Working together to help survivors rise this giving season
This time of year always brings me back to a simple truth: safety and healing are community work. No one gets through violence alone, and no one rebuilds alone. We see that every day at Vista Rise Collective, formerly Live Violence Free. Safety isn’t just a personal issue; it’s something that shapes the well-being of the entire region. When survivors are safe, housed, and supported, the whole community becomes stronger.
This has been a year of transformation for our organization, powered by the people who call this place home. Our new name reflects what Tahoe has always understood: safety and healing are collective work. Vista is the moment of clarity when someone sees a path out of crisis. Rise is the process of reclaiming stability and healing. And Collective is the heart of it, because safety and long-term stability take all of us. This work has never belonged to one organization; it has always belonged to the community.
The need is unmistakable. This year, Vista Rise supported more than 6,000 community members. We answered 1,263 crisis calls, provided 1,895 therapy sessions, reached 2,359 young people with prevention education, and safely housed 151 survivors and children. These numbers tell one story: violence is preventable, healing is possible, and strong communities don’t leave survivors to do this alone.
Why Survivor Safety Matters to Everyone
When a survivor finds safety, the impact ripples outward. Neighborhoods stabilize. Children stay in school. Families remain housed. Employers retain workers. Law enforcement responds to fewer emergencies. Healthcare systems face fewer trauma-related crises. The cost of violence – financial, emotional, and generational – is enormous. But safety not only changes everything – it transforms.
Every emergency hotel night prevents another family from becoming unhoused. Every therapy session interrupts long-term trauma. Every youth prevention class disrupts the cycle before it starts.
This isn’t just crisis response, it’s community building.
How the Community Can Help Right Now
As we enter this giving season, a time when Tahoe consistently shows its kindness and shows up for one another, there are many ways to support survivors and families:
1. Give on Giving Tuesday – Help Us Raise $15,000
Giving Tuesday, the national day of generosity following Thanksgiving, is one of the most impactful giving moments of the year. Vista Rise aims to raise $15,000 to support crisis intervention and prevention. Every dollar directly strengthens community safety, from emergency hotel nights and grocery gift cards to youth prevention education and therapy.
2. Support Our Gift-A-Holiday Program
This year, we received a record 170 holiday wish lists from survivors and their children. Community members can choose an ornament, fulfill a wish list item or donate gift cards. It’s one of the most meaningful ways to make a difficult season feel a little lighter.
3. Make an End-of-Year Gift
Year-end giving keeps therapy accessible, funds 24/7 crisis response, supports safe housing options, and strengthens youth prevention programming. Community members can give through one-time or recurring gifts, employer matches, tribute donations, or non-cash assets such as donor-advised funds, vehicles, stocks, or property. Every contribution matters.
4. Volunteer Your Time
For many people, giving looks like showing up. Volunteers help with events, outreach, and program support during high-volume periods like Gift-A-Holiday. Your time directly strengthens safety and healing for local families.
A Safer Community Is a Stronger Community
For nearly fifty years, this community has stood with us. We’ve never been just an organization; we’ve been a community movement. We are deeply grateful for every neighbor, survivor, educator, business partner, donor, and volunteer who has moved this work forward.
As we enter the giving season, I’m asking our community to rise with us again. Violence doesn’t happen in isolation, and the solutions don’t either. When one person finds their vista – that moment of clarity and hope – the entire region rises with them.
Our vision is simple: a community where healing is possible, violence is preventable, and every person has a path to stability and a thriving future. Your support doesn’t just change a life, it strengthens the fabric of South Lake Tahoe community.
Join us. Learn more or support the work at vistarise.org
