21 Years

What is a healthy relationship?

February 2, 2021By

You deserve a healthy and loving relationship.

What is a healthy relationship? All relationships exist on a spectrum from healthy to abusive, with unhealthy being somewhere in the middle.

Healthy relationships are rooted in equality and respect. You actively make decisions together, especially when it comes to sex and financial decisions. Time together is enjoyable, and you enjoy your time apart.

Unhealthy relationships means one person is trying to control the other by making most of the decisions. You often spend all of your time together, and there are clear instances of miscommunication or lying.

Abusive relationships have a clear imbalance of power and control. One person is making all of the decisions, which leads to manipulation or isolation. All of your time is spent with your partner, and you don’t feel comfortable or safe discussing the relationship with others.

Do you wonder if your relationship might be unhealthy or abusive? Taking this quiz at loveisrespect.org could help you decide.

Key elements of a healthy relationship include healthy communication, healthy boundaries, mutual respect, and support for one another.
Image source: loveisrespect.org

Is your relationship unhealthy?

24-HOUR HOTLINE 800.544.2022

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Black History Month Series

February 2, 2021By

Black women have and continue to be leaders in the movement to end sexual and domestic violence.  

This month, we’re learning more about the lives of Black women who built, shaped, and continue to lead the missions to end intimate partner abuse and sexual violence. The series was inspired by an inspirational list created by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.
Click or tap on the image to open the poster.

Read more at this link

Follow the link above to be connected with articles from this month's series.

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Handmade by Survivors for Valentine’s Day

February 1, 2021By

Celebrate love and healthy relationships on Valentine’s Day with a Hope Box of Handmade by Survivors products.

A Hope Box of Handmade by Survivors products makes a special gift for a partner, friend, and yourself. Every Hope Box includes each of the following:

  • .25 oz tube of lip balm
  • 5 oz bar of  soap
  • 8 oz tin of bath salts
  • 3 inch soy wax candle

Our Hope Box ships free to any address across the nation. Products are packaged in a cute printed box with information enclosed about our mission to end intimate partner abuse. Let us know if you’d like to include a short note for your special someone. We’ll handwrite your message on a gift card for no additional charge.

More giving ideas

Send a Lip Balm Sampler to your friends to celebrate them on Valentine’s Day, They’ll love the natural ingredients and sassy names of our lip balms: Don’t tell me to smile, Dissent, Zest for rights, and Concinnt.

Encourage your friend or partner to take time for a little self care during the Valentine’s Day weekend with the gift of a Bath Salt Sampler. Blends of Himalayan pink salt, Epsom salts, and essential oils soothes body and spirit.

A hand-poured soy wax candle with natural essential oil fragrance always makes a perfect gift. Our  Candle Super Sampler includes plenty of candles to share with friends and loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

Every purchase supports survivors

Your purchase of Handmade by Survivors products will support victims of intimate partner violence as they establish safety, heal from the physical and emotional wounds of abuse.

Making products has a special connection to our mission. The process provides collaborative work and microenterprise experience for survivors, while also generating resources for our organization.

Our products are Kentucky Proud.

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Use coupon code LOVE17 to save 10% on your order!

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Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 18, 2021By

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

Today, as we honor and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr, these words written by him decades ago continue to inspire and make meaningful connection to our mission.

“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”

His words call us to personal and social action that acknowledges racism and prejudice persist in our lives, community, and nation.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

His words remind us that freedom of spirit is tied to every part of our being and that long-term sustainable change is possible.

“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

As this new year continues to unfold, may we continue to serve and commit to justice with the same peace and compassion of today. Let us remember that to serve is to commit to change — and to change we must heal.

10 Keys to Everyday Anti-Racism

To serve is to show up, here's a few ways how.

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Frustrated Woman on PhoneBlog

January is National Stalking Awareness Month

January 12, 2021By

All stalkers can be dangerous. Intimate partner stalkers, compared to acquaintance and stranger stalkers, are more likely to threaten and physically assault the victim and their friends and family.

Stalking often co-occurs with intimate partner violence and can be an indicator of other forms of violence. Many abusers use stalking to intimidate and control their victims. Did you know stalking can include these behaviors?

  • Repeated phone calls, texts, or communication on your social media
  • Sending unwanted gifts to your home or work
  • Threatening you or your loved ones
  • Following you or watching you from a distance
  • Digital harassment, such as tracking your location through an app or showing up at a place you’ve checked into online

Stalking is illegal and survivors have rights.

January is #NationalStalkingAwarenessMonth. Learn more about the crime and ways to plan for your safety:

 

SPARC Stalking & IPV: Fact Sheet

Click here to find out more facts on Stalking & Intimate Partner Violence

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Handmade by Survivors Shop Reopens Soon

December 18, 2020By

Thank you for such incredible support for survivors!

Our Handmade By Survivors shop sold out during the recent holidays. New products are being made this month. Check back on February 1 to place an order in time for Valentine’s Day.

Can I still pick up a local order placed last month?

Yes. Local pickups are welcome any day of the week between 9 am – 7 pm. An email with driving directions was sent to the address you used during checkout.

Can I track my order shipment?

Yes, the USPS tracking number was included at the bottom of the order completion email you received at the address provided during checkout.

If you have another question, please call us at 859-519-1904 or send us a note using this form:

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Map of where Handmade By Survivor products have been sold in USABlog

Handmade by Survivors: Made Locally, Sold Nationally

December 7, 2020By

Your purchase of our Handmade by Survivors products will help victims of intimate partner violence as they establish safety, heal from the physical and emotional wounds of abuse, and grow strong as survivors.

“We make soaps, lip balms, bath salts, and candles. Just really wonderful things that people in society already use. But we were able to make them from a heartfelt place.” – Jewell

Making products such as lip balms, salves, and soaps has a special connection to our mission. The process provides microenterprise opportunities for survivors, while also generating resources for our organization.

Our products are Kentucky Proud — and we are so happy to be a social enterprise based in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky — but our products are being enjoyed by people across the nation.

This year we have packaged and shipped Handmade by Survivors products from coast to coast:

Map of where Handmade By Survivor products have been sold in USA

  • Alabama
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Massachusetts
  • Maryland
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Texas
  • Virginia

Here in the gorgeous Commonwealth of Kentucky, we have packaged and shipped Handmade by Survivors products to these counties this year:

Map of where Handmade By Survivors products have been sold in KY

  • Berea
  • Burlington
  • Covington
  • Danville
  • Eminence
  • Ewing
  • Florence
  • Fort Mitchell
  • Georgetown
  • Harrodsburg
  • Lexington
  • Louisville
  • Newport
  • Nicholasville
  • North Pole
  • Paris
  • Richmond
  • Shelbyville
  • Springfield
  • Stanford
  • Williamsburg

This unique approach to healing has received the national Mary Byron Project Celebrating Solutions Award, Kentucky Nonprofit Network Innovative Nonprofit Award, and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Pyramid Award for Social Innovation.

Our Handmade by Survivors shop is open online 24/7. Follow the link below to support hope and healing this holiday season. 

Handmade by Survivors Shop

100% of your purchase from our shop supports survivors of intimate partner abuse. We are Kentucky Proud. #shoplocal

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Handmade by Survivors: Our collections are rooted in healing

December 1, 2020By

Your purchase of our Handmade by Survivors products will help victims of intimate partner violence as they establish safety, heal from the physical and emotional wounds of abuse, and grow strong as survivors.

“It was pretty cool for me, because I got to make products that I’ve always enjoyed from scratch from the very starting point. From a conception to actually mixing, packaging, marketing, labeling shipping, it was amazing. Because it was giving me an outlet to be creative in a way that life itself wouldn’t afford me, I was able to enhance certain things that are already loved.” – Jewell

From conception to market, each of our products are developed with healing in mind. Each herbal blend is curated to align with the intention of the collection. Our signature collections consist of Fresh Start, Awaken Joy, Sweet Harmony, and Blossoming.

 

After the year we’ve all had, I think it may be safe to say that we are all ready for a Fresh Start. This collection of products featuring a blend of lemongrass and lavender essential oils for a clean and rejuvenating aroma. Made with natural ingredients to nourish your skin.

A collection of our Awaken Joy products featuring a blend of essential oils. Energizing peppermint and soothing eucalyptus is the perfect combination during the holiday bustle. Includes coordinating soap, candle, and bath salts made with ingredients to nourish body and spirit.

A collection of our Sweet Harmony products featuring a blend of essential oils. Warm cedar, sweet orange, and vanilla blend for a comforting and sweet fragrance. Some say these smell like a creamcicle. Includes coordinating soap, candle, and bath salts made with ingredients to nourish body and spirit.

A collection of our Blossoming products featuring essential oils of rose geranium and lavender blended with dried flowers from our farm. A bouquet of light fragrance!  Includes coordinating soap, candle, and bath salts made with ingredients to nourish body and spirit.

Handmade by Survivors Shop

100% of your purchase from our shop supports survivors of intimate partner abuse. We are Kentucky Proud. #shoplocal

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Holiday Hope Box: Support Survivors and Send Hope

November 24, 2020By

A curated box of Handmade By Survivors products makes the perfect holiday gift for yourself or someone special. Natural and nourishing, every item included in our Hope Box features essential oils and dried flowers from our farm.

This has been a tumultuous year for all of us. I have world stuff. I have national stuff, I have health stuff, I have female stuff, and I have love stuff. Then there’s the stuff that comes with being Black, this Black stuff contributes to all of that. And for the first time in this program, I was able to have a platform where I was able to talk to someone of another race, and actually carry on the conversations that we need to have as a race. We left feeling refreshed and lightened. It was as if, for lack of better words, I could celebrate me without having to protect others. – Jewell

It goes without saying that we all could use a bit more hope after this past year. Consider sharing the gift of hope by sending one of our Holiday Hope Boxes this season. Your purchase of Handmade by Survivors products will support victims of intimate partner violence as they establish safety, heal from the physical and emotional wounds of abuse. Making products has a special connection to our mission. The process provides collaborative work and microenterprise experience for survivors, while also generating resources for our organization.

Each Holiday Hope Box includes the following:

1 – 5 oz bar of handmade soap
1 – 8 oz tin of natural bath salts
1 – 3 inch soy wax candle
1 -.25 oz lip balm

Our Hope Box ships free to any address in the United States. To ship for free to yourself or a gift recipient, the Hope Box must be purchased in a separate transaction. See additional Hope Box shipping information in the related tab on this page.

Our products are Kentucky Proud.

Handmade By Survivors Shop

100% of your purchase from our shop supports survivors of intimate partner abuse. We are Kentucky Proud. #shoplocal

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