DVIP/RVAP is marking its 47th anniversary this week with a fundraiser at Big Grove Brewery & Taproom in Iowa City. The three-hour “Birthday Bingo Bash” is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
“It is events like this that not only raise funds for our work but also allow the community to show survivors that they are believed and supported,” Alta Medea, the nonprofit’s co-executive director said in a statement. “Forty-seven years is an incredible milestone for our agency, and we look forward to a night of laughter, celebration, and amazing prizes!”
DVIP/RVAP — the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and the Rape Victim Advocacy Program — provides support for victim-survivors in Johnson, Iowa, Cedar, Des Moines, Henry, Lee, Van Buren and Washington counties. Its services include 24/7 hotlines, shelter, safety planning, advocacy, trauma-informed counseling and emergency pet programs.
DVIP grew out of an initiative launched by the University of Iowa’s Women’s Resource and Action Center in the late 1970s. It opened its first shelter for people threatened by domestic violence in 1980, and now covers eight counties in southeastern Iowa — Johnson, Iowa, Cedar, Des Moines, Henry, Lee, Van Buren and Washington. In 2014, when the University of Iowa decided that after five decades it would no longer house the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, the program joined with DVIP.
Wednesday night’s fundraiser is a collaboration between DVIP/RVAP, Big Grove and Iowa City-based Bitchin’ Events. Big Grove will be releasing a new beer at the event, and “purchase [of the new beer] will support victim-survivors,” according to DVIP/RVAP.
Tickets will be available at the door for $10. Each ticket comes with a bingo card, and additional bingo cards will be available for $5.
Tiara Phillips of Bitchin’ Events will run the bingo at the bash, and players will have chances to win a wide range of prizes donated to support the work of DVIP/RVAP. Prize include tickets to upcoming shows (including Lucinda Williams at the Englert and SIX, a musical about the wives of King Henry VIII, at Hancher), a cat house from Mosaic, a bundle of gift cards to Iowa City restaurants, Big Grove swag and a neon sign, as well as a bundle of signed books by local authors from Prairie Lights. One winner will receive a special gift donated by Lisa and David Bluder.
All proceeds from the Birthday Bingo Bash go to support victim-survivors in the eight-county area DVIP/RVAP serves.
“We are so excited to celebrate our history, our advocacy, and our commitment to supporting victim-survivors with our community,” Alta Medea said about Wednesday’s event.
The nonprofit continues to see the need for its services grow. According to the most recent data published on DVIP/RVAP’s site, during fiscal year 2025, it assisted 3,490 individuals in need of help and provided shelter for 656. That’s a substantial increase from fiscal year 2024, when DVIP/RVAP assisted 2,563 people overall and provided shelter for 368.
Anyone in need of DVIP/RVAP’s services can contact it through dvipiowa.org or by calling 1-800-373-1043 or 1-800-228-1625.
