Mesa woman who created nonprofit for domestic violence victims honored

Mesa resident Laura Pahules created Control Alt Delete in 2019 as a resource to help domestic violence victims fleeing violent situations by providing them with immediate needs such as food, hygiene items, transportation and lodging.

“We help in that immediate time of need when there’s someone that knows they have to get out of that situation and get to safety. I started the agency because I’ve worked in nonprofits for a lot of years and every sector in that industry was touched by domestic violence,” Pahules said. “As a survivor myself, if we could help survivors of domestic violence get out of that situation, they might not need other nonprofits.”

Five years later, Pahules is earning recognition for her and her nonprofit’s hard work being selected as one of the 10 honorees for the 2024 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth. The Women of Worth recognition program honors 10 women across the country who lead nonprofits championing a variety of community-focused causes.

The 10 honorees each receive a $25,000 grant for their nonprofit as well as mentorship from L’Oreal Paris and increased media exposure.

For Pahules, that grant and recognition is not just a great honor, but a validation of the work she’s been doing during the past five years.

“As a nonprofit founder and a survivor of domestic violence myself, I tend to look for external validation at times, although I know I’m helping 30 escapees a day and am saving lives and making a difference,” Pahules said. “That external validation was extremely powerful and uplifting, not even factoring in the $25,000 grant. In my little nonprofit, we’re all volunteers and we don’t get paid to do this. That amount of money is going to transform so many lives.”

For selecting nominees, L’Oreal Paris works with Points of Light, a global nonprofit focused on increasing civic engagement and volunteer service. Out of a yearly average of around 2,000 submissions, 25 nominees are selected for interviews. Out of those 25, 10 are selected to be the final honorees.

“We’re really looking for women whose success we can celebrate and to help support them in the work that they are doing,” said Lacey Gaitan, Points of Light senior vice president of corporate programs. “We find often that women in nonprofits are so busy in giving to others that they aren’t stopping to celebrate their own success and work that they doing in supporting their communities.”

Gaitan said Pahules stood out for a number of reasons during the selection process. Most notably, it was how Pahules transformed her personal life experience into a mission to help others.

“She’s equipping crisis response assistance for individuals to escape domestic violence situations,” Gaitan said. “One of the things Laura talks about on her website is that the support she offers bridges a gap in services. She’s providing a needed service to those in a situation in a very specific moment of time when that help is vital to them.”

Gaitan also pointed out Pahules is the first women in the state of Arizona to be a L’Oreal Women of Worth honoree in its 18-year existence. She hopes Pahules’ recognition inspires more women in Arizona to pursue philanthropic endeavors.

“We were really excited to have Laura as the first L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth honoree from the state of Arizona,” Gaitan said. “It’s a big thing that is not just about honoring Laura, but hopefully also providing the visibility for other potential future Women of Worth in the state of Arizona to see her story and know that there’s this possibility for them as well.”

Pahules said she hopes her recognition serves as an inspiration for others to work to solve issues in their own communities.

“I really hope people see me and all of the different honorees and think about an issue they’ve seen in their own community and that they can take the steps to resolve that issue,” Pahules said. “I hope I can inspire others to fix the things in their communities that need addressing.”

To learn more about the 2024 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth, visit https://www.lorealparisusa.com/women-of-worth/.

To learn more about Control Alt Delete, visit https://dvcontrolaltdelete.org/.