“All that you touch
You Change.
All that you Change
Changes you.
The only lasting truth
is Change.”
― Octavia E. Butler, excerpt from Parable of the Sower
Over the past few years, the Virginia Anti-Violence Project has grown in tremendous ways. Our staff has grown from two to six. Our services have grown to include free licensed therapy, accessibility in both Spanish and English, emergency services, and wellness-centered events. Our relationships with loving community have grown and continue to grow. We have all experienced the joys, messy lessons, hopes, and opportunities that change has brought. At this point of transition, we are welcoming all that and more, as our first Program Director, Stacie Vecchietti, resigns from her position at VAVP. We wish her well on her journey, with gratitude for the changes Stacie and her stewardship have nurtured.
Most of all, we hope to navigate this leadership transition as a true opportunity to live into our organizational values, especially essential in both the context of a toxic political climate that promotes evil, violence, and oppression and in the context of the United States’ long histories of antiblack, colonial, racist, heterosexist, and transphobic violence. VAVP is committed to showing up for and with our community to end white, cisgender supremacy, knowing that addressing root causes is key to ending violence. We do this work knowing that our communities are resilient and deserve to see themselves reflected in leadership, especially those of our community who are most systematically marginalized. We honor the legacies of all who have contributed to the present manifestation of VAVP, and we look forward with excitement about what (and who) is to come, our future program shifts, and strategic planning to sustain and support our diverse LGBTQ+ communities in healthy, healing, and loving ways. It is our truth that with change, we can shape the future we want.
With the understanding that change and transition can bring up a variety of emotions, VAVP encourages individuals with any questions or thoughts related to this transition to directly connect with us as a resource for community support. VAVP can be reached at info@virginiaavp.org or 804-925-9242.