Village of Oakcreek Association hosts 60 people during March 21 event
SEDONA, Ariz. — The Village of Oakcreek Association (VOCA) recently announced their pancake breakfast in March raised more than $1,000 for Verde Valley Sanctuary (VVS), a local nonprofit that has served survivors of domestic and sexual violence for more than 30 years.
The pancake breakfast, held at VOCA, 690 Bell Rock Blvd., was attended by approximately 60 people with a $5 minimum donation required for pancakes, coffee and mimosas. The event sold raffle tickets for $10 and prizes were aplenty.
Avalon Rogus, a volunteer at VVS’ Twice Nice Thriftique in Sedona, 1225 W. State Route 89A, is part of the VOCA Social Committee and said she enjoyed the event.
“We thought this event for the [Verde Valley] Sanctuary would show that the Village cares too,” Rogus said about VVS’ mission, which is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
“The Village of Oakcreek Association is happy to help support [Verde Valley] Sanctuary and is so grateful for all the services they provide,” Rogus said.
VOCA Community Association Manager Laura Malone stated that her community loves to support local nonprofits, and her eyes were opened to what VVS is doing currently for its community.
“The residents of the Village of Oakcreek are consistently generous in their support for local nonprofits,” Malone said in a statement. “It truly reinforces the idea that it takes a village to support our community.”
VVS began in 1993 as a grassroots organization of women who were concerned about domestic violence in their community. The original group of volunteers began taking crisis calls in their homes and transporting victims of abuse to the nearest shelters more than 50 miles away in Flagstaff, Prescott and Phoenix. Thanks to generous donations from the community, VVS opened the first domestic violence shelter in the Verde Valley. Since then, VVS has strategically expanded and now offers comprehensive services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in both residential and community-based formats.
In fiscal year 2024-25, VVS provided services to more than 1,500 survivors of domestic and sexual assault, including nearly 9,500 bed nights provided and almost 1,300 crisis hotline calls answered, a 28% increase from the previous year.
“We are grateful for organizations like the Village of Oakcreek Association who for no other reason other than they care about their community, host small events like this to raise money for a great cause,” VVS Development and Communications Director Brian Bergner said. “There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer, and we appreciate VOCA’s thoughtfulness in hosting this event to raise money for survivors.
VVS offers a 28-bed pet-friendly emergency shelter, a 24-7-365 crisis hotline, transitional housing with match savings program, lay legal and community-based advocacy, and youth violence prevention education.
For more information about VVS, visit VerdeValleySanctuary.org. If interested in donating, reach out to Bergner at 928-821-9409, or email Brian@VerdeValleySanctuary.org.
If interested in joining the VOCA Social Committee, reach out to Malone at LMalone@vocaonline.com.
About
Verde Valley Sanctuary’s mission is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The agency began in 1993 as a grassroots organization with a leased modular home that slept six and has grown into a 28-bed emergency shelter with transitional housing options, lay legal advocacy services, community-based advocacy support, a 24/7/365 crisis hotline (928-634-2511) and a staff that takes pride in its youth violence prevention education and public outreach and awareness. VVS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit