The Path of Hope Foundation, started in 2012 as a joint venture between the Salvation Army in Western Australia and the Rotary Club of Perth, provides safe accommodation for those escaping family violence. It also offers guidance and resources to help families overcome trauma and rebuild their lives. Members of the Perth club raise funds and volunteer at the Perth centre.
The idea for Path of Hope came in 2008 when two friends volunteered at a Salvation Army women’s safe house in Perth. One of the women, Rebecca Tolstoy AM, became a member of the Rotary Club of Perth in 2011, and with the support of the club and the guidance from Salvation Army leaders, she developed a strategy to support the Salvation Army’s work with survivors of domestic violence. In 2013 Path of Hope was launched as a formal collaboration between the two charities.
Today, Path of Hope is an international organisation fighting domestic violence globally. It has been endorsed by the United Nations in New York and Geneva and recognised for the unique partnership between the two charities. Path of Hope has raised awareness on the global issue of family and domestic violence. By working with their local communities, governments, business leaders and service providers, they are directing change in our local communities and helping break the cycle of inter-generational family and domestic violence.
Path of Hope deploys the organisational capacity of Rotarians to support the Salvation Army, as well as other agencies and services that provide safety and empowerment to women and their children who
are escaping family and domestic violence.
“Every dollar or every hour volunteered helps us achieve our goal of breaking the cycle of domestic violence,” Path of Hope Foundation Director Rebecca Tolstoy said.
As well as being appointed as a Member in the Order of Australia, Rebecca has received numerous awards for her work with Path of Hope, including the Rotary International Significant Achievement Award in 2014.
“Rebecca has been dedicated for more than a decade to serve the needs of families that are dealing with abuse,” Rotary International Secretary John Hewko said. “Her leadership has contributed to making Path of Hope a meaningful program that serves a need. It is a model for the Rotary motto of Service Above Self and she is a servant leader.”