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Welcome to the 180 Turning Lives Around Podcast with Liz Graham, our CEO. We are a private, non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and beyond. This show is all about community and sharing what we do. Join us on this journey together. We believe that strong Communities empower us all to believe in ourselves in ways we never imagined, giving us strength we didn’t know we possessed.
Hello, everyone. I'm Liz Graham, the Chief Executive Officer at one hundred eighty Turning Lives Around, and I am your host for this podcast. This month, we are in mourning. It is with deep sorrow that I share the news of the passing of our former Executive Director, Anna Diaz White. Anna led the organization with courage, with compassion, and with conviction for four decades.
Speaker 1:Under Anna's leadership, one hundred eighty became a national model for comprehensive, trauma informed support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Anna fought so hard this past year and she embodied the relentless spirit that defines her. But she has always been a fighter, championing survivors, strengthening our community, securing the stability of our organization, and caring deeply for our dedicated and remarkable staff. Today, we would like to share a special tribute to her and her lasting legacy. Today, countless lives in New Jersey are being protected, healed, and improved by the good people of one hundred eighty Turning Lives Around.
Speaker 1:Through a robust offering services for individuals and families seeking safety from domestic abuse and sexual assault, as well as counseling and justice. Countless survivors appreciate their new lives today thanks to the tenacious and empathetic spirit of Anna Diaz White. Forty years ago, Anna joined the newly established organization then known as the Women's Center. Even she might not have imagined the impact she would go on to make.
Speaker 2:When I first started, there wasn't a Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, which is the state of the art law. New Jersey has one of the strongest prevention of domestic violence laws in the country. It's just a sea change from what it was in the early years.
Speaker 1:Within two years of serving as January fiscal grant administrator, Anna secured funding for the first federally funded women's shelter in The United States. The shelter's opening was a monumental shift in how survivors' needs were met.
Speaker 2:I remember hearing from women over many, many years just saying, I can finally sleep.
Speaker 1:In 1992, Anna was unanimously chosen to lead the organization, kicking off a decade of ambitious and transformative new programs like the sexual assault response teams and the domestic violence response teams, which partner with police and help victims navigate the justice system. Also, the Shore Regional Outreach Program, which ensures that marginalized and immigrant communities are provided services they need. Anna demonstrated her commitment to not just surviving, but healing when she worked with the family of victim six year old Amanda Wengart to create Amanda's Easel, a trauma focused arts therapy program for children. In 02/2002, the Women's Center rebranded as one hundred eighty to better reflect its now robust list of integrated family services. One of those was the Second Floor Youth Helpline, which has helped hundreds thousands of young people across New Jersey for two decades.
Speaker 1:The service is now stronger than ever, launching a brand new app to give teens and young adults an easy way to get help.
Speaker 2:We've gotten probably near a million calls and contacts from kids. We're helpline and also text line.
Speaker 1:From humble beginnings to becoming a luminary of selfless work, Anna oversaw the opening of a new emergency safe house in twenty sixteen, one of the largest in the state and the largest homeless shelter in the county.
Speaker 2:It's a beautiful, beautiful home. It doubled our capacity. We no longer had to turn people away.
Speaker 1:In more recent years, Anna worked to establish the Monmouth County Family Justice Center, a one stop shop that expedites all the services that survivors and their children need. In 2023, Anna was named a New Jersey Hall of Fame Unsung Hero for her four decades of service. Anna's legacy is not just her hard work, but how she inspires others to care and serve their neighbors in their most desperate hour. From every 180 employee and volunteer to the most influential figures in New Jersey. And more profound than that, Anna's legacy is the countless lives she's changed and saved.
Speaker 2:01/1980 opened my eyes to the world.
Speaker 1:Our community, our organization, our world is a better place because of Anna. We offer heartfelt condolences to Anna's family, friends, colleagues, and the thousands and thousands of lives she touched. We are forever grateful for her vision, her leadership and her love. Thank you for joining us. I'm Liz Graham and I will leave you with these final thoughts.
Speaker 1:Last year, in an interview with a local magazine, Anna said that 180 will always have a face in her heart. She also gave me a boost of confidence. She said, I am ready to have Liz run with the ball. And she added that she was looking forward to helping Liz in the next six months or so. Then I think I need to take some time off and decide what the next step is.
Speaker 1:And help she did. Anna was always there for me. She was my mentor and my dear friend. And as a survivor myself, she helped me in more ways than she could ever know was possible. Anyone who has had the pleasure to meet Anna was aware of how much she was invested in everything she did.
Speaker 1:And I'm proof that sometimes that's all that is needed to help change someone's life. I will miss Anna so very much.