A few months ago, when Ryan Cross was chosen as one of this year’s competitors in the Women’s Fund of Central Minnesota Community Foundation’s fifth annual Dancing With Our Stars (DWOS) competition, he chose Anna Marie’s on-scene advocacy program as the recipient of his fundraising.
Here’s why – when local police respond to a domestic violence situation, Anna Marie’s Alliance is there. Our on-scene advocates are available 24 hours a day to go to the scene and provide immediate support to those in crisis.
On-scene advocates are notified by police whenever 911 dispatch receives a call involving a domestic incident. They arrive at the site of the incident, provide comfort, understanding, and a voice to victims who are traumatized, afraid, or confused.
Advocates act as liaison between victims of violence and the police; they help them to file reports, access services, and sometimes, bring them to our shelter. They remain with victims long after police leave the scene and provide ongoing support for months afterward, if needed.
We were thrilled when we learned of Ryan’s choice to support Anna Marie’s! We immediately went to work finding creative ways to publicize the event, going so far as to film our (awesome, sweet, brave) staff members’ own dances for some social media joy, creating marketing pieces, writing stories, keeping tabs on the competition, and taking every opportunity to tell our supporters that Anna Marie’s was in the running for a $15,000 Women’s Fund grant.
Meanwhile, Ryan and his pro dance partner, Rachel Trout, spent many early mornings in rehearsal, fitting in practice around their own busy lives. And in the little spare time he could eke out, Ryan was also busy making calls, raising funds, and strategizing about the best path to first place. He had lofty goals — to the tune of an $80,000 target!
In the final weeks before the competition, the Community Foundation began posting rankings. Because the winner of DWOS is chosen based partially on their dancing acumen and partially on the total dollar amount raised prior to the event’s end, Ryan was determined to position himself well ahead of his four competitors before anybody took the stage Monday night. And in the final week leading up to the show, while Anna Marie’s scrambled to make sure all of the amazing donors who had committed to supporting us had cast their votes through the Women’s Fund donation site, prepared for Monday’s watch party at BCI Construction headquarters, collected and delivered checks, and tied up all the other loose ends, Ryan zeroed in on a new goal – and met it with just minutes to spare.
As promised, Ryan came through at the eleventh hour, shattered all DWOS records by nearly tripling the historic fundraising record, and blew the competition out of the water. By the time DWOS aired live from St. John’s University, fundraising for Anna Marie’s surpassed $100,000 in donations, effectively clinching the first place prize before anybody set foot on the dance floor!
With the addition of the $15,000 Women’s Fund grant, Anna Marie’s Alliance went home Monday night with a grand total of $116,000 dedicated to our on-scene advocacy program, thanks to Ryan Cross, his competitive spirit, and all of you! Our donors never cease to amaze us with their commitment, caring, and support. We could not be more grateful to everyone who gave to support our dancer and our on-scene advocates!
Everyone deserves healthy relationships, free from violence. You have helped us in our commitment to creating a community where every home is a safe home.
To learn more about our on-scene program, how it works, and why it’s integral to our community’s ability to overcome domestic violence and thrive, watch our video here.