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DVEA, Carefree Consignment join forces

to aid victims of domestic violence

CAVE CREEK – Gail Dudley, owner of the Carefree Consignment store in the Village Center on Cave Creek Road, has joined forces with locally-based DVEA (Domestic Violence Education and Awareness), a program of the Foothills Community Foundation, that focuses on issues of domestic violence and anti-bullying programs.
    DVEA has set up a special account at Carefree Consignment to provide money for the Second Step Program and other education programs addressing the issues of Domestic Violence and Verbal Abuse within the community.
    “If you have spring and summer women’s clothing hanging around in your closet that you’re not planning to wear this season, we encourage you to take these items to Carefree Consignment and give them to the DVEA account,” says Robin Kilbane, a representative of DVEA. The shop also accepts designer label purses, belts, jewelry, shoes and other ladies’ accessories.
    People interested in contributing clothing items should call Carefree Consignment at (480) 595-8185 to make an appointment to bring them to the shop, just east of the Dairy Queen. They can also find out more about specific store requirements by calling this number. The store does not accept “walk-in” consignments.
    Items that are deemed unacceptable for resale and those that do not sell are donated on a weekly basis to the Chrysalis Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence, through the efforts of Wilma Lewis of Black Mountain Baptist Church.
    “We truly value this incredible partnership,” says Lorie Simms, director of community affairs for Chrysalis.
    For 25 years, Chrysalis has provided a safe haven for women and children victimized by domestic abuse. Last year, the organization served 572 women and children through its two shelters. “The women feel especially valued because of the great quality and selection of clothing received from Carefree Consignment and its customers,” Simms says.
    Chrysalis has grown into one of the most comprehensive domestic abuse agencies in Arizona, providing not only emergency shelter and transitional housing, but nonresidential services such as outpatient counseling, victim advocacy, lay legal advocacy and an offender intervention program.
    Both DVEA and Chrysalis are programs that are dear to the heart of Carefree Consignment’s owner. “Before I moved to Arizona, I was the director of a Women’s Resource and Services Center in rural Virginia,” Dudley says. “I am very familiar with the painful and demoralizing cycle of domestic violence, and I understand how difficult it is to break this cycle.”
    For more information about DVEA, call the Foothills Community Foundation at (480) 488-1090 or email info@azfcf.org. The Foothills Community Foundation is a nonprofit agency consisting of numerous arts and cultural enrichment, education and service programs.
    To learn more about Chrysalis, call (602) 955-9059 or visit the organizations website at www.chrysalis-shelter.org