When you think of Options, you might picture an advocate answering the crisis line, someone sitting beside a survivor in court, or a safe place to stay during one of life’s most difficult moments. While those moments are certainly part of what we do, they only tell a small part of the story.
Behind every phone call answered, every safety plan created, every training presented, and every survivor supported is an entire team of people working together – many of whom you may never meet.
Some of us work directly with survivors every day. Others spend their time writing grants, balancing budgets, organizing volunteers, coordinating community partners, managing technology, or making sure the lights stay on and the bills get paid. Every role is different, but every role exists for the same reason: to ensure survivors have access to compassionate, high-quality services whenever they need them.
We thought it would be good to reintroduce ourselves. Welcome to the Hays office!
The People You’ll Probably Meet First
If you’ve ever walked through the doors of our Hays office or called our hotline, chances are you’ve met Alese, our Outreach Advocate.
Alese believes one of the most important parts of advocacy happens in the very first conversation.
“My role isn’t to overwhelm survivors with information or focus on what could have been done differently. Survivors carry enough blame and judgment already. I value my connections with others and establishing that initial safety when they contact us.”
As an advocate, Alese helps survivors understand their options, connect with resources, develop safety plans, and simply reminds them that they are not alone.
She also facilitates our domestic violence support group – a place where survivors can connect with others who understand their experiences.
“Support groups create opportunities for connection and understanding,” she explains. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of the most resilient people I’ve ever encountered. Abuse can have an incredible impact on someone’s life, but the strength of survivors is even greater.”
If you are interested in joining our Domestic Violence Support Group in Hays, please feel free to contact Alese at Alese@help4abuse.org or by calling our office at 785-625-4202.
One thing Alese hopes everyone knows?
Our services are free, confidential, and voluntary. Calling Options doesn’t mean you’re required to leave an abusive relationship, report to law enforcement, or make any decisions before you’re ready.
“The most rewarding part of my job is the connections I make with the people I meet,” she said. “It’s not only the survivors I have the privilege of working with, but also their children, families, community members, mental health professionals, volunteers, and other individuals who are part of their support system. Every connection is an opportunity to provide support, build trust, and help someone.”
Just down the hall is someone almost every staff member knows by name.
Actually…
Everyone knows her by name.
“Ravin!“
As our Operations Specialist, Ravin jokes that hearing her name called throughout the day is simply part of the job.
Technology issue? Ravin.
Need office supplies? Ravin.
Maintenance request? Ravin.
Question about a form? Also Ravin.
Her official responsibilities include everything from paying bills and handling maintenance requests to ordering supplies and keeping the organization running smoothly.
“I do a little bit of everything to help keep the ship afloat,” she says.
Although she doesn’t work directly with survivors every day, she recognizes that every meal ordered, every hotel bill paid, every office stocked, and every welcoming waiting room contributes to someone feeling safe and cared for.
“I love that every day is different,” she says. “Even behind the scenes, my work helps make sure survivors have what they need.”
(And yes – if you’re wondering – she’s also a self-proclaimed fantasy nerd who loves Dungeons & Dragons, epic fantasy novels, and anything involving dragons, quests, or magical worlds. She’s currently reading “Eldritch” by Kerri Lake.)
The Team Behind the Team
When people imagine victim services, they often picture advocates sitting beside survivors.
What they don’t always picture are spreadsheets.
Lots…
and lots…
of spreadsheets.
Thankfully, Amy, our Program Coordinator, likes them more than most people – at least we hope she does.
Amy serves as the connection point between grants, reporting, programming, and the staff carrying out the work every day.
She laughs that while “numbers numbering” may not sound exciting, every statistic tells a very human story.
“Each data point represents a real person in a complex situation,” she explains. “The information helps us understand where needs exist, what services are working, and where we need to grow.”
Grant reporting may seem tedious, but those reports are what allow organizations like Options to continue receiving funding to serve survivors throughout northwest Kansas.
Every brochure distributed.
Every meal provided.
Every hour of advocacy.
Every safety plan.
It all matters.
“I can’t purchase pens or a jar of pickles without ensuring that it is billed to the correct grant and I can’t give a client a moment of support or a meal without recording it,” she says. “Every grant-funded brochure that goes out the door with clients should be tracked. I don’t think people realize helping victims of abuse and crime is so data heavy, but if we want to continue to receive grants that allow us to help clients, we must track and report statistics as accurately as possible.”
Amy doesn’t just “do numbers” – she often serves as a touchpoint for advice, internal processes, and pep talks. She is also an incredible artist that mostly works with watercolor and oil (yes, Options hired an artist to track numbers), and she has many chickens, cats, and turkeys.
Just as Amy tracks the numbers, Kiley, our Accountant, makes sure those numbers keep moving in the right direction.
Working remotely, Kiley may not be in the Hays office every day, but she says she is connected to the area.
“Having been raised in a small town, I know how difficult it can be for folks to get access to services,” she says. “In order to accurately report the dollars, I also have to deeply understand each project and how they differ. I also feel passionate about the work we do; everyone should have access to healing, hope, and practical solutions.”
Regardless of where she crunches the numbers, her work impacts every county we serve.
“Our grants are primarily reimbursement-based,” she explains. “That means we often provide services first and are reimbursed later. My job is making sure we have the cash flow to continue meeting survivors’ needs.”
She puts it simply:
“Every dollar represents a person. Every dollar advances our mission.”
Behind every financial report, grant reimbursement, payroll submission, and audit is the ability to continue providing services without interruption.
For Kiley, accounting isn’t just about balancing budgets. It’s about making sure hope never has to wait.
Another person working tirelessly behind the scenes is Dawn, our Development Director.
While many people associate fundraising with galas or asking for donations, Dawn sees her work differently.
“I get to connect people with something they care deeply about.”
Her role is finding where someone’s passion for building a safer community intersects with Options’ mission.
Community support isn’t simply appreciated – it is essential.
Federal and state grants fund much of our work, but those grants often require local matching dollars.
Without local donors, those grants disappear.
Without those grants…
many survivor services disappear too.
“Two dollars of every ten it takes to provide shelter, advocacy, food, and safety comes directly from the generosity of people in northwest Kansas,” Dawn explains.
She also says one thing consistently stands out when meeting donors:
“So many have been personally touched by abuse,” she says. “It may be their teen, their mother, their cousin – but it is someone. One in four women and one in 10 men have been directly affected by abuse. It is not a distant problem. Donors like you and I know the need.”
For Dawn, fundraising isn’t about asking.
It’s about inviting people to become part of the solution.
Speaking of community…
If you’ve attended one of our events, volunteered with us, seen one of our social media posts, or admired one of our brochures…
You’ve probably already experienced Katie’s work.
As Volunteer Specialist, Katie describes herself as a bridge between our communities and the survivors we serve.
Volunteers sometimes help us to answer phones, organize donations, prepare shelter supplies, assist with events, complete maintenance projects, and make it possible for advocates to spend more time serving survivors.
Their impact is enormous.
Katie says it best:
“Volunteer support reminds our team that the work we do is valued – and that we’re not alone dreaming of and working toward safety and dignity for all people.”
And, in her own words, here is just how impactful volunteers are for Options:
“I’ll take any chance I get to remind folks that we’re a grant-and-donor-funded non-profit organization open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” she says. “We serve 18 counties across northwest Kansas, spanning nearly 17,000 square miles, with only 28 staff members. Our staff work holidays, weekends, and overnight shifts, traveling hundreds of miles each week to ensure survivors have access to advocacy and support. Volunteer time means our phones are answered while staff are in meetings. It means we’re able to attend an event in the furthest corners of the smallest town in our service area. It means advocates can meet with survivors while someone else preps for a community presentation. It means our shelter garage stays organized so staff and survivors can quickly find clothing, bedding, and hygiene items. It means we don’t have to put a handyman on the payroll. That’s the impact people like YOU have.”
In addition to coordinating volunteers, Katie manages much of our outreach and marketing.
Why?
Because difficult conversations deserve thoughtful communication.
“We work with people experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking. Those aren’t easy conversations – but they’re conversations our communities need to have. Creating pathways out of those realities is part of our mission.”
She also wants people to know something important:
“We’re human.”
Sometimes that means laughing together.
Sometimes it means posting silly staff photos.
Sometimes it means showing that the people doing this work are approachable, compassionate, and ready to help.
“Being relatable matters. If someone sees us as real people who care deeply about this work, they may feel more comfortable reaching out for help, donating, becoming a partner, or volunteering. We take this work seriously, but we aren’t scary people because of the work we do. We’re here, we’re working hard, we’re not going anywhere, and when someone needs help, we want them to know they can come to us.”
Building Better Systems
Some of our work doesn’t happen inside the office at all.
It happens around conference tables, inside hospitals, at sheriff’s offices, in classrooms, and across entire communities.
As Community Engagement and Sexual Violence Response Coordinator, Anniston spends much of her time helping communities strengthen their response to sexual violence.
Rather than working with only one agency, she works with many.
Law enforcement.
Healthcare providers.
Schools.
Prosecutors.
Victim advocates.
Community organizations.
The goal is collaboration.
One major part of that work involves building Sexual Assault Response Teams, or SARTs.
When agencies understand one another’s roles and communicate effectively, survivors encounter fewer barriers, receive more coordinated care, and spend less time navigating confusing systems alone.
“The goal is creating a community and culture where survivors are believed, supported, and able to access the help they need,” Anniston says.
But creating safer communities doesn’t begin after an assault occurs.
It begins with education.
Whether speaking to students, presenting professional trainings, or organizing awareness events, Anniston hopes people leave with a better understanding of consent, healthy relationships, trauma, and the role each of us plays in preventing violence.
Sexual assault is far more pervasive than many people realize. Most survivors know the person who harmed them, yet harmful myths continue to shape the way our culture talks about sexual violence. Misconceptions about what “real” assault looks like, how a survivor “should” respond, or who is affected can create additional barriers for those seeking help.
Through education and outreach, Anniston hopes to replace those myths with understanding.
“The conversations aren’t about creating fear,” she explains. “They’re about creating communities where people know how to support survivors, challenge harmful attitudes, and help prevent violence before it happens.”
In addition to partner work, Anniston facilitates a Sexual Assault Support Group every Saturday at Fort Hays State University, providing college-aged survivors with a confidential space to connect with others who understand their experiences. During the fall and spring semesters, she also partners with the university’s Health and Wellness Department to lead a Healthy Relationships Support Group, helping students build community, process their experiences, and continue their healing journey.
Support groups, she says, serve as an important reminder that healing doesn’t have to happen alone.
Another initiative Anniston has been excited to bring to northwest Kansas is SafeBar.
The free training program partners with local bars, restaurants, and hospitality staff to help recognize warning signs of harassment, domestic violence, sexual violence, and trafficking. Participants learn practical ways to safely intervene, respond compassionately when someone discloses an assault, and connect patrons with local resources.
Every trained bartender, server, manager, and security staff member becomes another set of eyes looking out for the safety of their community.
It’s another example of what makes Anniston’s role unique.
While much of her work happens behind the scenes, each partnership formed, each training delivered, and each conversation started helps build a stronger, more compassionate response for survivors throughout northwest Kansas. If you are interested in connecting with Anniston about support group, a training, or a presentation, please contact her by emailing anniston@help4abuse.org or calling 785-625-4202.
Working alongside these efforts is Isaac, our High Risk Team Coordinator.
Isaac works with survivors facing some of the highest levels of danger from intimate partner violence.
His work includes coordinating High-Risk Teams, supporting survivors identified as being at increased risk for lethal violence, and partnering with law enforcement agencies to implement lethality assessment protocols.
“I serve as the primary point of contact for survivors identified as high-risk cases, coordinating and assisting in high-risk case management,” he says. “That’s a lot of high-risk to work through in my day-to-day, so I rely heavily upon the Options advocacy teams at the Hays and Colby Offices, and the 24-hour response by our dedicated Shelter House. My daily routine is rarely consistent, and that comes with the territory. Survivor cases are complex and determining the right time to leave and act upon leaving lay solely with the survivor.”
The Ellis County Lethality Assessment Protocol (Ellis County LAP) is a protocol that Isaac has been working with officers to expand and implement not just in Ellis County, but service-areawide.
“Lethality assessments help identify serious safety risks,” he explains. “They create an opportunity for immediate safety planning and connect survivors with advocacy.”
Here’s how that protocol works, in Isaac’s words:
“The Ellis County LAP contains 17 questions, assisting law enforcement and the survivor to contact Options for immediate and strategic safety planning. The questions are a request and require VOLUNTARY survivor involvement. The officer does this by using trauma-informed language to bridge the survivor’s understanding of their situation with the risks found by investigators. This procedure takes place following their immediate crisis response, in a safe location away from the perpetrator.”
Isaac compares advocacy to an antivirus program repairing damage after a computer virus.
Abuse changes how people see themselves and their circumstances. Advocacy helps survivors begin reclaiming that sense of safety and autonomy.
He also wants communities to understand that domestic violence is often much more dangerous than people realize.
Physical violence doesn’t always begin with bruises.
Sometimes it begins with isolation.
Control.
Threats.
Fear.
Recognizing those warning signs can save lives.
Supporting the People Who Support Survivors
Every advocate needs support, too.
That’s where Meagan, our Director of Client Services, comes in.
Or perhaps…
We’ll let someone closer to her explain.
Specifically…
Her cat.
Meagan is a very busy person and was unable to respond to our interview questions in time – but luckily, Barry (the self-appointed Feline Supervisor) was willing to step in on her behalf.
When asked what Meagan actually does, Barry offered this explanation:
“She spends her days making sure the advocates have what they need to help survivors. She’s always solving problems, answering questions, helping with grants, attending meetings, and making sure things keep moving.”
As it turns out, Barry is a surprisingly reliable source.
Meagan oversees much of the organization’s day-to-day operations, supports advocates across our service area, helps coordinate programs, develops partnerships, and somehow still finds time to step in as an advocate herself when needed. Much of her work happens behind the scenes, coaching staff through difficult situations, removing barriers before they become problems, and making sure survivors receive the highest quality care possible.
Barry would also like everyone to know that Meagan’s office is what he describes as “an excellent napping habitat.” Between the books, art, plants, blankets, coloring supplies, tiny collectibles, and approximately one thousand favorite pens, he believes she has unintentionally created “the perfect orange cat enrichment environment.”
When informed that the room was actually designed to help staff, volunteers, and survivors feel comfortable, Barry remained unconvinced. He maintains that at least 40% of the décor exists specifically for him.
While Barry insists his own responsibilities include keyboard inspections, mandatory counter-sitting breaks, and loudly reminding Meagan when it’s nearly dinner time, his observations highlight something important.
Supporting survivors also means supporting advocates.
Strong advocates need strong leadership.
And strong leadership occasionally means reminding your staff to go home, take care of themselves, and keep their own cups full before they spend another day caring for others.
Even if that leadership occasionally includes an orange cat sitting on the keyboard.
Leading the Mission
At the center of all of this is Jennifer, our Executive Director.
She describes her role simply.
“Everyone else at Options takes care of survivors,” she says. “My job is to take care of Options.”
That means overseeing finances, grants, strategic planning, community partnerships, organizational growth, and ensuring staff have everything they need to focus on survivors.
Jennifer believes the organization’s greatest strength isn’t a program.
It isn’t a building.
It isn’t even a service.
“Our greatest strength is our people.”
Serving 18 counties across northwest Kansas means thinking creatively every single day.
Advocates drive hundreds of miles. Staff coordinate across multiple counties. Community partners work together despite long distances.
Options has never viewed “rural” as a limitation.
Instead, it’s become one of the organization’s greatest strengths. When resources are limited, creativity, collaboration, and relationships become even more important – and Jennifer says that’s exactly where the Options team shines.
Looking ahead, she’s excited about what’s next.
From exploring a new facility that could bring emergency shelter, offices, and transitional housing together under one roof to expanding services for survivors of trafficking and exploitation, Jennifer sees tremendous opportunity for growth. But more than any building or new program, she’s excited about the people who make those goals possible.
“We’ve invested deeply in our culture and our people,” she says. “When your people are strong, everything else becomes possible.”
Ask Jennifer what has kept her in this work, though, and the answer isn’t strategic plans or fundraising.
It’s survivors.
Watching someone arrive carrying fear and uncertainty, then leave months later carrying confidence, hope, and a plan for their future is something she says never stops being extraordinary.
Because at the end of every grant application, every budget meeting, every partnership, and every organizational decision is the same purpose that brings the entire team together:
Making sure every survivor who reaches out to Options finds safety, support, and someone who believes them.
We’ve learned to make it our strength.
And Finally… Our Four-Legged Team Members
No introduction to the Hays office would be complete without mentioning Fonzie, our certified therapy dog.
According to Fonzie’s button board, his primary responsibilities include:
[WORK] [LOVE YOU] [FRIEND] [TREAT]
Which, honestly, might be the simplest description of our mission we’ve ever heard.
He greets visitors.
Provides comfort during difficult moments.
Supervises meetings from underneath conference tables.
And occasionally reminds staff that snack breaks are an important part of workplace wellness.
(He remains in ongoing negotiations regarding the office hotdog budget.)
Of course, Fonzie isn’t our only four-legged coworker.
There’s also Bear – Isaac’s impossibly fluffy Pomeranian and devoted sidekick.
While Bear isn’t technically a therapy dog, he has quietly become part of the heart of the Hays office. If Isaac is moving, Bear is usually close behind, greeting visitors with enthusiastic tail wags, keeping a watchful eye on the front door, and making sure no one goes too long without smiling.
Whether he’s napping in a sunny spot, making the rounds for pets, or simply reminding us to pause for a moment in the middle of a busy day, Bear has a special way of brightening the office for staff, community partners, and survivors alike.
After all, healing can come in many forms.
More Than a Workplace
Looking around our Hays office, it’s easy to notice how different each person’s role is.
One person manages grants.
Another manages volunteers.
Another coordinates community partnerships.
Someone balances budgets.
Someone answers crisis calls.
Someone builds safety protocols.
Someone greets visitors with a wagging tail.
Different jobs, different skills, one mission.
Every person at Options contributes to creating a place where survivors are believed, supported, and empowered to make the choices that are right for them.
The best part?
Our team is still growing.
As our organization continues to expand to meet the needs of survivors across northwest Kansas, we’re currently looking for compassionate, dedicated people to join us. At the time of this writing, we’re hiring for a Community Advocate and a Family Advocate in the Hays office – two roles that will work directly alongside survivors as they navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
If this blog sparked your interest, or if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work at Options, we encourage you to visit our website to learn more about our current openings. You can find the most up-to-date employment opportunities, position descriptions, and application information on our Join Us – Employment Opportunities page.
Whether you know us from a presentation, a fundraiser, a volunteer project, a hotline call, a community event, or simply because you’ve seen us around town, we hope this gives you a better picture of who we are.
We’re neighbors.
We’re advocates.
We’re accountants.
Artists.
Writers.
Volunteers.
Coffee drinkers.
Fantasy readers.
Dog lovers.
Cat supervisors.
Community builders.
And maybe…
Future coworkers.
But most of all:
We’re here.
And whenever someone in northwest Kansas needs us, we’ll continue showing up – together.
If you need any additional information, have a question, or have a concern, feel free to reach out to Options at our 24-hour toll-free helpline 800-794-4624. You can also reach an advocate via text by texting HOPE to 847411 or clicking 24-Hour Chat with Options.
Written by Anniston Weber
This grant project is supported by the State General Fund for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, sub-grant number 26-SGF-07, as administered by the Kansas Governor’s Grants Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Kansas Governor.