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March 2, 2022$400,000 Donation from Sarah B. Foulke Helps Wellspring Counter Domestic Violence
A $400,000 donation from the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund helps Wellspring counter a wave of domestic violence
Thanks to a generous donation of $400,000 from the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund, Wellspring can ensure privacy and special services for domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors at its Support Center, a dedicated wing of the new Wellspring building in Malta, off Northway Exit 12.
Wellspring’s Sarah B. Foulke Support Center has a separate private entrance, parking area, and waiting room. Abuse victims can access Wellspring client services safely and with complete confidentiality. To ensure client security, the Support Center entrance has a receptionist and full security system, including a panic button to call the police should an emergency arise, and locked doors that separate it from the more public areas of the Wellspring building.
The new Sarah B. Foulke Support Center space has proven critically important for people fleeing situations worsened by the pandemic and lockdowns. It equips Wellspring to meet an increased demand for its services, as the number of domestic violence incidents in Saratoga County in 2021 rose 22% over the five-year average, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. Wellspring helps domestic and sexual abuse survivors according to their specific need. Someone escaping violence late at night with children may need immediate shelter. A sexual assault victim may need accompaniment and a ride to a hospital. All may need help rebuilding their lives.
Wellspring’s services include meeting with clients individually or in groups at the Support Center for safety planning, legal advocacy, and financial and other counseling to assist domestic abuse survivors in building a future free of fear and violence. That’s where Sarah B. Foulke comes in: Sarah was a Saratoga Springs attorney and a dedicated, courageous, and caring woman who loved this community. As a member of Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, Sarah volunteered for Project Hope and Power, Wellspring’s financial literacy program designed to help clients learn how to be financially independent.
Sarah Foulke helped pioneer this program because she understood financial constraints are a leading factor in preventing victims from leaving an abusive relationship. A Wellspring client explains the problem: “After experiencing multiple incidents of abuse, I was stuck between staying with my abuser to financially support my two children, or leaving without any source of income.” Wellspring’s Project Hope and Power supports victims (and their children) when they need to leave their homes. The program gives them money-management skills so they can run a household budget and provide for their children. It shows clients how to pay off debt accumulated by their abusers in their name, how to apply for a car loan or mortgage, and how to set up a retirement account for their future.
Suzan Nolan, an advisor to the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund, which is administered by The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, explained the rationale for the $400,000 gift: “Sarah understood that domestic violence statistics are not just numbers, but represent an often-hidden reality for many friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues. “Financing the Wellspring Sarah B. Foulke Support Center in her memory was a terrific way of making Sarah’s volunteer work live on. We hope that the new wing will be a beacon to everyone who needs to escape an abusive situation, a safe space where they can begin to rebuild shattered lives and dreams.”
Maggie Fronk, Wellspring’s longtime director adds, “We are grateful for the outstanding support we receive from this community, and knew our construction efforts were ‘worth it’ when a new client said, ’You walk into your new building and know that someone cared enough about you and this issue to make this building happen. You walk in here and feel like you matter. I have never felt safer.’ We are here for her, and everyone like her, 24/7.” Victims of abuse often come to Wellspring during times of crisis. During meetings they share deeply personal aspects of their lives during a difficult, vulnerable, and very emotional time. Wellspring’s Support Center offers comfortable, safe and soundproof rooms for these conversations.
Sometimes clients are at the Sarah B. Foulke Support Center for hours, or even all day. Wellspring offers childcare and supervised indoor and outdoor areas where kids can safely play, laugh and forget the trouble they might be experiencing. Wellspring’s new building also includes separate spaces for a food pantry and “free shopping” room that features practical items donated to Wellspring through the generosity of the community. Clients can start fresh with no-cost household essentials, such as dish sets and sheets, toiletries, cleaning supplies, school supplies, gift cards, and more, solving practical problems and making their own decisions – something they might not have been able to do in quite some time.
Wellspring’s new building can also host large conferences and smaller group meetings for presentations, programs and trainings. These publicly accessible events are attended by victim support groups, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, students from Skidmore and Saratoga County high schools, and others. Wellspring’s public trainings include Healing Through Creative Expression, Parenting with Mindfulness, and Workforce Development; the latter helps domestic violence survivors leave their abuser and find a reliable source of income for themselves and their children.
Anyone who finds themselves in an abusive situation at home can call Wellspring’s phone hotline for advice or immediate assistance, 24 hours per day, seven days a week, on 518-584-8188. The Wellspring Sarah B. Foulke Support Center is open from Monday through Thursday from 9am to 6pm, and Fridays from 8am to 5pm, and after-hours for classes like Project Hope and Power.
Through the 24/7 hotline, Wellspring is available anytime day or night on 518-584-8188 to help. Assistance may range from simply talking through options, to arranging a taxi ride to family court, to getting the victim (and children) to a safe prepaid hotel in the middle of the night until a personal meeting can take place.
Wellspring is the domestic violence and sexual assault services resource for Saratoga County residents. It provides emergency shelter, 24-hour telephone and online chat hotlines, counseling, long-term housing assistance, and much more. All services are free, non-judgmental and confidential. More information about Wellspring can be found online at www.wellspringcares.org.
