
Around the holidays, people often ask what gift items they can donate to Hope House for the people we work with. Here is our holiday wish list:
- For Children and Teens: board games, arts and craft supplies, pajamas, slippers, jewelry, candy or chocolate, sports balls, winter outdoor toys and activities, gloves or mittens, socks, family-friendly DVDs and toys
- For Adults: area spa certificates, Walmart gift cards, gas cards, bathrobes, slippers, bath products, manicure/pedicure sets, coffee or tea, calendars or weekly planners, journals, gloves or mittens, socks and underwear
Please note that all items should be donated unwrapped. You may donate wrapping paper if you wish for parents to be able to wrap the presents for their children.
Monetary donations are most needed. Individuals have the option of donating online. Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees. Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl’s), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads. Please note that we are not accepting stuffed animals, clothes (except for sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include
- Bathrooms: Toilet paper, Deodorant, Small garbage cans, Nail clippers, Toilet bowl cleaner, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
- Kitchen: Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Paper towels, Silverware, Pots and pans, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
- Laundry: Laundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Liquid fabric softener
- Clothing for Women and Kids: Winter boots, Adult-size gloves/mittens, Socks, Women’s underwear, Medium-Large size pajamas, Sweatshirts and sweatpants
- Misc: Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs, New twin bed sheets
Special Note about Travel-Size Items: We encourage those looking to donate travel-size items to donate them to the Backpack Project. The Backpack Project strives to provide Baraboo School District students who are financially challenged to enter the school doors on the first day ‘just like everyone else’ and to show these children the community supports and encourages them to learn and do their best. If interested in donating towards this project, please contact Becky Hovde at 608-963-8230 or hivebiz@centurytel.net.
One of the presentations that Hope House offers for teens involves analyzing song lyrics for healthy and unhealthy messages about relationships. Students then take lyrics that are unhealthy and re-write them into a more positive message about relationships. Below are a few examples of what students recently wrote during a presentation to the Portage High School Sophomore English classes and the Montello High School health class.
News & Research Sexual Assault
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Domestic Violence
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Children & Youth
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- 'It's On Us' Week Of Action Aims To Raise Awareness Of College Sexual Assault: Check out the Bystander PSA here
- A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA: “Jackie was just starting her freshman year at the University of Virginia when she was brutally assaulted by seven men at a frat party. When she tried to hold them accountable, a whole new kind of abuse began”…Read more…Read related: University Of Virginia Suspends All Fraternities For 48 Days After Horrifying Gang Rape Accusations
- One Woman Tells Us What It’s Like To Be Raped—And Have Your Town Turn Against You: "These guys were star athletes—basketball players—and it seemed like everyone supported them. It didn’t take long for the blame to be put on me. The basketball coach even confronted me at a game once with his players in tow—including two of my attackers—and as a result I was thrown out of the game. And banned from campus. People I thought were my friends dropped me in a second to jump on the ‘FREE PARIS’ bandwagon—including some of my former roommates. There were flyers at school, kids wore T-shirts in his honor and even brought huge signs to his court appearances supporting him…I received threatening text messages from players and people I didn’t even know. I was harassed walking down the street"...Read more
Miscellaneous
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- Summer Schneller, 20, of Portage, has been charged with felony child abuse towards a 5-year-old boy in her care…Read more
- Ty Kearney, 21, of Rio, charged with felony second-degree sexual assault of a child...Read more
- Joey Hicks of Adams County was sentenced to 75 years in prison on multiple counts of child sexual assault...Read more
- Charles Siegler Jr., 31, sex offender living in Pardeeville, charged with felony child sexual assaults...Read more
- Kevin Knight, 58, of Baraboo, pleaded no contest to repeated child sexual assault...Read more
- Robert Tlusty, 28, Poynette, sentenced to 15 years in prison after receiving child pornography...Read more
- State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced this week that the state Department of Justice filed a petition under the state’s sexual predator law against Larry Whiteeagle, 68, of Juneau County...Read more
![]() Parents' & Youth Service Providers' Section - What Age Should My Kids Be Before I Let Them Use Instagram, Facebook, and Other Social Media Services?: “If your kid is expressing interest in joining a social network, discuss the pros and cons and do your own research so you fully understand the implications of joining a particular network. If you want your kid to wait to sign up, consider pointing him or her toward more age-appropriate sites such as Yoursphere or Fanlala. Kuddle is also a quality Instagram substitute...If your kid does end up joining a social network -- whether she's 10 or 16 -- here are some ground rules that work for many parents”…Read more - NSTeens Challenge is an online quiz for students in grades 5-8 that covers a number of Internet safety topics and teaches students how to be good digital citizens. The interactive quiz includes videos about different Internet safety concepts. After watching each video, students complete an activity that tests their understanding of the topic. - Bullying of Students with Disabilities Addressed in Guidance to America’s Schools: “If a student with a disability is being bullied, federal law requires schools to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate the issue and, as necessary, take steps to stop the bullying and prevent it from recurring”…Read more - Working with Youth who Experience Homelessness & Sexual Violence: (From the National Sexual Violence Resource Center) "Rural communities are unique and can shape the ways in which services are designed and delivered to youth who are homeless. This guide has three aims: (a) to provide an overview for the intersections between identity, trauma experiences, and resiliency among youth who are homeless; (b) to highlight core skills and techniques for advocates; and (c) to discuss how to tailor these skills in order to improve services for youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ)." - In New GoldieBlox Ad, Little Girls Smash The Idea That 'Beauty Is Perfection' - Bad Ad and Counter Ad Contests: The Media Literacy Project’s contests are for students in grades 6-12. The deadline is January 30. For the Bad Ad Contest, you find a bad ad in a magazine and write an essay about why it's inaccurate and/or offensive and how it could be better. For the Counter Ad Contest, you find an original ad and then recreate it to send a different message that is more accurate, humorous, and/or reveals untold stories. Winners for both contests receive $200 and runners-up receive $100! | ![]() - A Group Of 9-Year-Olds Share What They Don’t Like About Being Boys: “The list above comes from a 2012 workshop held by Jeff Perera, the community engagement manager for White Ribbon, an organization that works to stop violence against women by educating men and boys. Says Perera — ‘Boys are pressured to assert their masculinity and prove their manhood in everyday activities everyday all day. This leaves us with a world of boys and men pretending: trying to achieve an unattainable state of manhood’”…Read more - “Boys Know What Girls Want”: Messages in Popular Music: “Prevalent in so many of these songs are male artists’ claims to know what females want and what they need: a boldly presumptuous and dangerous message. How do they determine what a female wants if that female hasn’t communicated her wants, desires and needs to that male narrator?...One of the fundamentals of social justice education is helping students avoid the trap of assuming things about other people, including qualities, characteristics, beliefs, wants and needs…If you work with high school students in a capacity that offers an opportunity to do close textual analysis, consider using this activity as a way to help students investigate and question the messages behind these popular songs”…Read more - How White Parents Should Talk to Their Young Kids about Race: "White parents can also make kids’ in-group biases work for them: Point out that even though Lily has darker skin, she, too, seems to really like playing with dolls. The more similarities young kids see between themselves and children of other races, the more they may embrace them. That said, for older kids, it may be smarter to encourage kids to embrace racial differences, rather than to downplay these differences. A Northwestern University study found that when kids aged 8 to 11 were taught about diversity as a value, they were better able to detect evidence of racial discrimination than were kids who had been taught a 'color-blind' message. Pointing out how much diversity exists within races may help foster diversity acceptance, too"...Read more |

- 16 Days: From Peaceful Homes to a Peaceful World: The Faith Trust Institute is releasing a blog post for each day during the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence. The first post comes from Rev. Marie Fortune: “‘From Peaceful Homes to a Peaceful World’ is the theme of 16 Days. Take a moment to reflect on where we would be if the vibrant, curious girls of the world had been able to develop and grow as God intended. Imagine the things they could have accomplished had they been spared their suffering. Celebrate the amazing things we have accomplished, despite it all”...Read more
- 16 Days of Activism Resources: The ‘We Will Speak Out’ International Coalition has produced its first resource specific to the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The resource for prayer, reflection and action during the 16 days is available for use by individuals, churches and communities.
- Human Trafficking: Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery. It Ruins Lives. The Church Must Act: “‘The church cannot ignore this issue. We cannot be silent or pretend that this issue is not affecting our daughters, our sisters, our families and the most vulnerable of God’s children. We must begin to pay attention. Lives are at stake. Our churches cannot be silent. We are called to act,' said the Rev. Laura Easto"...Read more
- Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships Luncheons: Thanks to everyone that participated in the QPR Suicide Prevention luncheons on Nov. 12 and 19 in Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells. Debbie Millman and Liesa Zastrow from Columbia County Human Services trained over 50 people on recognizing the signs of suicide and on how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. More information about the next luncheon in late January coming soon!

- See the Signs: "The Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence are proud to announce the launch of this new bystander training program focused on employers and employees. Two other projects were funded: The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, focusing on children; and JWI, focusing on teens." Click here to see the training courses.
- SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach: This publication "introduces a concept of trauma and offers a framework for how an organization, system, service sector can become trauma-informed. Includes a definition of trauma (the three 'E's'), a definition of a trauma-informed approach (the four 'R's'), 6 key principles, and 10 implementation domains."
- OVC's Human Trafficking Website: "The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has launched its new mobile-friendly human trafficking Web site, which contains a wide range of information including resources and research from the Federal Government, publications and products from OVC, local and national direct assistance information, and related funding opportunities for victims and survivors of human trafficking, victim service providers, law enforcement, and allied professionals."