Merryman House

A BIG thank you to HUB - Peel & Holland for celebrating "Christmas in July" and collecting much-needed items for our clients this month! Every item will be given to a survivor accessing our services- allowing them to focus on their next step, or next barrier to break down. Your gifts will make a difference in multiple lives!

We are looking for several volunteers to help us on Saturday, July 27 with unloading a HUGE donation. The approximate time will be from 9a-noon. This will require lifting and moving of about 500 cases of non-perishable goods. Please share or tag your friends!

If you're interested, please contact our Community Engagement Ambassador, Megan:
[email protected]
270.448.8060

Cheers to Kona Ice of the Purchase Region for giving out shaved ice to our clients and staff on this hot afternoon! There have been only smiles and brightly colored tongues out since their visit! 😋🍧

Thank you to the members of Oaks Church Of God for collecting donations for us throughout the month of June! And, thank you to Susan and Secret for taking the time to drop everything off to our Paducah location yesterday- we rely on community support like yours!

Thank you to Tara with the Purchase District Health Department for coming to our Paducah campus today to teach Youth Yoga and read "If You are Still Feeling Blue" to our smallest clients!

Tara uses the book and yoga poses to teach self-regulation, gratitude and resilience (just in younger language!). Thank you for sharing your time with survivors today, Tara!

We are barrier removers, advocates, people to brainstorm with, safety specialists, and non-judgmental people to talk to. We are here for you, 24/7.

📞800-585-2686

We were eager to nominate the Paducah Police Department Kentucky for the "Law Enforcement Partner of the Year" Purple Ribbon Award, and we were thrilled, but not surprised, when they won!

Thank you for being a resource for survivors in our community, and Saving, Building & Changing Lives with us!

The Paducah Police Department is honored to announce that we were recently awarded the 2024 Purple Ribbon Award for Law Enforcement Partner of the Year from DomesticShelters.org for our efforts to make a substantial impact on the lives of domestic violence survivors.

Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird said, “We are deeply honored to receive the Purple Ribbon Award. This award shows our dedication to serving and supporting victims of domestic violence in our community. We want to thank the Merryman House for nominating us for this award. Their efforts have been invaluable in our mission to create a safer environment for all. Together, we remain committed to providing victims with the resources, support, and protection they need to move forward in their lives.”

DomesticShelters.org is the first and largest online and mobile searchable directory of domestic violence programs and shelters in the U.S. and Canada, and a leading source of helpful tools and information for people experiencing and working to end domestic violence. Their mission is to to make more people aware of the services available for those experiencing domestic violence and make it faster to quickly find services and information best suited to their location, language and needs.

Recently, our friends at Drake Lighting volunteered their time to help us with multiple projects from painting to pressure washing and everything in between! We are so thankful for their hard work!

We had a great time yesterday meeting so many readers and library lovers! Thank you to McCracken County Public Library for allowing us to set up!

"Maybe this sounds familiar: A friend, family member or coworker tells you that they’re not exactly happy in their current relationship. You ask what’s going on, like the caring person you are, and they begin to describe to you what sounds like abuse. Their partner is controlling or constantly jealous. ... You jump into advice-giving mode: This is what you’re going to do now, you say, and you begin trying to persuade your friend to leave to break up with this partner as soon as possible."

We are often asked what can be done for a friend or loved one if you suspect or know of abuse, and the person doesn't think it's abuse and/or isn't ready to leave. This is a great article on how to approach those conversations! Remember: It is never a survivor's fault if they are controlled/abused- that is solely the fault of the abuser. And, don't be another person telling them what to do. Provide support and resources to remove barriers.

🔗 https://bit.ly/HowLovedOnesCanSupport

Domestic violence includes physical abuse, but it is so much more than that. It is a pattern of behaviors used by one person over another to gain or maintain power and control.

If this describes your relationship with your partner, we are here for you 24/7.

📞800-585-2686
🔗www.merrymanhouse.org/hotline-chat

We couldn't tell what the score was, but it looked like a close match! ⚽️

Thank you to Church 0419 for their generous donation of snack foods and drinks to stock our emergency shelter kitchen! As many households know, when kids are out of school, food flies out of the pantry! Thank you for supporting survivors.

Do you love good smells, and love supporting survivors of domestic violence? (Who doesn't, right?) Then check out this fundraiser from local Scentsy consultant MiTzi Herbison! If you shop through this link, MiTzi will donate some of the proceeds through August to the Merryman House!

🔗https://waxlab.scentsy.us/party/18200367/merryman-house-fundraiser

Thank you, Zerdali Dance Company, for putting on Paducah's Shimmy Mob and raising awareness of domestic violence all while raising money to support our services! We had a great time Saturday- you all put on amazing performances!

Shimmy Mob 2024 Paducah KY Team Paducah shimmying for Merryman House!Thank you to our sponsors: EXL7 Fitness, Afghan Tribal Arts, FACE Makeup Artistry. Music Rrrakateka by Artem Uzunov...

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who has had a part in raising a child or young family member! Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, loving home, and every mom and guardian deserves a healthy support system.

Thanks to our Youth & Family Specialist, Madison, for the photos from a recent "Mommy & Me" support group! 🌸🌷

TOMORROW! We cannot wait for tomorrow's Shimmy Mob performances! We were blown away last year by the passion and dance performed by all the participants, and truly touched by their sincere excitement to support local survivors of domestic violence.

Come out and watch the 2024 group perform with us at any of these times and locations in Paducah:
11:30a: Keiler Park, 2900 Broadway
12:30p: FACE Makeup Artistry, 2121 Broadway
1:15p: Beads and Rugs, 626 Broadway

Shimmy Mob is an international annual fundraiser held on World Belly Dance Day for domestic violence programs and this is the second year in a row that Paducah will participate. Local belly dance troupe Zerdali Dance Co is hosting this fun event and everyone is invited! Zerdali is accepting donations, and proceeds from the event will benefit MHDCC.

Photo is from 2023 performance.

A GIANT, HOUSE-SIZED THANK YOU to Keller Williams agents for selecting us to serve on their annual RED Day. More than 50 people showed up and painted in multiple buildings, pulled weeds and planted flowers, cleaned out spaces inside/out, helped with lighting projects, and more. They even brought friends with them from Paducah Bank AND brought in sponsors to feed themselves.

We cannot say enough good things about the projects they finished or their positive attitudes all day - and it was truly all. day. Thank you SO MUCH! Our campus feels clean and renewed!

If you are a woman between the ages of 18-59, and you have experienced relationship conflict, the University of Kentucky invites you to take part in a research study about brain and health problems associated with relationship conflict.

The study is confidential, and there are incentives to completing different steps. If you are interested in taking part in the survey, follow this link to more information:
www.tinyurl.com/kl224.

THANK YOU to Skylan and Franklin Residential Hall at Murray State University for hosting a bake sale fundraiser and passing out our brochures to those who stopped by! Events like this are vital to raising awareness of the issue and the knowledge that there are free, supportive services available to survivors.

We felt like the luckiest ducks in town last week throughout our annual pre-sale at Paducah QuiltWeek, hosted by our friends at the American Quilter's Society! This year, we are celebrating our 10TH ANNUAL Paducky Derby - a DECADE of ducks and raising money for survivors of domestic violence in western Kentucky!

And 10 years ago, at the beginning of our racing career, AQS got our race off the ground by making it an official QuiltWeek event, allowing us to be a vendor, letting us use their warehouse space, and encouraging quilters to adopt ducks. We are so grateful to their leadership for their ongoing and generous support of our mission and this very special fundraiser!

This year, just like past QuiltWeeks, was such a worthwhile experience! We love getting to visit with people from around the world and hearing about their local DV programs, hearing the stories from survivors who stop by to share their experiences, and creating community around wanting our world to be a better place. In just four days, quilters adopted 916 ducks!! We will open up sales to the public in September with the overall goal of 20,000 ducks adopted out to race on Oct. 26!

We wanted to type out THANK YOU! about 100 times in this post to everyone who came out to the Family Bags, Charmers, and Daywaster show Saturday at Paducah Beer Werks but we thought you would stop reading after the first few. So instead, we put as many as we could in the graphic.

THANK YOU! one more time to all three bands, the ever-generous PBW team, and to everyone who bought tickets for raising more than $1,000 in a single night to support survivors of domestic violence! Your support truly makes a difference.

And that is a WRAP on the 3rd Annual Nehemiah Project! Thank you so, so very much to all the individuals, churches, agencies and more who came out to learn with us today, to our speakers for teaching and challenging us all, and to our sponsors who made the day possible. Together, we can effectively help survivors rebuild the walls of their lives and move toward healing.

Thanks in large part to these wonderful media sponsors, we can officially say we will have a FULL HOUSE tomorrow at the 3rd Annual Nehemiah Project! We cannot wait to see you and to hear our speakers! Attendees- make sure you've checked your email for all the details and what to expect!

Thank you to these churches and businesses for their sponsorship of our 3rd Annual Nehemiah Project conference! That's right- these people wanted to make sure you eat well on Saturday, so register NOW! We have just 10 TICKETS LEFT and registration officially closes tomorrow at 4 p.m.!

🔗www.bit.ly/TNP24

THANK YOU to the United Way of Murray-Calloway County for their recent donation! It will support our free and confidential services available to survivors of domestic violence in Murray and Calloway County! We are grateful for your partnership!

We only have 25 tickets left for the 3rd Annual Nehemiah Project, happening on April 20! Register for your seat now!

🔗www.bit.ly/TNP24

Thank you to Baptist Health Paducah for their sponsorship of our 3rd Annual Nehemiah Project conference! Please register TODAY if you plan to attend - space is limited!

🔗www.bit.ly/TNP24

Last week, a group of our staff was able to attend the 2023 Annual Conference to End Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence in Lexington, hosted by ZeroV and the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc.. Our teammates were excited to select specialized trainings each day and have come back with *lots* of ideas! We are grateful to have a team hungry for continued education and trainings so we can all best serve survivors!

Not all attendees pictured.