#GivingTuesday is November 29th!  After a weekend of holiday shopping and spending, a new day has been created to take a moment to give back.  #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.  As a new charitable organization, Forget Me Not Advocacy Group, is currently 100% funded by your generosity.  It is through you, that we are able to build our Group one brick at a time in order to bring change to our world.  

If you are a follower of my blog, which doubles as Forget Me Not Advocacy Group’s web page, then you know my story.  If you are new to it, I’d like to introduce you to how this blog, and Forget Me Not, came into being.

I am a survivor of a 16-year abusive relationship and marriage.  I come from a great home, loving parents, and close friends.  I met my husband in high school and we started dating just shy of my 16th birthday.  I loved him with all my heart.  He was my world and I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him.  

The signs were all there, but I refused to see them.  Instead, I excused his behavior and lied to myself and others to cover up his actions.  We married when I was 21 and his abusive behavior, both emotional and physical, began to get worse.  Soon, there was nothing left of the girl I used to be.  It took me a long time to realize that leaving was the best option and it was one of the most difficult decisions of my life.  

For years I struggled with my own feelings, and didn’t understand how to live with myself and for myself.  It took a lot of friends, therapy, and personal determination to make it to where I am today.  Blogging ultimately became an integral part of my personal journey to healing.  The blog later blossomed into a book, Forget Me Not, Learning to Live With Me and For Me, and the book became the inspiration for Forget Me Not Advocacy Group.  Forget Me Not Advocacy Group is focused on stopping domestic violence before it starts, through education and community awareness, while supporting those who are healing from abuse.  

In April of 2016, we received our 501(c)3 status.  We now have a strong Board of Directors, hold a peer counseling group, have developed and given workshops on teen dating violence and abuse, and have held a number of community events to raise awareness and support happy and strong families.  From candlelight vigils, speaking engagements, and information tables at events, to family bike rides, chalk art events, and art in the part, we focus on age-appropriate and community-based situations where individuals can get the tools they need to recognize and avoid abuse.  This is important to would-be victims, current victims, and “outsiders” alike.  

As we move into 2017 we are negotiating for our own space where we can hold events, workshops, groups, and classes; are scheduling outside workshops in community centers like the YMCA; are planning our first ever Teen Dating Violence Awareness Event; and are building our base of volunteers so we can reach even more in our community and beyond.

Personally, and in conjunction with Forget Me Not Advocacy Group, I am scheduled speak at three large events in Florida as a survivor and an advocate against domestic violence.  A list of speaking engagements can be found on amydaumit.com and forgetmenotgroup.org.  It is my goal to share my story with as many as will listen, through writing and speaking, to help bring domestic violence out of the shadows.

So, as we enter into the end of 2016, we would love you to consider Forget Me Not Advocacy Group in your charitable giving.  You can give through PayPal on #GivingTuesday, and all month long, and PayPal will give 100% of your donation directly to Forget Me Not.  Additionally, as my thanks to you, I’m offering a free ebook version of Forget Me Not, Learning to Live With Me and For Me, to anyone donating to Forget Me Not Advocacy Group on #GivingTuesday.  

Please check out forgetmenotgroup.org for more information on Forget Me Not Advocacy Group and all of our upcoming events.  I invite you to contact us with any questions you may have and let us know if you would like us to provide a speaker or workshop in your area.  Thank you and Happy Holidays!