Right now, YWCA Spokane's 24-hour Intimate Partner Domestic Violence Helpline is ringing more than it ever has. We're on track to receive 6,000 calls this year, nearly 2,000 more calls than last year.

One phone call can change everything. And one did for a survivor named Makayla.

Like so many who contact us, she first interacted with YWCA Spokane in a moment of despair.

"I didn't have a word for what was going on, so I thought I had to fix it," she told me. For years, she desperately searched for answers through therapy and couples counseling, to explain why she felt like she was losing herself.

“I had so many thoughts at that time: I don’t want this life. How do I get out of this life? I can’t take it anymore,” Makayla said.

Then came that pivotal moment. The one that changes everything for survivors.

Makayla found our number online and called our 24-hour Intimate Partner Domestic Violence Helpline. When she explained what was happening, our advocate said one simple phrase: "You called the right place."

"I couldn't believe it," Makayla told me. "They stayed on the phone with me as long as I needed, and for the first time I was able to get so much out."

For the first time, someone told her: "It's not your fault. You don't deserve this. You're not alone."

That single phone call became Makayla's entry point to healing. Through that conversation, she was connected to our advocacy services and support groups. She found safety planning resources and comprehensive care that helped her reclaim her life.

This is why that one call matters so much.

Our helpline is the first step through the gateway to safety and transformation. It's where confusion becomes clarity. Where isolation becomes connection. Where despair becomes hope.

Makayla’s story is one of so, so many. When someone finally finds the courage to reach out for help with domestic violence, we have to act right away. Because we know that one call can change everything. That’s why the helpline always has to be answered, and why there is always a trained advocate on the other end.

That's what your support makes possible. Just $25 covers the cost of a single call to the 24-hour emergency helpline, and ensures that when someone finds the courage to call, we answer.

Every. Single. Time.

And $25 doesn't just fund a phone conversation. It funds the moment everything changes. The moment someone experiencing intimate partner domestic violence hears "You called the right place."

The moment they learn they're not alone. The moment they take their first step toward reclaiming their life from the abuse that has previously defined it.

"The YWCA gave me a team—a team of individuals that helped with protection, finding a safe place to grow as Makayla, and showing who I am to society without fear of being negated. That was so beneficial for my healing, and still is,” Makayla said. "I love my life now... and most of all, I love her. Me, Makayla."

By sharing this need with your network and recruiting others to cover a $25 helpline call, you can amplify your impact far beyond what any of us could achieve alone.

With your help, we can ensure that every one of the 6,000 expected calls this year is met with the response every survivor deserves: Dignity, respect, and expertise from a trained professional.