Hello, STAND! community!
I am honored to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of STAND! For Families Free of Violence. Over the past several weeks, I have been getting to know our incredible staff, Board members, community partners, donors, and volunteers—and learning more about the many people who have helped shape and sustain STAND! throughout its nearly 50-year history.
As we prepare to celebrate STAND!’s 50th anniversary next year, I feel especially honored to join the organization at such an important moment—one that gives us an opportunity to celebrate where we have been while also looking ahead to what is possible.
For those I have not had the opportunity to meet yet, I have spent more than two decades working alongside survivors, families, and communities impacted by violence. This work is deeply meaningful to me, and throughout my career, I have learned that our greatest impact happens through relationships—by listening to one another, learning from one another, and working together toward a shared vision.
That is why I have spent a lot of my first few weeks at STAND! doing something that is very important to me: listening.
I have listened to staff talk about the families they serve, the work they are proud of, and the challenges they see every day. I have listened to Board members share their hopes for STAND!’s future. And I have begun meeting community partners, donors, and volunteers who have invested their time, resources, and hearts in this organization.
Through those conversations, one thing has stood out to me: this work has always been about community.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to intimate partner violence, honor survivors, remember those whose lives have been impacted or lost because of violence, and recommit ourselves to creating change.
At STAND!, we know that responding to violence is only part of that work. We also want to prevent it. That means helping people build healthy relationships, supporting children and families, talking openly about what respect and safety look like, and working together to cultivate safer communities through healthy relationships.
And none of us can do that alone.
It takes an advocate answering a crisis call in the middle of the night. It takes a volunteer giving their time. It takes a community partner working alongside us. It takes a donor who believes in our mission and chooses to invest in it. And it takes tremendous courage from survivors who trust us to walk alongside them during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Every person who contributes to this work is part of the STAND! community.
As I begin this new chapter, I am incredibly grateful to be joining a community with such a long history of showing up for survivors and families. I also know that I have much more to learn, and I look forward to continuing to listen—to our staff, our clients, our partners, and all of you.
As we approach our 50th anniversary, we have a wonderful opportunity to honor the people who built STAND!, celebrate all that has been accomplished together, and look ahead to the next chapter of our work. I am excited about what lies ahead and about what we can accomplish together.
I would also love the opportunity to meet many of you in person. Please join us on October 22 for our Rebuilding Lives event as we come together during Domestic Violence Awareness Month to support STAND!’s work and the survivors and families we serve. I hope you will join us, and if you see me there, please come say hello.
To those of you who have supported STAND! for many years, thank you. And to those who may have only recently become part of our community, welcome.
I look forward to getting to know you, learning from you, and working alongside you as we continue to build a future where individuals, children, and families can thrive in safe and healthy relationships.
With gratitude,
Perla Flores
Executive Director
STAND! For Families Free of Violence