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Empty Hand Open Heart

@emptyhandopenheart

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North Texas based nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking through free self-defense training❤️‍🩹

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We’re honored to be featured in two editions of City Lifestyle Magazine: Plano and Allen! This article highlights the work our nonprofit Empty Hand Open Heart does and also mentions our dojo East Plano Martial Arts!

Thank you @citylifestyle @planocitylifestyle @allencitylifestyle for helping us highlight our mission❤️You can read the article on their website!

Article written by Minuki Medis and Michele Dunham (two of our EHOH board members and EPMA black belt instructors!) taken in East Plano Martial Arts by @emptyhandopenheart

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We are Empty Hand Open Heart! Scroll through to learn more about our mission and what we do❤️ by @emptyhandopenheart

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For 11 years, Tracy Dickey has walked into DFW’s shelters not just to teach — but to restore.

With the calm presence of a 5th-degree black belt and the heart of someone who’s served thousands, she offers something deeper than technique: a grounded sense of safety survivors can feel.

It’s not just about self-defense. It’s about trust. About helping survivors remember what it feels like to take up space, to breathe freely, to know they’re not alone.

This is her mission. This is our calling.

This #NorthTexasGivingDay, stand with us in building spaces of safety and strength — one class, one survivor, one moment at a time. ❤️

Visit the 🔗 in bio to schedule your donation today and be part of someone’s transformation. ❤️

#EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart #DFW #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #NorthTexasGivingDay #SurvivorStrong #HealingInAction taken in East Plano Martial Arts by @emptyhandopenheart

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

This month, we want to share a few reminders that we believe everyone deserves to hear. Abuse isn’t always visible, and you don’t need bruises for your pain to be valid. No one deserves to be hurt, and you are never responsible for someone else’s choice to hurt you.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please know that support is available. You don’t have to go through it alone.

📞 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
💜 Learn more about Empty Hand Open Heart and our free training programs at EmptyHandOpenHeart.org.

Let’s continue to spread awareness, support survivors, and remind people that they are not alone.

Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline

#domesticviolenceawarenessmonth #dvam #emptyhandopenheart #ehoh #domesticviolence by @emptyhandopenheart

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Giving Day ends. The mission continues. ❤️

Because of this community, Empty Hand, Open Heart raised $1,775 through North Texas Giving Day.

To every person who gave, shared a post, told a friend, or helped more people discover our mission, thank you.

Your support helps us move forward with needs that directly strengthen the work we bring into shelters and communities across DFW, including:

❤️ Travel mats so we can bring self-defense classes into shelters and community spaces
❤️ Uniforms and training materials for our programs
❤️ Personal safety items, including keychain alarms
❤️ Home-safety resources, such as door locks and Ring-style cameras, for women transitioning from shelters
❤️ Operating support that helps us continue showing up, building partnerships, and expanding our reach

North Texas Giving Day may be over, but this work happens all year long.

So what comes next? Stay connected.

Sign up for our newsletter to receive program updates, stories from the mission, upcoming opportunities, and ways you can continue supporting Empty Hand, Open Heart throughout the year.

Use the link in our bio to visit our website and schedule your monthly gift.

Thank you for helping us carry this mission beyond Giving Day. The momentum continues because our community continues. ❤️

#NorthTexasGivingDay #DFW #NorthTexas

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

Giving Day Gratitude | Mission Continues | Travel Mats | Survivor Support | Community Programs | Year-Round Support | Stay Connected | #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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Thank you, North Texas. ❤️

North Texas Giving Day may be behind us, but the impact of a community choosing to show up for one another continues.

To everyone who donated, shared our posts, told a friend about our mission, or helped us reach someone new, thank you.

Your support helps Empty Hand, Open Heart continue bringing self-defense training, practical resources, community partnerships, and empowering opportunities to women and families throughout DFW.

And this work doesn’t happen on just one day of the year.

There are classes to bring into shelters, travel mats and training materials to provide, community relationships to strengthen, and more opportunities to help people reconnect with confidence and strength. ❤️

North Texas Giving Day may be over, but you can continue supporting Empty Hand, Open Heart throughout the year. Visit emptyhandopenheart.org to schedule a recurring gift or send us a DM to learn about extended volunteer opportunities.

We’re grateful to have you walking alongside this mission.

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

Gratitude | Year-Round Giving | Community Support | Survivor Empowerment | Self-Defense Training | DFW Nonprofit | Keep the Mission Moving | #NorthTexasGivingDay #DFW #NorthTexas #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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Today is the day! ❤️ North Texas Giving Day is here.

Today, our community has an opportunity to come together and help keep meaningful local work moving forward.

At Empty Hand, Open Heart, your support helps us continue bringing self-defense and martial arts programming into shelters and communities throughout DFW, while providing the practical tools and resources that help us show up prepared.

That includes priorities like travel mats for shelter-based classes, uniforms and training materials, personal safety items, home-safety resources, and the operating support that keeps our programs going.

Every gift is a way to say: this work matters, and we want to help it continue. ❤️

If you’ve been waiting to give, today is the day. Make your North Texas Giving Day gift to Empty Hand, Open Heart through the link in our bio before Giving Day ends tonight.

Give. Share. Invite someone else to stand with our mission.

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

North Texas Giving Day | Give Today | Survivor Empowerment | Self-Defense Training | Travel Mats | Community Support | DFW Nonprofit | #NorthTexasGivingDay #DFW #NorthTexas #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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Today, we’re sharing the story behind what your support helps make possible. ❤️

Every item on our North Texas Giving Day wish list connects to a real part of the work Empty Hand, Open Heart does with survivors, shelters, and communities across DFW.

One of our biggest priorities right now is travel mats for self-defense classes. These mats help us bring training directly into shelters and community spaces, giving women a more practical and comfortable place to learn, move, practice, and build confidence.

Your support can also help provide uniforms and training materials, keychain alarms and other personal safety items, and operating expenses that keep our programs running.

For women preparing to leave shelters, we also hope to provide practical home-safety resources such as door locks and Ring-style cameras as another layer of support as they move into a new chapter.

And sometimes care looks softer. It can mean sharing lunch, offering a pedicure, or creating a moment where a woman can feel seen, valued, and cared for. ❤️

This is what your support can help fund: training, practical resources, moments of dignity, and the ability to keep showing up.

Tomorrow is North Texas Giving Day! Please return to give and help us support our mission.

Every gift helps us continue bringing resources, encouragement, and empowering opportunities into the communities we serve.

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

Travel Mats | Survivor Support | Self-Defense Training | Home Safety Resources | Practical Support | Community Care | North Texas Giving Day | #NorthTexasGivingDay #DFW #NorthTexas #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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Momentum grows through relationships. ❤️

This Momentum Monday, we’re celebrating the community connections that help Empty Hand, Open Heart reach more people in meaningful ways.

Through relationships with the
@localgoodcenter
I Go Help
@newbeginningsfamilyservices
@emilysplacetx
@jimriley_outreach
local law enforcement, and other community partners, new opportunities continue to open for us to serve.

One of those opportunities is working with older youth in the foster care system. We’re beginning to bring programming to this community and exploring ways to connect interested youth with future karate classes.

For us, expanding our reach isn’t about growing for the sake of growing. It’s about meeting people where they are, building trusted relationships, and creating more opportunities for confidence, discipline, connection, and personal growth. ❤️

That’s what momentum looks like: one relationship, one class, and one new opportunity at a time.

Early giving for North Texas Giving Day is underway. Give today through the link in our bio, or support Empty Hand, Open Heart on North Texas Giving Day, September 17.

Your support helps us continue building programs and partnerships that allow this mission to reach more of our DFW community.

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

Momentum Monday | Community Partnerships | Foster Youth | Karate Programs | Youth Empowerment | Community Outreach | Building Confidence | #NorthTexasGivingDay #DFW #NorthTexas #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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Awareness can be a bridge to help. ❤️

So many people don’t realize how many resources exist in our own community until they or someone they love needs them.

Part of our work at Empty Hand, Open Heart is helping connect people with support beyond what we provide ourselves. That means knowing our community partners, understanding what resources are available, and helping spread that information.

Organizations like The Turning Point are part of a larger network of resources available to survivors across North Texas.

Because sometimes the first step is simply knowing where to turn. ❤️

As North Texas Giving Day approaches, we’re working to continue providing empowering programs, practical resources, and connections to support throughout our DFW community.

Early giving is now open, which means you can support this work today. Make your gift now through the link in our bio, or support Empty Hand, Open Heart on North Texas Giving Day, September 17. ❤️

Your support helps us keep showing up, sharing resources, and creating opportunities for women to reconnect with their strength.

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

Survivor Resources | Community Awareness | Early Giving | Women’s Empowerment | DFW Resources | Self-Defense | Local Support | #NorthTexasGivingDay #DFW #NorthTexas #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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Strong communities are built through connection. ❤️

At Empty Hand, Open Heart, we believe part of serving well means making sure our community knows we’re here.

That’s why we continue building relationships with local nonprofits, community leaders, and law enforcement — so when someone is looking for additional self-defense resources or support, there is another place they can turn.

These connections help create stronger pathways between the people who encounter a need and the organizations equipped to help meet it.

Because no one organization can do everything alone. It takes a community willing to communicate, collaborate, and show up for one another. ❤️

Early giving for North Texas Giving Day is open, which means you can support our mission today.

Your gift helps us continue strengthening the programs, resources, and community connections that make this work possible throughout DFW.

Give today through the link in our bio — or join us on North Texas Giving Day, September 17, and help us keep building a stronger, more connected community. ❤️

👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart
👉 @emptyhandopenheart

Community Partnerships | Self-Defense Resources | Survivor Support | Local Connections | Community Outreach | DFW Nonprofit | Working Together | #NorthTexasGivingDay #GiveLocal #SupportLocal #DFW #NorthTexas #EHOH #EmptyHandOpenHeart by @emptyhandopenheart

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