Parents and children at domestic violence shelter Rose House celebrated the season with volunteers from Goldman Sachs’ Operations Women's Network (OWN) who organized a summer barbecue especially for them.
Goldman Sachs Operations Women’s Network Volunteers at Rose House Domestic Violence Shelter
August 11, 2015
Safe Horizon’s domestic violence shelters provide safe places where domestic violence victims and their families can escape abuse and obtain resources to help them start new lives. In addition to offering supportive services that help victims overcome abuse, we also strive to create fun activities to help residents relax and enjoy themselves. Recently, volunteers from Goldman Sachs’ Operations Women’s Network (OWN) organized a summer barbecue for the residents at one of our domestic violence shelters called Rose House to help them celebrate the season and look forward to a positive school year ahead.
Rose House Domestic Violence Shelter Staff Member Barbecues for the Residents
Through Goldman Sachs’ global volunteering initiative Community TeamWorks, a group of eight OWN volunteers joined Director of Rose House Olga Rodriguez on a tour of the facility. The volunteers learned first-hand about the extensive resources Rose House provides for over 50 families affected by domestic violence.
Goldman Sachs Operations Women’s Network Volunteers Create Art for the Kids at Rose House Domestic Violence Shelter
After the tour the OWN volunteers set up a food station with hamburgers and hot dogs along with drinks and delicious ice cream desserts for the kids and parents to enjoy. At the end of the event, the OWN volunteers distributed colorful backpacks stuffed with school essentials to all of the children and stocked the shelter’s pantry with personal care items for their parents.
Goldman Sachs Operations Women’s Network Volunteers Serve Food for the Kids and Parents at Rose House Domestic Violence Shelter
Claudia Downing, a Vice President in Operations at Goldman Sachs and one of the organizers of the event let us know what a powerful impact the event made on her and her colleagues. “Hosting the barbecue for residents and purchasing and stuffing backpacks for their children in preparation for the upcoming school year was a fantastic opportunity to give back to the community, ” Claudia told us. “That’s what Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks is all about.”
A cornerstone of Goldman Sachs’ community outreach founded in 1997, Community TeamWorks gives employees a day off from work for volunteer endeavors and partnerships with nonprofit organizations to assist those in need.
Because of Goldman Sachs, over 120 children who live at Rose House’s will go back to school this year in style, with confidence and with the memory of a fun-filled summer experience.