After being on the receiving end of countless domestic violence calls as a Jersey City 911 dispatcher, one New Jersey woman is looking to give back to victims of abuse.
Kelly Deal, a 911 dispatch for the Jersey City Emergency Dispatch, the agency that sends emergency responders to 911 calls throughout the city, has recently started a donation box to gather clothing, toys, and other necessities for single mothers in need.
As of now, Deal has already collected over $1,000 dollars in donations for mothers who were victims of domestic violence. The donations will go to WomenRising, a New Jersey organization that will help distribute the money to victims in Jersey City. They only thing she wishes she would’ve done differently was start earlier.
“I would have started (collecting donations) as early as Thanksgiving,” Deal said. “It felt really good to help these families.”
Along with her coworkers, Deal is used to being on the end of disturbing calls from women who are victims of domestic violence and trapped in their abusive relationships.
“We send so many calls to women in the process of a domestic violence relationship that the fact that there is a place like (WomenRising) where you can get the tools to help yourself and break the cycle of violence – it just felt really good (to help),” Deal said.
“And I really thought it would make the people who take those calls feel a lot better to know we can help somehow,” she added.
Deal hopes that her effort will lead to more work being done to serve those who have been through an abusive relationship.
Lily works part time at 911-Operator.Org as a blogger and digital consultant. She graduated from a tiny university in Ohio but you wouldn’t know it from the chip on her shoulder. When she’s not helping small businesses getting up and running on the world wide web she can be found relentlessly shopping at Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table.