By Kimberly Moore, Director of Care Café Allysha Bryant, Graduate Assistant As we honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Care Café, in partnership with Long Live Our Butterfly, Inc. (LLOB) held our second event in a Community Safety Series on October 23, 2022, in Washington Heights. Owned by Janice Rodriguez, Drip Sweat, a community gym, served as the venue for this program. Drip Sweat’s mission supports and encourages strength, fitness and nutrition. With an ambience of empowerment and safety, Drip Sweat continues to remain a conducive environment for healing, learning and self-expression. With a full house, activities of the day included everything from one-on-one specialized hands-on training with self-defense instructor Suki, the CEO of Hit Like A Gurl, an organization that provides tactical skills training for women, followed by a psychoeducational seminar. Suki and her team emphasized the importance of health and fitness in healing and empowering individuals who have experienced trauma. Furthermore, she provided the community members with practical skills to utilize should they be faced with an emergency, skills to practice at home and exercise routines to incorporate regularly. Frances M., Care Café Intern, facilitated two important presentations on domestic violence and its impact on community. Frances’ presentation drew special attention to the statistics of domestic violence; definitions, signs, and symptoms of abuse; and resources, and strategies for navigating the service delivery systems in this context We were also delighted to be joined by our Assemblyman of the 72nd District, Manny De Los Santos, who expressed his commitment to supporting community-based efforts which directly address the needs of the community. He further highlighted the devastating impact of domestic violence on communities, emotional and mental health people, and contribution to deterioration of family. From a legislative perspective, Assemblyman De Los Santos expressed his focus on keeping communities safe and his willingness to be available to engage the voices of those who need support. This event was also supported by our local City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa.

Long Live Our Butterly, Drip Sweat and Care Cafe Team with Assemblyman De Los Santos (center)

President of Long Live Our Butterfly, Inc. (LLOB), Kilsy Hidalgo, welcomed our guests and provided an overview of her courageous story, which included the tragic loss of her sister to domestic violence one year ago. This transformative moment in her family’s life has created a journey for justice for all and a call to action for the prioritization of care for those experiencing domestic violence. In her comments, Kilsy shared recent legislative updates from New York governor Kathy Hochul regarding bills to support domestic violence survivors:  in New York State. The resounding message from community members upon their exit was that they felt feeling “empowered” and “accountable” to advocate for themselves and others. Director of Care Café, Kimberly Moore, was present to provide survivors with one-on-one consultation and support throughout the event. Through the Community Safety Series in Washington Heights, we understand that we are truly all in this fight together to overcome domestic violence. Thank you to Janice at  for always creating a safe space for communities to gather and support each other. Thank you to  for his presence and commitment to combating domestic violence and standing in solidarity of this cause. Thank you to our trainer Suki and her associates from Hit Like a Gurl for the engaging sessions. Thank you to Janice at Drip Sweat for the delicious fresh-squeezed fruit juices provided to all guests! Lastly, a special thank you to the excellent work of Care Café Interns, Frances M. and Jackie R., for their contributions to making our event a success. Your support and commitment to Care Café is invaluable. For more information about Long Live Our Butterfly, Inc. (LLOB), please reach out to Kilsy Hidalgo, President, via email at longliveourbutterfly@gmail.com. To connect with Care Café, email us at Kimberly.moore@yu.edu or call us at 646 592 6827. We look forward to seeing you at a Care Café event. To All, Be Well!