I founded Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program in February, 2003, when I was the Communications Manager at Hope House, Kansas City’s largest battered women’s shelter.  My office at Hope House overlooked the shelter.  Everyday I witnessed a stream of women, escorted by police officers for protection, seeking shelter.  “Wow, this domestic violence is happening to a lot of women,” I thought.  Then, I was soooooooo naïve about the number of women who were getting abused.  The idea for the Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program formed from what I witnessed in shelter and in a courtroom while working at Hope House, plus my knowledge that too many times we as women give up so much (too much) just to be in an intimate partner relationship that is, too many times, not worth what we are willing to give up.

In 2001, I, along with other Hope House staff, attended a murder trial at Jackson County’s Courthouse.  A man stood trial for beating his wife to death with his hands.  Once he finished beating her, he sat on her chest, cutting off her air, which the medical examiner deemed caused her death.  The medical examiner testified that the victim’s body was bruised from the top of her head to underneath her toenails.  He testified that her body was so battered that a pool of blood had collected in her head, separating her skull from the brain it was meant to protect.  Sitting in that courtroom made me get off my butt and take action.

I gathered a compassionate Board of Directors, lead by President Michelle Wimes, Esq.  We laid the foundation for a domestic violence prevention program that is visionary and revolutionary -- being proactive -- to the societal problem of domestic violence.  Knowing the probability that one in three women will be abused in their lifetime, we decided to reach teen girls, a period before they reach adulthood, to warn them about the dangers of domestic violence.

Twenty-five years ago it was difficult for women fleeing abusive relationships to find safe havens.  Then domestic violence shelters emerged, providing solace for victims of abuse and their children.  The shelters’ work is still extremely important in today’s society.  Through their work, the understanding of the importance of domestic violence prevention education was born.  And now it is time for programs such as the Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program to take prevention education to the next level.

Our program began with two students.  We now have the capacity to reach up to 500 girls per year.  We also allow all area high schools, whether private, public, Catholic, Christian, or alternative to bring their teen girl populations on field trips to our onsite facility for our domestic violence prevention workshop.

Our program welcomes ALL girls because we know that domestic violence transcends all races, religions, and socio-economic classes.  It is the reason that 1,500 women are murdered in our country every year.  It affects all women either directly or indirectly.  The Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program is determined to have a positive impact in decreasing the number of potential future victims of domestic violence in our city and surrounding areas. 

Please join us in our commitment.

Vickie Ellison, Director
Gifted Hands Gift Shop Program