Founder of Domestic Violence Center Earns ‘Remarkable’ Honor: Remona Sanders MSW ’17
When Remona Sanders MSW ’17 founded Inellas Restoration Center to help victims of domestic violence, her motivation came from a very personal place.
“I knew I wanted to work with victims because my mom was a victim,” Sanders said. “She didn’t have services or intervention like we have now. As a young person, I saw that there was nowhere my mom could go. I always said, ‘When I become an adult, I want to make sure there is a place victims can go to be safe.’”
Marriage, children and a corporate job delayed these plans. Eventually, though, Sanders returned to college to study social work and she chose Dominican University for graduate school.
A DU internship at a domestic violence shelter only intensified her desire to work with victims and survivors.
“I saw the need—the need for buildings and shelters for victims to escape to,” Sanders said. “I listened to the stories and the trauma they experienced, and I spoke with the children who were fearful and afraid, but felt safe for the first time.”
In 2019, Sanders opened Inellas, named for her grandmother, in Maywood. The nonprofit center, which marked its fifth anniversary this year, offers weekly support groups, court advocacy, case management services (including job and job training referrals) and educational programs, such as a course in healthy relationships for teens at local high schools.
Inellas also provides “emergency hotel” housing when space in a shelter is unavailable. In the future, Sanders would like to see plans for a transitional housing center come to fruition.
Earlier this year, Sanders’ work earned her the title of 2024 Remarkable Woman from WGN News. The recognition had a positive impact on Inellas, which saw a jump in web visits and calls from interested volunteers in the days following Sanders’ television appearance as a finalist for the award.
“I’m just grateful it’s getting the exposure, and hopefully we’ll get even more help to build the organization,” she said.