at work by creating relationships, that I am a better public speaker than I previously thought, that I enjoy planning events, that I am very capable of having a role in stopping the cycle of domestic violence, and that I will continue to contribute to this mission in any way I can. Becky’s Fund is an admirable organization that looks beyond helping victims after an attack by focusing on education as means of prevention and spreading awareness to people of all communities. I now know so much more about the issues and rights of victims, and I am happy to say that my passion for the issue has only expanded while being here at Becky’s Fund. I cannot wait to see all of the accomplishments that Becky’s Fund is sure to achieve, and I am eager to spread awareness on the issue of domestic violence wherever my life takes me.