During the 2023-24 fiscal year that ended June 1, the anti-domestic violence nonprofit Peace House provided 5,259 nights of safety for 185 adults and children in its emergency shelter.
In addition, it provided 821 hours of clinical therapy to children and adults; 7,433 nights of transitional housing, and the 24-hour help line gave support and resources to 1,468 people.
For these reasons, Peace House hosts its annual Spring Luncheon and fundraiser.
This year’s event will be held on Thursday, March 20, at the Promontory Double Deer Club, said Kate Margolis, Peace House philanthropy committee head.
“We have a goal of raising $375,000,” she said. “The money will go to our programs, including our shelter that runs 365 days a year, 24-hours a day, that is saving so many lives.”
Matching grants totaling $50,000 from the Marriott Daughters Foundation and Cheri and Scott Beck will help Peace House reach that goal, Margolis said.
“We couldn’t do this without them,” she said. “We have already had so many generous donors step up to the plate.”
Doors to the luncheon will open at 10:45 a.m. with appetizers and drinks, according to Margolis.
“The doors to the luncheon will open at 11:10 a.m., and the program starts at 11:30 a.m.,” she said.
Peace House Executive Director Wyckoff will make some remarks before handing the microphone over to this year’s keynote speaker, Leah Moses.
“We’re very excited to have her,” Margolis said. “She is truly an advocate and has turned her own personal tragedy into triumph for the whole domestic-violence community.”
Moses had filed for a divorce from her abusive ex-husband and licensed psychologist Parth Gandhi in 2009, and the divorce was granted in 2014.
That’s when the real battle began, Margolis said.
Moses fought for custody of her son, Om, for nearly 10 years and was granted custody in April 2023. Three weeks later, over Mother’s Day weekend, Gandhi murdered Om and committed suicide.
“I remember hearing about the story and reading it in the news,” she said. “It chills me to the bone.”
Court records and police reports show the extent of Gandhi’s abuse to the point where Moses obtained two protective orders against him in 2009 and 2011.
“Her ex husband was incredibly abusive during their marriage, and unfortunately the end result happened after their marriage,” Margolis said. “This happens so much in domestic-violence relationships. Even after you leave, especially when you have children, a true abuser will find ways to control you through your children. And as soon as Leah got custody, that’s when he lost control over her. So he committed this heinous crime.”
From that day, Moses became an advocate. Om’s Law, named after her son, went into effect July 2023.
Om’s Law prioritizes child safety in custody decisions and requires judges to consider evidence of domestic violence raised in those cases.
It also requires law enforcement officers to conduct lethality assessments when responding to reports of domestic violence between intimate partners, including submitting results to the Department of Public Safety, said Peace House director of community engagement and major gifts.
“Every law enforcement officer is required to conduct a lethality assessment when responding to a domestic violence dispute,” she said. “There are 11 questions that they are required to ask. And a ‘yes’ to the first three means that the officer must call a domestic-violence shelter and a hotline counselor and put the phone in the hands of the person who is being abused.”
The assessment includes additional questions, and if the victim answers yes to a certain number of them, the police must follow the phone-call protocol, according to Tauber.
“That has increased the number of people Peace House sees who come in for services,” she said. “We have received a 65% increase in lethality assessment referrals in fiscal year 2023 and 2024.”
In addition to hearing from Moses, Peace House Luncheon attendees will honor longtime advocate and board member Polly Strasser, Margolis said.
“Polly has been a great member of our board who has given her heart and soul to the fundraising committee she headed for so many years,” she said. “She’s made huge strides for us in fundraising, and we’re so sad to see her go. So, we are thrilled she’s going to be at the luncheon and (that) her friends are going to be there. And I know the board members will be there to cheer her on.”
Margolis is also grateful to Promontory for its continued partnership with Peace House to hold the luncheon at the Double Deer Club.
“It’s been a huge gift because (when) we started holding the luncheon, we did it in the gym of St. Mary’s Catholic Church many years ago,” she said. “As it became our tradition, our financial need has increased greatly. So, to bring the spring luncheon to a place like the Double Deer Club that is beautiful and well-run, is amazing for us.”
Margolis is also grateful to the event’s lead sponsor Park City Mountain in partnership with Vail Resorts EpicPromise.
“We are so grateful to the generosity of the community for their support for all of this,” she said. “Domestic violence is really complicated to understand, and I think (having) speakers who’ve experienced domestic abuse really puts a human face to this incredibly complicated and tragic situation. “
Peace House Spring Luncheon: ‘One Voice, Many Lives’
- When: 10:45 a.m., Thursday, March 20
- Where: Promontory Double Deer Club, 6347 Nicklaus Valley Rd.
- Registration: peacehouse.org/event/spring-luncheon-2025
- If you have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault, call the organization’s 24/7 helpline at 800-647-9161