Blog

My name is Kailey Blunk, and I spent the summer working with Waypoint as a Resource Development & Marketing Intern. As I prepared for my senior year at Coe College as a public relations and communications double-major with minors in gender studies and creative writing, I knew I wanted to spend time completing an internship that was focused in marketing.

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, which is a time to celebrate all the incredible individuals and groups who make an impact at Waypoint.

Waypoint is nothing without our community. For over 125 years, the community has been the backbone of the critical work we do in order to provide proactive resources and research-based solutions for those in crisis.

Join us in celebrating the the Waypoint board members for this fiscal year!

Every year, Waypoint works to spread awareness about the importance of healthy relationships to ensure that everyone, both men and women, young and old, know that they are enough and are deserving of love and support. Waypoint hosts the Gentleman Campaign© every year in October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

2020 has been a rough year for everyone, including Waypoint. Despite the chaos that the beginning of the year brought, Waypoint is grateful for the dedicated staff, volunteers, and community members who made the following accomplishments possible in fiscal year 2020. Waypoint is hopeful that this momentum will continue throughout the remainder of 2020 so those in crisis can continue to receive they support they need to move forward.

The Survivors’ Program, previously administered by Horizons, has transitioned to Waypoint as of August 10, 2020.

Many domestic violence victim service providers are expecting an increase in need for their services as COVID-19 continues to impact communities across the country. As businesses closed and stay-at-home orders were put in place, survivors of domestic violence faced a heightened risk of abuse if they were at home with their abuser and increased financial difficulties as many people were forced to apply for unemployment.

The COVID-19 health crisis has had a devastating impact across the country, including right here in our own community. As businesses closed and shelter-in-place orders were put into place, individuals and families struggled to adjust to the new normal. The individuals and families Waypoint serves were hit even harder as they worked to navigate homelessness, domestic violence, and poverty now intensified by unemployment, health concerns, and social isolation. Please read below to see how COVID-19 affected our programs.

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, which is truly a time to celebrate all the incredible individuals and groups who make an impact at Waypoint. Especially during times of crisis and uncertainty, which we are all facing now due to the spread of COVID-19 across the country and in our community, volunteers are now more important than ever and even more deserving of recognition. While we can’t recognize our volunteers in a traditional way, we are doing our best to send our love and support virtually as we patiently wait for the day that we can all be together again.