Volunteer Spotlight: Rick D

Rick Dougherty just hit his one-year anniversary on the blog team at BTSADV.  He was named Volunteer of the Month twice, and received a President’s Bronze Volunteer Service Award in 2021.  Rick is embarking on his biggest project yet, as he prepares to walk all 620-miles of the Ireland Way in June and July.  In addition to the physical, mental, and spiritual purposes for this pilgrimage, he is also trying to raise money and awareness for BTSADV. 

Rick grew up in a home with an abusive father.  As an athlete, marathoner, and now hiker, Rick has made it a personal goal to show than men can be strong and traditionally masculine, without exhibiting the traits of toxic masculinity.  He has worked or does work for multiple professional sports teams; spent over a decade in sports radio; and has spent over a decade in rock radio.  Rick wants to prove that strong men treat women with respect.

(This picture is from a recent 20-mile hike in Fort Christmas, Florida.)
break the silence against domestic violence
BreakTheSilenceDV

Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence (BTSADV) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence beyond crisis. BTSADV focuses on long-term healing through financial assistance programs, scholarships, survivor retreats, advocacy initiatives, and a national support line. The organization works to amplify survivor voices, raise awareness about coercive control and systemic failures, and help break generational cycles of abuse through education, outreach, and community engagement.

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