Harper House recently held its 9th annual gift drive for the The Family Place, the largest family violence service provider in the Dallas area. The Family Place reaches out to thousands of victims of family violence each year with award-winning programs that keep women and
children safe.

"We started helping out with The Family Place in 2001," said Barbara Weber, organizer of the effort at Harper House, "I saw first-hand how The Family Place made a difference in the lives of two people in particular and I became a believer."

The gifts that are collected make their way to The Family Place, where they are put on display in a "store". There, parents are invited to come in, select their gifts, and take the gifts back home to their children. The Family Place also hosts a Christmas Eve party where even more gifts are distributed to families.

For 30 years, The Family Place's mission to end the epidemic of family violence has remained constant. They believe that intervention, emergency shelter, and crisis counseling for all victims–women, children and men–will save lives and that transitional housing and case management will transform lives for the better.

Every Christmas since 2001, Harper House has collected donated gifts for the Family Place, and this year's contribution was stellar, despite the tough economy.