Sandra Orozco-Stapleton 1945 - 2006

Links:

Minerva Awards

Family Interventions Project

Engender Truth

“Minerva Award recipients stand as towering examples of determination, true leadership and selfless service…they dared to envision a better world.”

“Sandra was a true architect of change for the women of California…her legacy serves as an inspiration to each of us. She was a remarkable woman who dared to envision a better world. She demonstrated great strength and courage in the midst of profound obstables throughout her lifetime, but she never failed to fight or struggle for what she valued most in life.”
– Maria Shriver

Sandra founded Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE) in 1976. It was the first domestic violence agency of it’s kind in California. From the first opening of WEAVE’s shelter Sandra found that many of the women seeking shelter were involved in mutually abusive relationships.

Sandra’s original Gender-Inclusive vision was to provide compassionate treatment for the entire family in cases of mutual abuse. What she knew from the heart in 1976 has been verified by three decades of studies – most domestic violence is not a simple matter of a “villain and a victim.”

Sandra’s creative and innovative ideas for improving her community are as relevant today as they were three decades ago. She co-founded the Family Interventions Project in 2001, and Angels of the Fields in 2002. At the 2006 Minerva Awards Sandra was graced with a private audience and a blessing from His Holiness, the Dali Lama.

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Breaking News

• 3.23.07 -
  Gulf Daily News, The Voice of Bahrain
  Domestic violence is not a gender issue, it affects women and men and both need rehabilitation, whether they are the abuser, or the victim, says Erin Pizzey, founder of the world’s first refuge for battered women, who is in Bahrain until Monday as an adviser to the Aisha Yateem Family Counselling Centre, which opened in Hamad Town on Wednesday. … Pizzey said the centre aimed to restore and uphold family values, not to destroy them.

• 3.22.07 -
  Erin Pizzey urges caseworkers in Bahrain “not to make the same mistakes that their Western sisters have made.”
  Gulf Daily News, The Voice of Bahrain
  Manama A NEW rehabilitation centre, which aims to aid battered women and protect families from social, psychological and legal problems, was opened in Hamad Town yesterday. Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa … opened the Aisha Yateem Family Counselling Centre, the first of its kind in the region.
• 3.13.07 - Erin Pizzey urges Sen. Richard Lugar not to co-sponsor I-VAWA
• 1.22.07 - Daily Mail article profiles Erin Pizzey, founder of the world’s first battered women’s shelter