The Giving Corner: There are many ways to support Verde Valley Sanctuary, not just with your dollars

EDITOR’S NOTE: This column is an excerpt from our 2025 Spring Newsletter, which was released March 3. To view the newsletter, click here.

Upon joining Verde Valley Sanctuary in September 2024, my knowledge of our mission has only continued to grow as we strive to serve survivors of domestic and sexual violence in our small little northern Arizona town.

Becoming the newest member of an incredible team as the agency’s Development and Communications Director, I have learned a lot in a short amount of time about not only the inner workings of our agency, but how we’ve served our community for more than 30 years. I’ve been lucky to meet some incredible people along the way, including many long-time supporters and donors, volunteers, and even our founder, Anne Cunningham.

From our 32-bed emergency shelter and crisis hotline (24-7-365), to our transitional housing, to our community outreach and lay legal work, and our Twice Nice Thriftiques, Verde Valley Sanctuary is positioned to be there when our community needs us most.

Here’s a few things I learned about our operation in my first six months on the job:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime; about 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men have experienced contact sexual violence by an intimate partner; and, 14% of women and 5% of men report having been stalked by an intimate partner. With that, taking the total population of the Verde Valley region (69,393, according to 2020 U.S. Census), we can safely estimate that about 11,000 women and 8,500 men have been, are, or will be victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Our agency serves the Verde Valley region of Yavapai County, which spans 714 square miles across northern Arizona. The following federally designed rural census tracts as defined by U.S.C. 12291(a)(32) include Camp Verde, Lake Montezuma, Village of Oak Creek/Big Park, Cornville, Clarkdale, Jerome, Verde Village and Cottonwood. We also serve Sedona and beyond, with 30% of our clients coming to us from outside the Verde Valley region.

Our impact: Since 2020, Verde Valley Sanctuary has served on average 168 survivors in shelter every year, and we’ve answered on average 1,126 crisis hotline calls (928-634-2511 or 800-930-7233) per year. In 2023-24, we provided nearly 1,400 survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, including nearly 10,000 bed nights!

Overhead: It costs Verde Valley Sanctuary about $1,570 per day to run our emergency shelter, and $1,730 per year to provide lay legal services to one survivor. Not to mention our food bill usually comes in at $2,157 on average per month.

Our mission is to provide safety, services and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Our amazing staff, made up of mostly survivors with their own stories to tell, are committed to serving their community every minute of every day. It is an honor to be a part of this great team.

So, if you’re interested in joining us in the fight against domestic and sexual violence, there are a few ways you can participate. If you’d like to donate funds, we have several ways you can support the agency via tax credit, legacy giving, participating in Giving Tuesday or Arizona Gives Day, or attending one of our upcoming events. In 2025, we have two fundraisers we are hosting, the first on Twice Nice Spring Thrifty in Sedona on March 29, or our Casino Night at Sedona Golf Resort on Nov. 1. Of course, the Vin de Filles at Page Springs Cellars is scheduled for Oct. 19 and 20.

Lastly, there’s nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer. We always need a helping hand at our Twice Nice Thriftique’s in Sedona and Camp Verde.

If you have any questions about any of the above, please reach out to me at 928-821-9409, or email brian@verdevalleysanctuary.org.

And remember, if you or someone you know needs help or someone to talk to, anonymous help is available, including the Verde Valley Sanctuary at (928-634-2511), the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800-799-SAFE), the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Helpline at (602-279-2980), and Arizona 2-1-1 at (211).

— Brian Bergner, Development and Communications Director, Verde Valley Sanctuary