BY Rose Marie Gai

UW News Lab

Eastside Domestic Violence Program’s World of Hope auction Saturday, May 5 will mark its 30th anniversary of advocating for victims of domestic violence and providing services to facilitate their safety.

“Not only do we want to fill the Meydenbauer Center to celebrate 30 years of service, but we are making a major announcement that signifies where our agency has been and where we are headed in the future,” said Barbara Langdon, executive director of EVDP, in a press release.

The event will include a four-course gourmet dinner paired with fine wines as well as a live auction featuring a number of special items.

These include a dinner party at the home of New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance, along with 30 friends. An autographed copy of Jance’s newest book, “Left for Dead,” will be a take-home remembrance of the evening.

An item for the sports lover is a Seattle Sounders private suite for the winning bidder and 17 friends. This experience will include food, DeLille Cellars wines and team gear; it was donated by Sounders President Peter McLoughlin.

Eastside Domestic Violence Program (EDVP) is a nonprofit agency that provides counseling, legal advocacy, emergency shelter and services for people who are victims of domestic violence. It handles 10,000 crisis-line calls a year and provides direct services to nearly 5,000 victims annually, according to Kelly Becker, development director for EDVP.

“Domestic violence is the No. 1 reason that women and children are homeless,” said Becker.

With the downturn in the economy and as resources have decreased across the country, the agency is providing services to victims for a longer duration than in the past.

Sarah Steininger, the agency’s community program director, said in a recent radio news story that “the economic times have increased the demands for our services. Domestic violence is happening and in some cases the stress of a challenging economy will exacerbate existing domestic violence in people’s relationships. If someone has lost their job, they’re not going to have the resources to leave their abusive partner on their own.”

The program depends on funds generated from the World of Hope Auction because of increased need.

According to Becker, “100 percent of our donations at our event will go to providing life-saving services to protect victims and children in our community.”

For more information about tickets to the World of Hope Auction, visit www.edvp.org or call 425-562-8840, ext. 249.

Rose Marie Gai is a student in the University of Washington Communication Department News Laboratory.