“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
― Albert Camus
Image Description: Fallen leaves on the ground, they are crunchy, brown and covered with a thin layer of frost.
Upcoming:
Peaceful Giving Online
Holiday Auction & Fundraiser
Image Description: A red square with white font. Information from below is on the image. "Peaceful Giving - All proceeds benefit Survivor Cards. RSVP to our Facebook event at www.facebook.com/survivorcards Email us with questions at survivorcards@gmail.com Nov 28-29 - Bidding starts at 8 AM EST on Mon and ends 8 PM EST Tues. There is a string of colorful lights illustrated along the top border and at the bottom, various shades of green and white sprigs of plants.
Please join us for an online holiday auction benefiting Survivor Cards, a Cincinnati, OH-based nonprofit which empowers survivors of trauma by connecting them with messages of hope, healing and solidarity through the magic of snail mail & handwritten notes!
Online bidding will begin Monday, November 28th at 8 AM EST and end on Giving Tuesday, November 29th at 8 PM EST.
A Facebook photo album has been shared in the event page on Facebook, so you can familiarize yourself with the items up for bidding and build your mental "wish list," with a minimum bid amount, information on the item and whether the item is virtual or will be mailed.
Items will include gift cards to Graeter's, Oriental Trading, passes for Urban Air Cincinnati, Let's Roam Scavenger Hunt vouchers, Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Bath & Body Works, tickets to see the Cleveland Monsters, homemade and vintage clothing items, survivor-made art & more!
100% of proceeds raised will go to Survivor Cards and their programming. Just $1 funds 1 card for a survivor of trauma and PTSD, so the more we raise, the more lives we can impact!
Our vision is for every survivor to know that they are a part of something larger, to feel there is a community of people rooting for them, and to believe that they hold power in their recovery and knowledge in their healing that can be passed on to others.
Some of our 2023 programming includes: letter writing events for volunteers at local community libraries, speaking engagements to educate the public on PTSD, mental health, suicide prevention and trauma-informed care, card drives for nonprofits and organizations serving survivors of trauma, and facilitating letter writing workshops for survivors at support groups, shelters and more!
Learn more about our goals at www.survivorcards.org
"Spread the Love with Survivor Cards" Event
Image Description: Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is written in black font and the green Girl Scout logo is next to it. It is a girl's side profile echoed and repeated in white and green in the shape of a trefoil.
Our upcoming "Spread the Love with Survivor Cards" program on Saturday, December 17th for Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is currently sold out!
Please note that they are considering expanding with more dates depending on interest and availability, so if you have a Brownie or Junior age Girl Scout who would be interested, please contact Arrianne Byrum at arrianebyrum@gswo.org
We are also listed in their Program Events Guide 2022-2023 on page 73!
See below:
Image Description: A snippet from the Program Events Guide 2022-2023 reads: "Spread the Love with Survivor Cards - Registered gswo.org - Brownies and Juniors - One small act of kindness can change someone's life. girls will learn mental health tools and trauma-intervention skills. Then create hope and healing words on handwritten cards. Patch included! Contact: Arrianne Byrum at arrianebyrum@gswo.org - Cost $3/Girl - Date 12.17.22 - Time 1PM-2:30PM - Location Girl Scout Center Cincinnati, 45242"
Ongoing:
Winter Card Drive
Image Description: This image has a background of barren tree branches covered in frost, across a blue sky. There is a periwinkle purple/blue square in the middle containing black and brown font. It reads "Join us for our Winter Card Drive benefiting YWCA of Dayton! To get started, visit www.survivorcards.org or email us at survivorcards@gmail.com" Survivor Cards logo is below the font, a white envelope with a teal heart seal.
Join us for our Winter Survivor Card Drive benefiting YWCA of Dayton!
We are currently accepting cards through the end of January for our drive for YWCA of Dayton.
YWCA provides services, programming, prevention and intervention for domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, and other forms of intimate-partner and gender-based violence.
They are the only domestic violence shelters in Montgomery and Preble counties, the longest-running 24/7 crisis and domestic violence hotline in Montgomery County and the only such helpline in Preble County and provide full-service wrap-around clinical services and prevention education!
Our current goal is to provide them with 100 cards.
To get started, visit our website or email us at survivorcards@gmail.com
Recent:
Letter Writing Pizza Party
Image Description: A group of people sit around a long table with a dark blue tablecloth. They have a variety of pens, markers, stationery and stickers spread out for use. They are all writing or decorating Survivor Cards.
Our Letter Writing Pizza Party was a huge success!
We had a great time writing Survivor Cards, making bookmarks, listening to Miss Sacoiya Pruitt share her story of resilience and healing, and learning about and discussing trauma!
Together, we made 40 cards for local domestic violence survivors staying at local shelters and for sexual assault survivors in the Cincinnati area.
Image Description: Miss Sacoiya Pruitt stands in front of a chalkboard with a tree drawn on it and various lists of coping skills and traumas. She is a young black woman wearing glasses, a white t-shirt, jeans and a red, blue and plaid long open coat. She smiles at the camera.
Volunteer Shout Out
Image Description: 100 cards stacked in a box. The top card is teal and blue, with small jewels. In blue cursive, the outside of the card reads "you are amazing" with a floral design all around.
Thank you to Anderson High School's Student Government and Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) for writing us over 100 Survivor Cards!
Image Description: A handwritten card reads "Hang in there. Everything will get better with time. Keep your head up. It may seem like everything is going against you but I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel. You are loved and the world is a better place with you in it."
How to Create a Grounding Kit
A grounding kit has many names, including sensory toolkits, calm-down kits, self-care kits and more.
It's a small bag with items, activities and fidgets with the same goal, to help you feel calmer, more relaxed and grounded.
If you have PTSD, this can be a great resource to keep in your car, nearby at work, in your bedroom or living room for when you feel triggered, activated or experience dissociation.
We love this article by Holly Miles, MC, CCC, RP on InclusiveTherapists.Com, for Building a Sensory Toolkit for Grounding
In this article, Holly discusses the importance of grounding being accessible and utilizing the 5 senses, as well as provides some ideas to get you started.
We find that a makeup bag works great for these kits!
This can be a great tool during the holidays when things get stressful or overwhelming.
Image Description: My personal kit includes a card with stretches and breathing exercises, a small pack of tissues, a mini composition notebook and pen to write down my thoughts, Silly Putty, various worry stones, a squishy toy, a textured slap bracelet, and sometimes, I keep a small container of bubbles to blow, chewing gum, mints or chocolate.
Survivor Cards for the Holidays
Image Description: A red square with tiny pieces of gold and silver tinsel floating through the air. There is white font in the middle saying "Happy?" and underneath in cursive "Holidays"
"It's beginning to look a lot like the holiday season, and while those at Survivor Cards wish you the absolute fondest of times, we also know that the holiday season can be incredibly difficult.
So if you are in need of some words of encouragement, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here no matter if your nose glows bright, your gumdrop buttons are loose or if you just need a little cheer."
-- Michelle, Survivor Cards' Treasurer
Contact us survivorcards@gmail.com to receive a card or nominate someone else to get one!
As always, if you have any questions about what we do, volunteering for us, receiving a card, facilitating a volunteer hour, letter exchange or card drive, or wish to inquire about future events, please send us an email at survivorcards@gmail.com
Take care! ❄
-- Alyson Wick, Survivor Cards' Founder