Hope you're having a delightfully fun fall!
Image Description: A painting-like image of white birch trees with orange and yellow leaves at sunset. Two people walk away with their arms around each others shoulders. One is wearing a red scarf. There are mountains in the distance.
Upcoming:
Letter Writing & Exchange Pizza Party!
Image Description: A white background with a white skinned hand and brown skinned hand handing a card to each other. The information below is in purple, black and teal font. There is an illustrated slice of pizza dripping cheese on the left and colorful, illustrated sparkling music notes on the right.
Survivor Cards is having a Letter Writing & Exchange event for ages 12+ at the Anderson Branch Library Meeting Room on Saturday, November 19th from 11:30 AM - 2 PM!
Join us for this community-focused & inclusive event where we will write letters to survivors of trauma, connect with our artistic side, eat delicious pizza from Dewey's, listen to music, hear our guest speaker, educator Sacoiya Pruitt's story, learn about PTSD, mental health, and local and national resources!
We're asking folks to RSVP with the number of people in their party, ages and any dietary restrictions to survivorcards@gmail.com by Saturday, November 12th so we can ensure we have enough supplies and food.
Ready-made cards will be available for folks of all ages, in case someone attending could use one or they know someone who could benefit. We'll have local and national resources available to take home.
We will be sharing age-appropriate information on PTSD and suicide with writers so they can recognize signs of someone needing help in their community and who to talk to about it.
Please share with your networks!
Peaceful Giving - An Online Holiday Auction Fundraiser
Image Description: The image has a red background and white, mint and green-colored sprigs of illustrated plants. It contains the information listed below in white font. The Survivor Cards logo is in the center. It is an open envelope with a teal heart seal and a piece of paper slips out with "Survivor Cards" written on it.
Please join us for an online holiday auction benefiting Survivor Cards hosted on our Facebook page!
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 will be shared in the event the day before the auction begins, 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.
Bidding will be done via the comments on each image in the album, starting Monday morning at 8 AM EST, with the highest amount offered by 8 PM EST Tuesday being the winner!
Payment will be collected via Venmo @survivorcards and items will be e-mailed or mailed within 7 days of the end of the auction.
You will be contacted via Facebook Messenger for collection by our President, Alyson Wick, unless you provide an e-mail to be contacted at with your bid.
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!
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!
We are accepting donations of virtual and new physical items such as those you'd find at a craft fair or maker's market until Saturday, November 19th! Please email us at survivorcards@gmail.com if interested in contributing.
No time to shop?
Ongoing:
Autumn Card Drive for YWCA
Image Description: The background of the image are envelopes of various autumnal shades of brown, cream and orange, with stamps. The center of the image has the info below in black and dark brown font.
Cards gathered this season will go to YWCA of Greater Cincinnati for those staying in their domestic violence shelter, as well as Cincinnati area trauma centers at local hospitals for survivors of rape and violent crimes.
If you’d like to participate, please email us at survivorcards@gmail.com or send us a DM! We have supplies for local writers and can help you get started!
Facebook Fundraisers
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Did you know that you can now use Facebook Fundraisers to raise money for Survivor Cards?
This is such a great way to make a difference on your birthday, holidays or just because!
Visit www.facebook.com/fund/survivorcards to learn more!
Recent:
Tristate Trauma Network
Image Description: Survivor Cards' table at the Trauma-Informed Care Fall Conference put on by Tristate Trauma Network. It is a long table with a white, pleated tablecloth. There are various signs, flyers and resources laid out. There is a card-making station and ready-made cards for survivors.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table at the Trauma-Informed Care Fall Conference put on by Tristate Trauma Network!
We would like to also thank their Executive Director, Melissa Adamchik for inviting us to attend and supporting us in our endeavors!
It was a beautiful event, with so many education and community resources, and a few adorable therapy animals as well!
Image Description: A picture of a therapy dog at the conference. He is a black lab with a yellow vest that says "Therapy Dog" and his name "Frye" He is smiling at the picture-taker.
Image Description: A picture of a therapy rabbit at the conference. He is brown and large. He is in a stroller. He is wearing a brown vest that says "Therapy Pet" and his name "George."
Volunteer Hour Feature
Image Description: Cincinnati Bearcats is written in their colors, red and black. The C in Bearcats is their logo, with the C made into a paw with 4 claws.
A huge shout out to Pi Lambda Phi and Siddall Hall at University of Cincinnati for holding volunteer hours with students this week!
We can't wait to see your beautiful cards!
Holiday Self-Care for PTSD:
Image Description: A black and white illustration of bare trees in a wintry forest. The snow falling blocks some of the visual.
The holiday season can be a joyous time, but it can also be triggering and full of stressors.
Here are some self-care points from Annie Wright, LMFT at The Mighty:
Acknowledge and expect that you may feel triggered.
Get curious about why you get triggered and how you typically respond.
3. Get creative and actionable about how you cope and self-soothe when you’re triggered.
Using these insights and ideas, put a self-care plan into place before the holidays arrive.
Our favorite reminder?
"Be kind to yourself."
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
Thank you!
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