From the first hotline being established in 1976 by our Founding Mothers, to the acquisition of an emergency shelter, and the expansion of staff, programs and fundraising opportunities, Laurel House had come a long way by the time 2015 rolled around…and we had no intention of slowing down!

In 2015, Laurel House added on two new fundraisers: Walk a Mile in Her Shoes ® and Drag Show Bingo. 

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes ® was already a nationwide event in which men were encouraged to walk one mile in women’s high heels to raise funds and awareness for domestic abuse and sexual violence. This very popular event is held each year and really proves what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes! 

Drag Show Bingo is another successful event added onto the latter half of the year. This event helped us reach out to the LGBTQ community and bring awareness to our services. Although it isn’t talked about as much as heterosexual domestic abuse, this community is impacted just the same. Offering an event like Bingo helps to extend our reach so that this segment of our community doesn’t have to suffer in silence.  

During this same time, new satellite locations were added throughout Montgomery County to assist clients who needed our help but didn’t have the ability to drive far distances for it. Having locations throughout the county helped us reach as many people who needed help as possible. 

We raised enough funds in 2017 to open Nicole’s Place, a satellite office in Huntingdon Valley. Nicole’s Place was named in memory of Nicole Rhoads Peppelman, who lost her life due to domestic violence. Counseling, crisis response, and community programs are offered to the Eastern part of the county at this location.

With all of the expansion we had seen over the last few decades, it became clear that our base of operations needed more space. That same year, we moved our Administrative and Outreach office from Norristown to East Norriton. The next year, we added a full time Paralegal and Attorney to our staff.  In 2019, a new building was purchased in Lansdale with the hopes of transitioning our emergency shelter there in the very near future. As long as there is a need for our services, we will do our very best to meet that need!