Her mission is to meet the emergency needs of victims and their children experiencing domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault by advocating and empowering individuals.
The organization provides Advocacy/Court Advocacy, transportation, an after-hours phone line and safety planning. “What makes SPR different is we will provide transportation to and from Court and if our only local domestic violence shelter (the YWCA) is full we will transport victims and children to an out-of-County shelter or Safe House if it’s within a 250-mile radius,” explains Henton.
“As a Registered Advocate I noticed many victims were unable to get to court to apply for a Civil Protection Order or go through with prosecution of their abuser because victims either didn’t have transportation to show up for court or their abuser had mechanically disassembled their vehicle to guarantee the victim wouldn’t show for arraignment, pretrial, or trial to prosecute their abuser.”
In the beginning
SPR started off as a mobile service. “That means we were meeting victims at local restaurants, but in 2022 when COVID-19 hit things changed,” Henton says. “Many of the restaurants we used suddenly closed. At that point I realized that we needed a safe and confidential location to meet the needs of our victims.”
In October 2022 Single Parents Rock hosted a Grand opening at its first location in Englewood. Walk-ins are now accepted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and by appointment on weekends.
Henton says not only did COVID-19 affect where the organization was able to meet clients, but it also affected staffing and funding. The group’s main fundraiser had to be canceled for two years in a row. Happily, it has finally been rescheduled and will be held on Saturday, July 30.
Here’s what they need:
· Diapers all sizes
· Pull-Ups all sizes
· Baby Formula
· Gas gift cards
· Food gift cards for restaurants
· Grocery cards
· Kid snacks
· Juices
· Sodas
· Cleaning Supplies
To arrange to drop off donations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or on weekends by appointment, call call 937-469-8007.
Other ways to help:
Single Parents Rock will hold a fundraising gala from 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 at the Antioch Shrine Center in downtown Dayton. The evening will include a happy hour featuring the local band Love Street; dinner and guest speaker Diona Clark, a local domestic violence survivor and Founder of Liv Out Loud Enterprises and others including Denise Kontras from Ohio Domestic Violence Network and DJ Oscar Pittman.
If you would like to be a Sponsor or Volunteer for the Gala, call 937-469-8007. Tickets are $75. Go to www.eventbrite.com and search for Single Parents Rock to purchase tickets.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact singleparentsrock2019@gmail.com, call 937-469-8007, or visit the website at www.singleparentsrock.org.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith.moss@coxinc.com.
Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.
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