Love Shouldn’t Hurt

Tracy Evanson knows how hard it can be to leave an abusive relationship. For nine years, she was in one. When she finally broke free, she knew she wanted to help other women rebuild their lives in the aftermath of domestic violence. In 2013, she started Healed Women Heal. The organization was founded on the principle of hope and reached out to survivors in emergency shelters to provide support and encouragement. It has since expanded and launched programs to gather survivors, raise awareness about domestic violence, and educate people to know the risks and warning signs through its Love Shouldn’t Hurt program. 

Now Tracy is hoping to serve a new population: children. She wants to create companion initiatives so that children of survivors who want to attend Healed Women Heal’s adult programming have a safe place to drop their kids—and can learn about the warning signs for domestic violence and abuse in an age-appropriate way. Young children under four will be under the supervision of child care providers. Older kids will attend programs developed especially for them. Tracy will use our grant to pay for diapers, snacks, art supplies, and games, so that kids can experience warmth, support, safety, and fun and learn about an important issue in the process.