The Ravens on Thursday announced a three-year partnership with the House of Ruth Maryland, a shelter for battered women and children, and the deal includes a $600,000 donation "from the team, training for the players and staff and promotional work on behalf of the centers," according to a front-page piece by Childs Walker of the Baltimore SUN. House of Ruth Exec Dir Sandi Timmins said that as one of the "most visible institutions in the state, the team will provide an unprecedented opportunity to educate the community on issues that are too often buried." The Ravens reached out to the House of Ruth following RB Ray Rice's arrest on domestic violence charges this offseason. Timmins said that Ravens President Dick Cass contacted her "shortly after the NFL announced Rice's suspension last month." She then met with Cass and said that she was "impressed at his desire to understand all aspects of domestic violence and to find ways for the Ravens to make a sustained impact." Walker notes though the NFL has "given grants to player foundations that combat domestic violence, the league has never thrown its entire weight behind the cause as it has with the United Way or breast cancer awareness." The Ravens' partnership with House of Ruth "appears to represent a new level of commitment on the issue." Timmins said that it is "telling ... that the Ravens will begin with training sessions for their own players and staff on spotting signs of domestic violence and confronting it in the workplace." Timmins said that the team's $600,000 donation "will go directly to House of Ruth services such as emergency shelters, counseling, child therapy, legal services and the organization's gateway group program for abusers." Walker reports the timing of the announcement was "not directly tied" to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's new domestic violence policy (Baltimore SUN, 8/29).
