Our Mission
The Willow Collaborative is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to compassionately supporting and empowering women.
It is our mission to provide the much-needed funding, support and advocacy to the women of Powhatan County and surrounding rural communities who have been impacted by domestic violence or sexual abuse, while also bringing awareness to the issues and conditions impacting women.
In doing this, it is our hope to be a beacon of light for women, and this starts with a small town community heart and compassion that empowers and unites us all.
We are all willows…
A willow tree is known to withstand heavy winds and storms; often bending, but not breaking. These trees are known to grow and flourish even when the conditions are hard and less than desirable, much like the women who raised, supported and empowered founder, April Shenk. These women, each with their own hardships and stories, always came together to support one another with the same strength, wisdom and resolve as the willow tree. The Willow Collaborative’s mission is to not only serve as a willow for others, but to also help other women see that they too are a willow. We believe in the strength of the female spirit and that by empowering, supporting, and inspiring each other we can be a powerful force to change the world for the better, one willow at a time.
“If we are to fight discrimination and injustice against women we must start from the home, for if a woman cannot be safe in her own house then she cannot be expected to feel safe anywhere.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence:
33.6% of Virginia women experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner rape and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes.
1 in 5 women in the United States has been raped in their lifetime
On one day in 2020, 84% of the domestic violence programs in Virginia served 1,344 victims of domestic violence and received 606 hotline calls. On that same day, 109 requests for services went unmet due to lack of resources.
We bend, so she won’t break.
When you donate to The Willow Collaborative you are helping to provide:
Emergency assistance and support to women in Powhatan County and surrounding rural communities who have been directly impacted by domestic violence or sexual assault
The resources needed to create and support a victim advocacy program
Educational resources and programs that will be shared in our communities to bring awareness and provide additional support
