Have you been looking for a way to brush up on your painting skills? If so, come out to our Painting with GreenHouse17 event hosted by the talented instructors at Ethos! In this class, you will create a beautiful painting inspired by GreenHouse17’s farm. The paintings will go home with you to serve not only as a snazzy new decor piece in your home, but also as a reminder of the importance of giving individuals a safe, violence-free space to grow and flourish.
The class is $30 per person and everyone is invited! We hope you’ll join us on December 10th at Ethos for this wonderful opportunity! For more information, join our event page on Facebook!
Join us at The Burl (map it) on Sunday, December 4 for a night of holiday music and fundraising for all ages. Rhyan Sinclair and Tara Bassett co-host this evening featuring some of the best musicians in the Bluegrass performing your holiday favorites to benefit the Foster Care Council of Lexington, KY and our organization:
All the Little Pieces
Paper Moon
The Sway
Whitney Acke
Mandy Ray
Jeana Pillion
Ray Adams
Kris Bentley
David McLean
Perry Ritter
Pre-sale tickets are $15 each and available from this link.. Tickets at the door will be $20. Children 12 and under attend free. For more information, join the event page on Facebook.
Calling all Classic Rock lovers! This month we have a very exciting opportunity from Classic Rock 92 One and Willis Music in Lexington!
These two business have joined forces to hold an online auction to raise funds for GreenHouse17 and two other wonderful local nonprofits: Lexington Rescue Mission and Military Missions Inc. Each charities will have 2-3 guitars that you can bid on from now until December 22 at 6 a.m. EST. Two guitars are up for bid to benefit our organization.
The first guitar to benefit our organization is a sleek black Foreigner brand electric guitar signed by all of the members of the band! It also comes with an autographed photo. (In case you forgot how much you love Foreigner, check out this adorable video of lead singer Kelly Hansen being interviewed on Kids Interview Bands.)
The second guitar to benefit our organization is a beautiful Ibenez acoustic signed by all 20 acts from this year’s Lexi Fest Festival! Some of the signatures include The McLain Family Band, Rhyan Elizabeth Sinclair, Alan Robinson, Driftwood Gypsy, and many others!
For more information and to place your bid, visit this link. Complete auction rules available at the link. The winning bidder will make their donation through Paypal directly to the organization. Bidder will be responsible for shipping costs. For those about to rock, we wish you Happy Holidays.
A message from Darlene Thomas, GreenHouse17 Executive Director:
“Our vision is a community, nation, and world in which intimate partner abuse no longer exists. The safety and healing of survivors are complicated by systemic oppression. We stand against sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and other forms of persecution. And we will nurture lives harmed by intimate partner abuse. Today, tomorrow, and until the violence ends.”
Lisa made this video. This is her story of healing and survival in her own voice. We share it with her permission. This post is part of our 17 Voices campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is being abused, please call our 24-hour crisis hotline: 800-544-2022.
I have been fleeing a domestic violence situation for 13 months now.
I left everything I and my kids owned, including our vehicle. He threatened to kill us and himself to solve his problems. I was terrified because he had already assaulted me numerous times and has even served time in prison for these assaults.
You see at that point I didn’t really care about myself.
We had nowhere to go. Once we left we stayed with a couple of friends then finally the domestic violence shelter. He continued to call and harass me and threaten me. After several other unfortunate encounters with him, I was advised to leave again.
After quite a journey, I am at GreenHouse17 now with one of my children.
I did not like the abuse ever. I was in a constant state of fear and anxiety never knowing what would happen. I did not know where to go or how to get help.
I was so fortunate to find GreenHouse17. They have helped me and my son get the therapy we both desperately need, as well as food, shelter, and basic needs…
This post is part of our 17 Voices campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is being abused, please call our 24-hour crisis hotline: 800-544-2022.
In a civilized society we are judged by how we treat the most vulnerable and the least able to protect and defend themselves.
I am concerned about domestic violence because it affects the safety and health of our citizens. The ramifications in the lives of children exposed to domestic violence today compromises the well-being of the next generation in our community. A mile from the Clark County line is an award-winning domestic violence shelter.
GreenHouse17 provides a safe harbor, warm bed and wholesome meal for the most vulnerable at their darkest moments. With the gardens and green space, families are able to re-connect with life, sunshine, flowers and food producing plants. Self- worth is enhanced and self- esteem re-kindled. Mothers and children are afforded a much-needed next chance.
Advocates from this organization stand beside survivors from our city during court proceedings and facilitate support groups at confidential locations in our community. Counseling brings women to the altar of re-birth and renewal. What was broken is mended. What was bruised is healed.
My wife, Carolyn, served for many years on this organization’s Board of Directors. She and I supported the organization when it began to cultivate the land that surrounds its emergency shelter to provide sustenance and stability for survivors. This approach of growing food and opportunity spoke to us, in part, because of the rich agricultural history of our Clark County community. We have witnessed the expansion of the agency’s farming endeavors to include nature-based job-training programs.
GreenHouse17 is a beacon for the battered and bruised. It is a safe haven for those in need of protection and a loving touch. Godspeed to those that serve and are served.
This post is part of our 17 Voices campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
By Liz Davenport
Community Engagement Specialist & Realtor
I remember my first week at GreenHouse17. A wash of guilt come over me as my eyes were opened to the world of domestic violence.
We go in to our jobs each day with our own set of stresses and worries. Sometimes we go through a whole day pressing so hard to achieve all that we can, some things go unnoticed.
Maybe it is a birthday we miss. Or an employee anniversary hire date. Or that the coffee pot is making that noise again and the copier ran out of toner. We can also miss big things, too. Things that might be subtle and quiet but need our attention. A bruise. A car that has been “taken” by a spouse. Financial struggles…
Intimate partner abuse is happening to people in just about every workplace around the world. The Department of Labor reports that victims of domestic violence lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the U.S., resulting in a $1.8 billion loss in productivity for employers. Not to mention the fear and anxiety and physical injuries that effect them as employees, co-workers and friends.
This means you and I have probably worked alongside someone experiencing this crisis, and we may not have noticed.
I have worked as the Community Engagement Specialist with GreenHouse17 for two years now. Admittedly, I was not aware of the signs of domestic violence in my other jobs previously. Not at all. And it is not because I do not care for others or that my employers were callus.
It is because we simply did not talk about it.
Domestic violence can be a taboo subject. Work and home not mixing is a common thought. However, we spend a large amount of time with our fellow employees and employers. Being a Realtor, I also have close relationships with my clients as most of us do with those we interact with on a daily basis. So as business people and friends, we need to be a safe place to reach for help.
Communicate your concerns for the employee’s safety. It’s important to ask what changes could be made to make him or her feel safer.
Tell the employee that you believe him or her. Listening, listening, listening, is really important.
Refer the employee to a local domestic violence support agency with trained staff. You can call the crisis hotline, too, to ask for help with supporting an employee.
Be clear that your role is to try to help and not to judge. Don’t belittle or criticize the reasons a victim stays or returns to the abuser.
I am proud to say that my real estate brokerage is now doing in-services on ways for us to spot abuse or be a steward of employee’s safety. It is a such a small way to make a huge impact on our community. We can all do our part to be aware and become a business world that strives to end abuse and care for those who are being abused.
We’re all more than co-workers, employees and clients. We’re friends. And our friends may need our help.
This post is part of our 17 Voices campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Liz Davenport is our Community Engagement Specialist and a Realtor with Weichert Realtors -Towne and Country. Send her a note if you’d like to talk about ways your workplace can support survivors.
The Lexington Humane Society (LHS) is proud to partner with GreenHouse17 to ensure victims of domestic violence are never deterred from exiting a violent situation for fear of their pets’ health and well-being.
Expanding upon our mission to prevent animal cruelty and encourage life-long pet ownership, LHS assists with emergency pet boarding, which may include spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, and other wellness care, at no cost for survivors of intimate partner abuse.
Studies show a victim of abuse will often not leave a dangerous situation if a pet must be left behind.
To encourage individuals to seek help from the compassionate team at GreenHouse17, LHS is here to provide the same level of care and support to survivors’ pets. In doing so, the survivors are provided peace of mind, knowing the well-being of their pets is a priority, thus assisting survivors in their healing journeys.
This post is part of our 17 Voices campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Pets are such an important part of our days at the emergency shelter. Our SAF-T Kennels provide safety for pets of survivors who are living with us, and the cats and horses who live on our property give and get lots of love every day.
And we can’t forget Lexington’s Blue Montana, the first dog to receive an order of protection after helping his human stay safe during domestic violence:
It’s essential that survivors can take shelter from dangerous situations. But if survivors enter shelter with only the clothes on their backs, how can they exit into the world with the assets needed to stay self-sufficient after abuse?
ZeroV, Kentucky’s statewide coalition of domestic violence programs’
More than 2,100 survivors annually receive economic empowerment services through the program. Services include no-interest micro loans, free tax-preparation services, financial education, and credit counseling, and two kinds of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). IDAs are matched savings accounts that can be used to buy a car, a home, to pay for a post-secondary education, or to start a small business.
Since 2004, IDA participants have made over 580 asset purchases, totaling over $2 million.
The Economic Empowerment project allows survivors such as Parthenia Ferguson to create a new life. Parthenia’s abuser didn’t allow her to have money. In shelter, she learned how to budget. Through savings and her tax refund, she was able to buy a house. Now she has a job with benefits, including a 401k.
Parthenia and her children at their new home!
For many survivors, leaving isn’t an option because of personal finances and their concerns about their children’s futures. When survivors are economically empowered, they can live on their terms and plan for their futures.
This post is part of our 17 Voices campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Studies estimate that as many as 99% of domestic violence survivors experienced economic abuse. Examples of economic abuse include demanding a partner quits a job; applying for credit cards, obtaining loans, or opening accounts in a partner’s name without their consent; and controlling when or how a partner can access or use cash, bank accounts, and credit cards. Follow this link for a fact sheet published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence about economic abuse.
Copyright GreenHouse17 2026 | Privacy PolicyOur services are funded in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; U.S. Department of Justice; Office of Violence Against Women; Grant Numbers VOCA-2024-GreenHou-00098, VAWA-2024-GreenHou-00032, and ARPA-2024-GreenHou-00034 through the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet with funds from the U.S. Department of Justice; Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services; ZeroV; Kentucky General Fund; Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government; and other grants, foundations, and private donations. None of these funders nor any of their components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of these funders.
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