The Women’s Fund of Essex County (TWF) recently honored the Salem based non-profit, Healing Abuse Working for Change (“HAWC”) the longest-standing domestic violence agency on the North Shore, with its 2021 Above and Beyond Award.
The award is given annually by The Women’s Fund to a local non-profit whose exemplary vision and work sets an exceptional standard in addressing complex and overlapping social issues impacting women, families, and communities. As part of the honor, HAWC received a $25,000 in recognition of its dedication and tireless work to create social change by taking action against personal and societal patterns of violence and oppression, helping survivors of domestic violence achieve independence, safety, and a strong sense of well-being.
For more than 43 years, HAWC has provided critical services, emergency shelter, and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence residing in 23 cities and towns on the North Shore. The non-profit quickly responded to the unprecedented challenges and barriers for survivors brought by the pandemic, immediately shifting their services to be remote, ensuring they were accessible for those who needed them most. Since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, HAWC has provided over 1,500 survivors with more than 19,000 supportive services.
Wendy Roworth, Co-President of the TWF Advisory Board, said, "The decision was unanimous for HAWC to receive the "2021 Above and Beyond Award," especially given its 40+ history of empowering a community of survivors. This award recognizes the decades of extraordinary work HAWC has been doing to provide survivors of abuse with the quality, compassionate, innovative services and programs to help rebuild their lives while advocating for an end to domestic violence everywhere.”
The award was established in 2015 and reflects the empowering vision of The Women's Fund of Essex County's founding members. The non-profit foundation's dedicated founders and past board members continue to help the organization realize its mission of investing, impacting, and improving the lives of women and girls by evaluating and recommending each year's deserving award recipient.
