Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program

"Empowering teenage girls is our business"

Our Mission:  To educate teenage girls about domestic violence prevention to help them live free of domestic violence, poverty and depression

March and April, 2010

When I do presentations, I’m often asked if we conduct domestic violence prevention workshops for boys as we do for teenage girls.  The answer is no.  After that response, someone will usually ask why not.  The answer is a two-part one.  First of all, statistics tell us females make up 95 percent of the victim population.  The second part of my answer is strictly my own humble opinion:  I believe we – females -- have the power.  It’s like I tell our students:  You have the power to choose who you allow into your lives; you have the power to determine the type of life that you want to live.

Women, girls have a tremendous amount of power that we often willingly give away.  How many of us, when we were younger, had a girlfriend who would drop us like a bad habit if her boyfriend didn’t like us?  It didn’t matter how long you had been friends; pleasing that boyfriend was more important than a cherished friendship.  It seems that we are quicker to sacrifice things that are important to us in order to make a relationship work -- often times -- with someone who is not even worthy.  So, for me personally, this is part of the reason why it is important to work with young women.  We want them to find their power, control it and keep it.

Now, we by no means male bash.  We teach our students that five percent of the domestic violence victim population is male.  We know that women can also be abusive.  However, with the female victim population far outweighing that of its male counterparts we do focus on the girls.  Also, male victims have historically had the economic resources to rebound from the aftermath of domestic violence quicker than female victims.

I do think that it would be a great idea to have a domestic violence prevention program for teenage boys.  We know that domestic violence is a learned behavior.  Maybe if we reached potential abusers while they are in the adolescent stage we could make a difference.  However, with limited funding, we must have a laser-like focus on our mission:  To educate teenage girls about domestic violence prevention to help them live free of domestic violence, poverty and depression.

We hope to reach thousands of girls in 2010, through our workshops.  Who knows what the future holds?  Maybe some day we will have the resources to reach out to teenage boys.  In the meantime, we just keep working to make a difference where we can.

You can help us in our mission by making a donation to the Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program; all donations are tax-deductible.  Your donation will help us with our goal of reaching thousands of girls per year, as opposed to hundreds.  It will also help us purchase workshop supplies, pay teachers, and provide community outreach to all school districts in our area.

To make a donation, please make your check payable to:                   

Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program                                                                   2450 Grand, Suite 335/Crown Center Shops                                            Kansas City, MO 64108  (816) 471-5515                   

You may also make a credit card donation by phone by calling the above-listed phone number.

Thank you for your support of this visionary program, and please continue to keep us in your thoughts.

Sincerely yours,

Vickie Ellison

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February 1, 2010

It is another year.  This is the seventh year for Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program. We have come so far since 2003, when we started the program in 125 square feet of space with two students.  We now serve hundreds of students per year (please see 2009 Program Report).  And our goal is to serve thousands.  I know this is an ambitious goal, but we are up to the task. 

We created Gifted Hands from scratch seven years ago, creating our own curriculum for our "Girl Empowerment Workshops" and paving a path for others to follow.  A program such as ours did not exist, and I am so proud of the visionary work that we have done.  Because of sheer perseverance and the ability to think "outside of the box" this organization will continue to grow and be a stable presence in our community.  The girls of the greater Kansas City area will reap the benefits of having this program in their backyard.

When you are the first at anything, it is often hard to find believers.  Gifted Hands has faced this challenge many times when seeking funding and support.  Many funders and -- folks in general -- go with the "tried and true."  However, when it came to an in-depth domestic violence prevention program for teenage girls, there was no "tried and true;" Gifted Hands became the pioneers.  I'm so hoping this year that we will be able to garner more support for this visionary program, both financially and emotionally because we have proven that there is a need, as evidenced by the hundreds of students who passed through our doors last year, brought to workshops by their teachers and counselors. 

I can strongly state now that we are serving 400 to 600 students per year from the Liberty School District, KCMO School District, DeSoto Kansas School District, KCKS School District, The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and many others, I know this is a program of which our city should be extremely proud. 

One of my most rewarding moments is when a 15-year-old girl thanked us.  She had been in an abusive relationship, unbeknownst to her parents, and our  workshop was the first time that she had ever heard that it was not her fault. 

So, we will be seeking funding this year to take our numbers served into the thousands.  We also have a way that you can help this program:  Shop with us online.  We operate a non-profit gift shop/gallery in Crown Center Shops in Kansas City; if you can't visit in person, you can shop online.  The gift shop was our way of creating revenue for our program because we knew that, as pioneers, we better find a way to help take care of ourselves.  We also accept donations, and they are tax-deductible.

To schedule a workshop for your students at Gifted Hands, please call 816-471-5515.  If you would like to reach me, please email giftedhandsinc@sbcglobal.net.

Thank you.

Vickie Ellison

     Think outside of the box.