SafeHouse Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Recognizing our Founders Kathleen M. Fojtik Stroud & Mali Resnik

As part of SafeHouse Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, we are proud to recognize Kathleen M. Fojtik Stroud & Mali Resnik with our 50th Anniversary Recognition for Founding Vision.

Kathy was among the early leaders who helped transform a grassroots response to domestic violence into the organization that would become SafeHouse Center.  In the 1970s, when few formal resources existed for survivors, she helped build a response centered on providing safety and support while also changing how the broader community understood and responded to domestic violence.

As an early leader and Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Project, Kathy helped develop services for survivors while advancing community education, professional training, advocacy, research, and collaboration among local agencies. Her work also extended into public service, including serving as a Washtenaw County Commissioner and as an early member of Michigan’s Crime Victims Compensation Board.

Kathy’s leadership helped establish not only an organization, but a stronger community response to domestic violence. The foundation she and other early advocates built made it possible for SafeHouse Center to grow and evolve over the five decades that followed.

We are deeply grateful for Kathy’s vision, determination, and pioneering leadership, and for the lasting role she played in building SafeHouse Center and advancing safety and support for survivors.

Mali was among the small group of women whose vision and determination helped create what would become SafeHouse Center. Her involvement grew from the emerging feminist movement of the early 1970s and a growing understanding that many women faced violence not only from strangers, but within their own homes and relationships.

While completing a social work internship at Planned Parenthood, Mali witnessed firsthand how few resources existed for survivors of domestic violence. After reaching out to community agencies seeking help for a woman experiencing abuse and finding no meaningful options, she recognized both the urgent need for specialized services and the willingness of people in the community to help create them.

Working with other committed women, Mali helped recruit volunteers, develop training and educational materials, seek funding, and build a network of support for survivors. What began as the Domestic Violence Project of the National Organization for Women became the independent Domestic Violence Project, Inc. in 1976, and Mali was one of three individuals who signed the organization’s Articles of Incorporation.

Mali’s commitment continued beyond those founding years. She later worked for SafeHouse Center, continuing to contribute directly to the organization and its mission, and has remained a supporter of the vital community resource she helped create.

Fifty years later, we are deeply grateful for Mali’s vision, determination, and enduring commitment to survivors. The organization she helped establish continues that work today as SafeHouse Center, providing safety, advocacy, and support to survivors throughout Washtenaw County.

Please join us as we celebrate all of our honorees at our 50th Anniversary Evening Celebration:

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 6:00–9:00 PM
Washtenaw Community College | Morris Lawrence Building

Tickets and event information are available here, and we hope to see you