L.I. Against Domestic Violence Named Finalist In Imagine Awards

Press release from L.I. Against Domestic Violence:

March 3, 2021

LI. Against Domestic Violence (LIADV) was named a Finalist in the Innovation category in the 9th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards. The Long Island Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations.

Approximately 150 entries were submitted for consideration in 5 categories, including Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, and Arts & Culture. L. I. Against Domestic Violence is one of four finalists in the Innovation category.

The 9th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards has made the decision to convert the live awards gala to a virtual event that will take place on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 5:00-7:30pm. For more information, please visit www.imagineawardsli.com

LIADV was named as a finalist for their Paws for a Cause program, which houses pets of domestic violence victims directly in their shelter building.

Over 60% of survivors report they stayed in a violent situation because they would not leave their pet. LIADV has addressed this concern for many years by providing foster care through local rescue groups for the family pets of clients who entered their shelter. While this did prove to be a viable option for some, many survivors opted not to come into shelter due to not wanting to be separated from their pet.

In 2019, LIADV expanded their shelter to include facilities for the family pet. They now operate the only pet accessible domestic violence shelter on Long Island and is among the 10% of Domestic Violence shelters in the country who can also accommodate the family pet. This expansion eliminates the barrier of survivors having to choose between their safety and the safety of their pets when leaving an abusive relationship.

LIADV Executive Director, Wendy Linsalata states "Keeping the family together greatly improves a client’s overall emotional wellbeing and furthers our mission of comprehensive services as we now provide safety and support for each and every member of the family. We are thrilled to receive recognition from the LI Imagine Awards for this important program and extend our congratulations to all the finalists.”

Finalists were chosen by members of the Awards' Distinguished Judging Panel who also selected the Imagine Awards winners from among the Finalists during final judging. These are kept top secret until the event.

“With over 3,500 nonprofits on Long Island, to be one of the top 20 nonprofits on Long Island is a pretty amazing accomplishment,” said Ken Cerini, Founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards. “It means that the organization has been identified as a leader on Long Island, exhibiting impactful and innovative operations. Congratulations to all of the Finalists on their achievement.”

Details about Long Island Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at https://imagineawardsli.com/the-awards/.

This press release was produced by L.I. Against Domestic Violence. The views expressed here are the author's own.