The Sanctuary Project
You probably know a woman living in an abusive relationship. You just don’t know she’s living in one.
I know because I was her.
For years, I believed leaving was as simple as packing a bag and walking away. Then I found myself trapped.
Not because I wasn’t strong.
Not because I wasn’t successful.
Not because I didn’t want to leave.
Because abuse is about control.
It controls your finances. Your transportation. Your relationships. Your confidence. Your every move. Every phone call. Every text message. Every decision.
Many survivors aren’t held captive by locks on the doors—they’re held captive by fear, isolation, financial dependence, and the belief that they have nowhere to go.
I was one of them.
If you had met me, you never would have guessed it. I smiled. I worked. I raised my children. I looked like I had everything together.
Behind closed doors, I was simply surviving.
When I finally found the courage to leave, I discovered something heartbreaking.
Leaving isn’t the hardest part.
Staying gone is.
Even while working relentlessly to support my children, saving enough money for a small apartment, utility deposits, food, gas, moving expenses, and basic necessities took nearly a year. I was fortunate enough to eventually make it out.
Many women never get that chance.
Not because they don’t want to leave.
Because they simply can’t afford to.
That’s why I’m creating The Sanctuary Project.
Our mission is simple: remove the financial barriers that keep women trapped.
A tank of gas.
A hotel room.
A security deposit.
Food for their children.
Utility deposits.
Moving expenses.
The small things that become impossible when someone has controlled every aspect of your life.
Sometimes freedom doesn’t require thousands of dollars.
Sometimes it requires one person willing to help at exactly the right moment.
The woman you help may be someone you pass every day without realizing it.
She’s the mom at school pickup who seems withdrawn.
The coworker who never talks about home.
The woman who smiles all day, then cries in her car before driving back to the life she’s desperate to escape.
She’s hiding in plain sight.
I know because I was.
Your donation isn’t just paying a bill.
It’s buying time.
It’s buying safety.
It’s buying hope.
Most importantly, it’s giving a woman the chance to choose freedom when she finally finds the courage to leave.
One day, because of people like you, a mother will tuck her children into bed without fear.
You may never know her name.
But she’ll never forget that someone she never met believed her life was worth saving.
Thank you for helping us become that someone.
