The Eva Lee Parker Fund Provides Financial Assistance to Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Eva Lee Parker Fund

New fund seeks to raise $50,000 in donations to support 
Black women experiencing intimate partner violence by January 2021

Melody Gross, CEO of Courageous SHIFT, a domestic violence coaching and consulting company, announced today the launch of The Eva Lee Parker Fund to support Black women currently experiencing intimate partner violence. The fund will provide direct financial assistance to survivors and is named after Gross’ paternal grandmother who experienced abuse from her husband. The goal is to raise $50,000 in donations by January 3, 2021. 

“Financial abuse is one of the key factors in why women who are experiencing abuse stay in bad relationships,” explains Gross. “The goal of the Eva Lee Parker Fund is to alleviate some of the costs accrued by victims such as changing locks, fixing broken items, or travel expenses when trying to escape. As a victim, I told myself many times I couldn’t afford to leave. When I reflect on how hard it must have been for my grandmother, the woman who raised me, knowing it was not financially feasible for her to leave, I know this fund is a necessity.”

According to the Centers For Disease Control’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, one out of every four women have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. The statistics are even more dire for Black women. A 2017 report from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research states that more than 40% of Black women experience some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.  

“This is an aggressive fundraising goal, but violence against Black women in this country is seldom treated with appropriate seriousness or urgency, and Black women in domestic violence situations need immediate help,” says Gross, who is also a Domestic Violence advocate and survivor. 

The fund’s nonprofit fiscal partner, Sanctuary in the City has already donated $10,000 to kick start fundraising efforts. Both donations and applications to request funds are being accepted on www.courageousshift.com/evaleeparkerfund

For additional information about The Eva Lee Parker Fund or to schedule an interview with Melody Gross, contact Jameka Whitten at jameka@jswmediagroup.com or 704.965.3297. 

About Courageous SHIFT
Courageous SHIFT offers life coaching, advocacy, workshops, and programs for individuals experiencing domestic violence. Through consulting, Courageous SHIFT, speaks at companies and nonprofits about domestic violence, encouraging staff empathy, and the financial and moral benefits of developing domestic violence policies.

About Melody Gross
As a life coach and speaker, Melody is a vocal advocate for domestic violence survivors and is unapologetic in her creative approach to combating the societal bias and cultural stigmas associated with intimate partner violence in the United States and across the world.

A native New Yorker and a proud product of Harlem, Melody relocated to Charlotte NC in 2011 to pursue new personal and professional opportunities. During that time, she found herself in a nearly three-year abusive relationship; one that as a child she witnessed other family members’ experiences. This ultimately laid the foundation for her journey to full-time entrepreneurship as a writer and the owner of Courageous Shift.