(Joplin, MO) – Lafayette House is grateful to announce a $10,000 grant from The Bramlage and Willcoxon Foundation to fund its Welcome Basket and Welcome to Your Home Basket programs. The award will reach survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance use disorders, along with their children, at two of the most important moments in their journey: the day they arrive at Lafayette House and the day they move into a home of their own. Lafayette House anticipates that these resources will have a ripple effect, strengthening the safety, stability, and healing of survivors, their children, and the communities they call home.
For many survivors, arriving at shelter means arriving with almost nothing. Some leave in the middle of the night with only the clothes they are wearing, often with frightened children beside them. Each Welcome Basket includes personal care items such as soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products, along with comfort items like a journal, a small blanket or comfort item for children, and a handwritten welcome note from Lafayette House staff. With this funding, Lafayette House will ensure that every survivor who walks through our doors receives a Welcome Basket.
The Welcome to Your Home Basket supports clients as they leave shelter and move into independent housing. Moving into a new home is one of the most hopeful steps a survivor takes, and it is also one of the most vulnerable. When the practical barriers of starting over feel overwhelming, the risk of returning to an unsafe relationship grows. Each basket includes cleaning supplies, dish soap, laundry detergent, bathroom supplies, and basic kitchen staples, ensuring that every client who moves from shelter into a home of their own has what they need to establish a safe and stable home.
“When someone walks through our doors after surviving violence, the first thing they need to know is that they are safe and that they matter,” said Susan Hickam, CEO of Lafayette House. “A Welcome Basket says that before anyone has to say a word. It is a simple gift with an enormous message: you are seen, you are valued, and you are not alone. The Bramlage and Willcoxon Foundation’s generosity reaches far beyond the items placed in each basket. It helps create the safety, stability, and hope survivors need to begin rebuilding their lives. We are profoundly grateful for their kindness and their belief in the people we serve.”
“Some people give because they are asked. The Bramlage and Willcoxon Foundation gives because they genuinely care about the people of this community, and I have seen that firsthand,” said Eli Moran, Chief Strategy Officer at Lafayette House. “The people behind this foundation are true philanthropists in every sense of the word. Their generosity comes from the heart, and it shows in how deeply they care about the lives they touch. Think about a child holding a blanket that is finally theirs, in a place where they can finally sleep without fear. That moment can be the difference between a survivor going back and a survivor moving forward, and in our work, that difference saves lives. We are profoundly grateful to the foundation for its generosity, its compassion, and its belief that every person who walks through our doors deserves to be met with dignity and love.”
The Welcome Basket programs reflect the foundation’s focus on health, education, and children. Basic personal care items are foundational to a survivor’s ability to stabilize, engage with services, and begin healing. A stable home helps children maintain consistent school attendance and avoid the educational disruptions that so often follow housing instability. With most Lafayette House clients arriving with children, every basket is also an investment in the youngest survivors in southwest Missouri.
For nearly three decades, The Bramlage and Willcoxon Foundation has made a lasting difference in the lives of people throughout our community. Rooted in foundations established by the Bramlage and Willcoxon families in 1997, the foundation has built an excellent record of thoughtful, generous philanthropy, helping local organizations meet real needs and expand what is possible for the people they serve. In the philanthropic spirit of Fred and Dorothy Bramlage, the foundation strives to improve the lives of the people and communities it touches by focusing on health, education, and children, supporting the efforts of individuals and communities to realize their hopes and dreams while celebrating the legacy of Fred and Dorothy Bramlage and Robert and Dorothy Willcoxon.
Lafayette House has served Southwest Missouri for 48 years and remains one of the region’s most trusted resources for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance use disorders. Partnerships like this one make it possible for Lafayette House to meet survivors with both expert care and genuine compassion, reflecting a community-wide commitment to ensuring no one in the seven-county region has to begin again alone.
About Lafayette House:
Lafayette House is a private non-profit organization serving adults, children, and families experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or substance use disorders. The organization serves 1,200 people each year from a seven-county area in southwest Missouri.
Reference:
Chelsea Conley, Chief Development Officer
Lafayette House
417.782.1772
chelseaconley@lafayettehouse.org
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