Yesterday was a great day at work, super busy and highly productive. By the time I’d gotten home I had completely forgotten to give a gift. I was sifting through emails when I noticed one from the New York Road Runners organization. They do some great charity work, and are always offering opportunities for New Yorkers to give back. I’ve never once taken advantage – until last night. I donated $50 to the Mayor’s Fund, specifically the Family Justice Center (Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence) 
here’s some more detail on the program – pretty incredible.
Mayor Bloomberg opened the first New York City Family Justice Center in Brooklyn in 2005 to provide a range of centralized services for domestic violence victims. The overall objective of the Family Justice Center Initiative is to break the cycle of domestic violence by providing essential advocacy, case management and legal and housing assistance under one roof. Services are provided with the involvement of partner agencies including non-profit organizations, City and State agencies, the District Attorney’s Office, and faith-based organizations. Since opening, the Brooklyn center has had over 50,000 clients and their children visit.
Based on the success of the first center, Mayor Bloomberg made the expansion of the Family Justice Center Initiative a central part of his public safety promises for New York City. A second center in Kew Gardens, Queens opened the summer of 2008. Since opening, the Queens center has already served over 8,000 clients. The Mayor also committed to opening a third Family Justice Center in the Bronx in early 2010.
NYC Healthy Relationships Training Academy:
In connection with the Family Justice Center Initiative, the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence administers the NYC Healthy Relationship Training Academy with support from the Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD). The Academy offers workshops on the topics of dating violence and healthy relationships for adolescents, young adults and parents. Workshops are held at a variety of organizations, including runaway homeless youth programs, GED and internship programs, Department of Juvenile Justice detention facilities, youth development programs, faith communities, middle schools and high schools. Workshops are facilitated by trained Peer Educators and encourage discussion and critical thinking about the challenging topic of relationships. The Academy also offers training for staff members of organizations who work with adolescents and young adults on the topic of dating violence.
