Vivid Visions

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Already providing shelter and support, Vivid Visions is now looking to also lend a voice — or a thousand voices — to victims of domestic violence.

For the second straight year, Suwannee County’s certified domestic violence shelter has launched a critical need campaign, #1000VoicesStrongAgainstDomesticViolence.

“There are so many voices out there that want to say something, or want to speak up, maybe want to report but they don’t,” executive director Kathy White said. “We were trying to use that for their voice.

“If we have 1,000 voices speaking to us or helping us at $25, that is going to make a major impact on our shelter.”

And that is the goal for Vivid Visions’ campaign. The shelter is looking to raise $25,000 by June 30 — the end of its fiscal year — in order to continue serving those who experience domestic violence — children, women and families. To raise those funds, the shelter is trying to get 1,000 businesses or individuals in the community to donate $25 — tax deductible — each. Donations may be made via Cash App using the shelter’s email vividv@windstream.net or via PayPal or through clicking on the donate button on the website vividvisionsinc.org. Contributions can also be hand-delivered to the organization at its worknest office, 100 Court St. SE, Ste. 224, or mailed to P.O. Box 882, Live Oak, 32064.

White said last year’s campaign was successful, helping bridge the gap at a time where the shelter was in danger of closing.

“It made a major difference in our funding,” she said. “To be honest, that’s how we could keep going. Without that, we couldn’t have made it. We’re very thankful for the people of this community and businesses that supported us during this time of need.

“We’re just hoping we can continue to get that support.”

And Vivid Visions needs that support in order to continue that mission of serving domestic violence victims. That means more than just providing a shelter, it could mean clothing, counseling — both 1-on-1 and group, transportation to court or to doctor’s appointments or taking children to school. It also means lending a helping hand at times to find employment.

Since last July, Vivid Visions’ shelter has an occupancy rate of 96.6 percent, providing 4,320 shelter nights while also answering more than 1,000 hotline calls. The non-profit organization also provided more 2,800 hours of counseling to the adult victims and 822 hours of activities for the children affected.

“We are empowerment based,” White said. “We want to empower the women, children and men, too, so that they can be able to make decisions and be able to sustain themselves and start over, if that’s what they choose to do.

“We’re here to help them with what they want to do.”

To do that, though, the shelter has to be here.

And for that, Vivid Visions is reaching out to the community it serves for help in obtaining some of the funds required as a match to the grants it receives.

“We don’t want to burden the community either,” White said. “We understand. We have families too and it’s difficult. But if we don’t get it…

“I just don’t want to see it close. How could I tell a mom with two kids or with a baby, and sometimes it’s a newborn baby — they may go deliver while at shelter because they were abused when they were pregnant — but how can I tell them, ‘You’re going to have to leave because we have to close down.’ I could not do that. That’s where we were at last year and it was breaking my heart.

“I’m a compassionate person, but I want this organization to succeed. It’s about the people. It’s about the families. It’s about the children.”