Gwendolyn Britt Memorial Fund

History of the Fund: Honoring the Life & Legacy of Senator Gwendolyn Britt

On New Year's Eve 2007, Senator Britt spent all day at the Family Crisis Center of Prince George's County, Inc. facilities, touring its administrative offices and the Safe Passage Program Emergency Shelter Expansion Project, funded in part by her sponsorship through the Maryland State Bond Bill. In addition to emergency shelter for victims fleeing violence in the home, Mrs. Britt pledged her continuing official and unofficial support during the upcoming session to garner resources to help families impacted by domestic violence. Sadly, a few weeks later Mrs. Britt passed away.

In her honor, and to continue her life legacy "… to make a difference in the lives of others", The Gwendolyn Britt Memorial Fund was established in May 2008 by the Family Crisis Center to collect funds that will be used to provide emergency assistance to Survivors/Victims of domestic violence and their children, as they seek to re-establish a safe and healthy quality of life. The Fund will be administered by the Family Crisis Center and all donations will be 100% tax deductible as a charitable contribution.

To be eligible to apply for assistance through the Gwendolyn Britt Memorial Fund, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

• The applicant must be a survivor/victim of domestic violence (i.e. physical assault, stalking by an intimate partner, martial rape or sexual assault, etc.) receiving services from the Family Crisis Center of Prince George's County, Inc.
• The applicant must have exhausted all other community and social service means or resources available before seeking assistance from the Memorial Fund. Evidence or proof of those efforts is not a requirement for the application, though they may be requested by the Fund Review Committee.

Funds will be allocated in the following manner:

• Only the Family Crisis Center will have access to survivor/victim information. This information will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shared with donors, other agencies, organizations or individuals.
• Funds cannot and will not be distributed directly to the survivor/victim. If the applicant is approved to receive funding, assistance will be mailed directly to the company or agency where money is owed.
• This fund provides for immediate crisis needs that arise as a direct result of experiencing domestic violence. Assistance provided by this fund is not long-term or ongoing.
• The fund is designed to provide relief in the areas of survivor/victim support and services.
  • Survivor/Victim Support would include, but is not limited to: assistance with transportation, moving or relocation expenses, assistance with bills that the survivor/victim cannot pay due to loss of employment as a result of violence, or other hardship related to the assault.
  • Survivor/Victim Services would include, but are not limited to: care, such as advanced counseling/therapy or immediate medical needs, safe housing needs that cannot be met by the existing shelter program, providing a retainer for legal assistance for the survivor/victim.
• Contributions to the fund cannot be made for a specific survivor/victim; all funds will be made equally available to Fund recipients.