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Empowerment Gala: Voices for Safety

Sun, 05 Apr

|

Springfield Civic Center

Enjoy an evening of inspiring speeches and performances advocating for safety and empowerment.

Tickets are not on sale
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Empowerment Gala: Voices for Safety
Empowerment Gala: Voices for Safety

Time & Location

05 Apr 2026, 2:25 pm – 4:25 pm

Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, IL 62701, USA

About the event

An annual gala supporting safety tech.

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Why the Lighthouse Hub Exists - The Founder's Story

 

The Lighthouse Hub was founded from lived experience of domestic and family violence, stalking and technology-facilitated abuse.

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There was a period in my life when safety no longer felt simple. I began receiving strange messages and account alerts. Some messages suggested my location was known. My online accounts were being targeted. I found myself checking my phone, my car, my home and my surroundings, trying to understand how someone could know where I had been.

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It is difficult to explain what that does to your sense of safety.

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You stop moving through the world normally. You start scanning, questioning and checking everything. You wonder whether your phone is safe. Whether your car is safe. Whether your home is safe. Whether your children are safe.

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My daughter felt that fear too.

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As a parent, that was one of the hardest parts. It is one thing to feel afraid yourself. It is another thing entirely to see your child feel unsafe and to feel helpless in trying to protect them.

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Eventually, a tracking device was located in my vehicle.

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That experience made something very clear to me: technology-facilitated abuse does not just create fear. It creates an evidence problem, a safety problem and a funding problem.

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I was able to install cameras around my home, and that made a real difference. They helped restore some sense of safety. They helped me feel like I had a way to see what was happening around me and take practical steps to protect my family.

But I could not afford everything that was needed. Dash cameras, vehicle checks, device checks and other safety technologies can be expensive. At the very time I needed practical safety tools, cost became another barrier.

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My support worker tried to find funding for dash cameras. But because it could not be proved who was responsible, I did not meet the requirements for victim support funding. Even then, I was told there could be a wait of up to 12 months.

That does not help when safety is needed now.

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This is the gap The Lighthouse Hub was created to help fill.

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Victim-survivors are often expected to provide evidence of stalking, surveillance or technology-facilitated abuse before meaningful action can be taken. But the tools that may help detect, document or respond to that behaviour are often expensive and difficult to access.

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The Lighthouse Hub works with established frontline organisations to help fund practical safety technologies for the people they support. This may include home security cameras, dash cameras, vehicle checks and device checks.

We are not a crisis service. We do not provide counselling, legal advice or case management. Our role is to support the organisations already working directly with victim-survivors by helping make safety technology more accessible when cost would otherwise stand in the way.

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The Lighthouse Hub exists because safety should not depend on whether someone can afford the tools that may help protect them.

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It exists because a 12-month wait does not help someone who feels unsafe today.

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And it exists to help light the way when safety feels out of reach.

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