by: Precious Love Elva Thompson Founder/President, Precious Hearts Foundation, Incorporation

A victim of domestic violence and abuse can look like anyone, and be anywhere…even right next door to you. One woman has made it her personal mission to tackle domestic violence wherever she may find it, and provide a hand of help to victims seeking a way out.

Her name is Elva Thompson, but she also goes by ‘Precious Love.’ The youngest of eight siblings, she was raised in Harrisburg, PA, She recalls her childhood as rather typical, although her mother was left to raise the family alone after her father left the country to follow his spiritual pursuits. Her mother’s humility, grace and strength made her family a happy one.

Her personal connection to the subject of domestic violence runs deep. A relationship that started when she was 15—with a man who would later become her husband—turned violent only months in, and shocked her into silence. Despite the abuse and his controlling ways, she tried to make it work, and they would have three children together—now between the ages of 18 and 23. A desire to spare them the emotional toll of living in such an environment gave her the drive she needed to leave her abusive husband and start a life of her own. She viewed her own self-sufficiency as the key to regaining her power as a woman and a mother.

She went to school, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English, and an Associates Degree in Medical Editing. She began a business called Georgia Editing Services, LLC, which provides medical and general editorial services to a variety of clients. She also started her own publishing firm called, Esquire Publications.

But her proudest accomplishment (besides her family, of course) is a charitable foundation she formed to aid and provide resources for victims of domestic abuse. Determined to assist those who are in the same situation she was in for so long, she founded Precious Hearts Foundation, Inc., which helps victims of abuse by providing temporary shelter with hotel vouchers, as well as working with shelters across the US to help victims regroup when facing difficult situations.  Precious Hearts Foundation provide meals, clothing, and counseling, with expansion in Spring of 2012 of obtaining transitional housing, workshops, and seminars on surviving abusive relationships.
‘Precious Love’ said it is important for victims of domestic abuse to know that there is a way out of the situation.  She offers this advice to abused men and women “always have a backup plan; have a bag packed with extra clothing; go to the authorities and always have a safe haven.” She goes on to state “if you have kids leave immediately or it only gets worse.”

Precious Love has some advice for those wanting to help a victim of domestic abuse:

• Listen. Be a confidante. Be a source of comfort.
• Convince them to tell. You can put together a list of shelters and agencies in your area that specialize in helping victims of abuse.
• Let them know they don’t have to go it alone. If they need someone to go with them when they make a police report or enter a shelter, be there for them.
• Make sure they understand that things won’t get better if they stay. Abusers rarely if ever change their behavior on their own. No matter how much a victim might want them to change; they cannot and will not change without counseling and professional help.

Ms. Thompson warns anyone in a relationship with an abusive person (especially someone in a long-term relationship with one, who may be contemplating marriage to their abuser) to RUN and not walk away from this relationship and never look back. Things will not get better, and may—on the contrary—get worse once you make a commitment to them. For more information on Precious Hearts Foundation visit the website at www.PreciousHeartsFoundation.org and to speak to an advocate 24/7 helpline 1-877-731-2210.  To purchase Elva “Precious Love” Thompson’s testimony, ‘A Mother’s Cry’ or the testimony of men who have been victims, ‘Battered Secrets: MEN of Domestic Violence’ visit her publishing firms website at www.EsquirePublications.com.