Tandem Senior Attends Legislative Advocacy Day in Richmond with Tandem Alum

Tandem senior Elise Van Der Loo recently had the opportunity to attend Legislative Advocacy Day at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond on January 29. She attended with Tandem Friends alum Hannah Firdyiwek (TFS '08) and a small delegation of local women. Hannah currently works as the Prevention Services Coordinator at the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), a local nonprofit that works with victims of domestic/intimate partner violence and their families. As the Prevention Services Coordinator, Hannah's work focuses primarily on encouraging healthy relationships, increasing protective factors, and promoting positive youth development with youth in the area. Hannah has presented some healthy relationship programming to Tandem teens the past two years, which sparked Elise's interest in her work and Legislative Advocacy Day.
 
The purpose of the Advocacy Day trip was to gain an understanding of the legislative process, advocate for policies they feel strongly about, and potentially assist in the enactment of new bills over the coming year. The group spoke to Rob Bell and legislative aides from the offices of Creigh Deeds, Matthew Farris, and Sally Hudson, mainly talking about House Bill 1015, which is asking for 5 million dollars to expand prevention programs regarding domestic abuse and sexual assault. They also got to participate in a Sexual & Domestic Violence Advocates gathering in the Capitol House Gallery. What an educational experience!
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