Jennie Willoughby, whose story of abuse at the hands of former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter gained national media attention in February of this year, will be speaking at Clackamas Women’s Services’ 2018 Pathways Gala and Auction this month. Jennie will be the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the event, the largest annual fundraiser held by the community nonprofit.
Jennie’s writing has been published in Time Magazine, and her op-ed in the Washington Post was the inspiration behind the #AndSoIStayed movement. Jennie has become a powerful voice for domestic violence survivors, and has used her platform to educate about domestic violence, its long-term impact on survivors, and what must be done to combat it effectively and help survivors heal.
Since 1987, October has been recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month is nationally recognized each year as a month to express continued efforts toward ending domestic violence, providing safety for victims of domestic violence and their families, and holding perpetrators accountable. It is also a month to recognize and commend domestic violence advocates, domestic violence victim service providers, crisis hotline staff, and first responders for their compassionate support, according to the 2017 Congressional Record Supporting the goals and ideals of the month.
At a time when the national conversation about violence against women has been at the forefront, CWS is looking forward to bringing Jennie’s inspirational leadership here to Oregon.
“The courage that Jennie and other survivors have shown in publicly sharing their stories of abuse this past year has been a remarkable, watershed moment in our movement to end violence against women,” said Melissa Erlbaum, Executive Director of Clackamas Women’s Services. “It shed a light into the dark places and history shows us that change grows with that light.”
The Clackamas Women’s Services Pathways Gala and Auction is held yearly and provides for a significant portion of private funding for the agency and the services offered at no cost to domestic and sexual violence survivors in the community.
The 2018 Pathways Gala and Auction will be held at the beautiful Oregon Golf Club on Thursday, Oct. 18.
