Child & Family Services would like to congratulate Lucy Tschachtli for her 30th anniversary at Haven House! The Agency hosted a celebration both in person and via Zoom for her on Wednesday, October 19. Joyful tears filled Lucy’s eyes as her friends and co-workers heaped praise upon her.
With 30 years of commitment to the C&FS mission, Lucy has truly contributed to the growth of the Agency. Upon learning how art can help domestic violence survivors heal from their trauma, Lucy was tasked with developing the Art Empowerment Program, which has grown exponentially through the years. Lucy also joined C&FS’ Counseling and Advocacy Program (CAP), where she still provides individual and group counseling.
“I wasn’t an artist, but no one else wanted to do it,” she laughed when describing how the Art Empowerment Program came to be. “The art program has become my baby.”
Over time, the care and dedication that Lucy put into the Art Empowerment Program led to its success. Lucy estimates that she has worked on thousands of art projects with survivors. “Lucy has touched the lives of so many survivors of domestic violence in ways that have been encouraging, healing, and transforming,” said Josie Houtsma, Supervisor of CAP. “She is not even done yet!”
While Lucy cared for the art itself, her true passion was always helping the survivors through their trauma. Her warmth and empathy helped build trusting relationships between Lucy and her clients. “Lucy has now saved me twice,” wrote one of Lucy’s clients. “She welcomed me back with no judgments. I do not know where I would be without Lucy and all the wonderful people of Haven House.”
Haven House is only as successful as its advocates, and Lucy is one of those individuals that makes the program rise to meet the needs of domestic violence survivors. “I cannot thank Lucy and everyone at Haven House enough,” said another Haven House client. “I hope to continue to use their services to weather the storm through my healing process.”
“Even during tough times, it has always been a joy to work here,” Lucy told her colleagues during her celebration. “It’s been my co-workers that have helped me through those tough times, and they’re the reason I stayed.”
The feeling is certainly mutual. Lucy is not only essential to advocating for Haven House clients, but she is also the first to give back to her co-workers, who think the world of her. “Lucy has touched the lives of so many clients, but she has also been a rock in our CAP program,” Josie said. “Her knowledge, guidance and compassion for staff is always readily available. You know if you see a piece of chocolate on your desk or a thoughtful note, chances are it was Lucy who thought about you.”
Thank you for your 30 years of service, Lucy!