Helping Free the World from Domestic Violence
Dedicated to the Life and Legacy of
Alina Sheykhet
Our team began with Yan and Elly, bereaved parents of Alina Sheykhet.
Their world was turned upside down when their only daughter fell victim to the horror that is domestic violence. A loving daughter, supportive sister, proud aunt, devoted friend, talented dancer, and intelligent college student – Alina is far more than a victim and a statistic of domestic violence. Her loved ones vowed to make a difference in her memory. Through the devastation, Elly and Yan turned their grief into motivation to begin something beautiful. They founded Alina’s Light, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
UPCOMING EVENT
Walk, Run, &
Family Fun 2026
Our biggest event of the year – a day of walking, running, kids activities, and a whole lot of purple.
UPCOMING EVENT
Christmas Lunch with Santa 2025
Reserve your spot and join us for the fun—register now for Christmas Lunch With Santa!
February FUNDRAISER
Designer Purse Giveaway 2026
This yearly fundraiser helps us sponsor lifesaving SOS devices for victims of domestic violence.
mission, services, and core values
What We Do
Our Mission
Our mission is to honor Alina’s legacy by raising awareness, promoting domestic violence education, and providing emotional and social support to our communities.
Education
To break the silence and raise awareness surrounding domestic violence and its effects, we are educating our communities with presentations at schools and other organizations.
Prevention
We help prevent violence through the sponsorship of life-saving SOS-devices and advocacy for law reform through Alina’s Law.
Support
We stand in solidarity with survivors, victims, and communities through monetary donations, visits to shelters, social support, and a yearly scholarship fund in Alina's name.
Healing
Our team provides support to individuals dealing with the effects of grief and trauma through workshops, counseling, support groups, and an art-based program called Healing Arts Program.
Advocacy
We work to help victims understand abusive situations, linking them to community services and protection or helping them establish safety plans.
Our team is here to support survivors, honor victims, and be a voice for those who have been silenced.
Community
To facilitate community-wide healing we organize family-friendly community events. Our most uplifting summer event is our annual 5K Walk & Run for Love, while, in the winter, we host our heartwarming Lunch with Santa event.
Kindness
We lead our nonprofit organization with kindness as our core value. Honoring Alina’s memory, we spread light through acts of generosity and love.
Newsletter
Stay up to date with all things Alina’s Light including upcoming events, fundraising updates, advocacy, ways you can get involved, and more.
Recognition
Proud Recipients of the Sherley & Ted Craig Humanitarian Award
October 7th:
Alina's Light Day
social media
Follow our Journey
We spent this weekend at Celebrating Survivors with the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, and we are still thinking about it.
Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh has been doing this work in our city for decades. They were here long before Alina’s Light, and they have shown us nothing but kindness from day one. In 2023 they gave us the Sherley & Ted Craig Humanitarian Award, and we still don’t fully have the words for what that night meant.
What we love about this event is hearing what WC&S has actually been doing all year. The numbers are staggering, and every single one of them is a real person who is safe today because of this team.
We always leave with that bittersweet feeling too, because we know Alina should have been one of those numbers. She should still be here.
WC&S, we love you. Pittsburgh is so lucky to have you, and we are so lucky to know you.
💜
Mother’s Day is this Sunday.
For a lot of moms, it’s flowers, brunch, sticky cards from little hands. For some of us, it’s a chair that stays empty. A name we still whisper. A child who isn’t here to call.
Both can be true on the same day.
If you’re a mom in our circle who is missing your child this Sunday, we see you. You are not forgotten just because the world wants to celebrate. Angel Moms is here all year, and there is always a seat for you.
If you have your kids close, hug them tight. Then think of a mom who can’t.
That’s how we carry each other.
💜
We’re looking for sponsors for our 7th Annual Walk, Run & Family Fun on July 25th at Settler’s Cabin Park.
This is the biggest day of our year. Hundreds of families come out, kids and all, and they show up for the reason we exist: so no one else has to bury a daughter because of domestic violence.
Sponsoring this event is not a logo on a t-shirt. It’s SOS devices in the hands of women who are scared to go home. It’s the school programs where we sit with teenagers and talk about what control actually looks like. It’s Angel Moms, the shelter visits, the scholarship in Alina’s name.
Every sponsor dollar shows up somewhere real.
If you own a business, run a team, or just want to put your name behind the work, we want to talk to you. There are levels that fit every budget.
If you would like to sponsor our event, please visit:
https://alinaslight.com/sponsor/
New this year: dogs are officially invited, and we’re throwing a Best Bandana Contest. Break out the cutest one your pup owns (or go buy a new one, we won’t tell) and bring them ready to show off.
Settler’s Cabin Park. 8am to 3pm. Adults $40, kids 6 to 12 are $20, and 5 and under are free. You’ll get a shirt, a bracelet, a food voucher, and a day spent with people who believe domestic violence shouldn’t be anyone’s story.
Tickets are moving. Register at alinaslight.com before they’re gone. 💜
Wishing the happiest of birthdays to the heart of Alina’s Light. All of the beautiful traits that Alina encompassed came from her parents. Elly encompasses all that we wish to spread to the world through our organization: kindness, light, positivity, and strength. She has built herself up from tragedy, becoming a certified grief coach, publishing several books, and more in Alina’s honor. We love you, Elly, and are so proud of you! Here’s to many more years of us making a difference together.
July 25th is coming up fast.
Our 7th Annual Walk, Run & Family Fun is back at Settler’s Cabin Park, and registration is open right now at alinaslight.com.
This is the biggest day of our year. We walk, we run, we bring the whole family, and we show up as a community that refuses to stay quiet about domestic violence. Every person who registers helps us keep putting SOS devices into the hands of people who need them, keep showing up in schools to talk about healthy relationships, and keep doing the work Alina’s Light was built to do.
Adults: $40 | Kids 6-12: $20 | Kids 5 & under: Free
Your registration gets you a shirt, a bracelet, a food voucher, and a full day of activities from 8am to 3pm. Bring your people.
Register now at alinaslight.com 💜
Today, we walked in Alina’s honor for the @blackburncenter annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. Every year, we gather as the men (literally) walk a mile in her shoes. They rock some high heels to walk in solidarity with victims of gender-based violence. A special thank you to @beekayroot @sheilaconfer and the rest of the UPG community for honoring Alina every year at this powerful event. Please consider joining us next year!
Last night was something truly special. 💜
Watching the Montour High School musical always brings so many emotions, but tonight… it felt different.
The show was dedicated to Alina. Purple lights filled the stage, and in so many ways, it felt like her presence was right there with us. Her energy… her love for performing… it was alive on that stage.
Alina once stood on that very stage, doing what she loved most. And to come back each year and see these incredibly talented students continue that tradition—it means more than words can express.
Every year, we have the honor of attending and selecting a recipient for the Alina’s Light scholarship. It’s one of the most meaningful things we do—keeping her passion for musical theater alive through these amazing kids.
To all the students—your talent, your dedication, your light… it shines so bright.
And to the Montour musical team—thank you for honoring Alina and for continuing to keep her light shining.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it overlaps with everything we talk about in our school presentations - because the warning signs look the same.
Control doesn’t always start with a hit. Sometimes it starts with “Who are you texting?” Sometimes it’s the silent treatment when you hang out with friends. Sometimes it’s pressure that doesn’t feel like pressure until you look back and realize you stopped saying no a long time ago.
We go into schools and talk about this stuff because by the time it becomes a headline, it’s too late. We want young people to recognize what’s off before it escalates - to trust that gut feeling that says something isn’t right.
If someone’s version of love makes you smaller, quieter, more afraid - that’s not love. You’re not overreacting. You’re paying attention.
💜
alinaslight.com
July 25th is our 7th Annual Walk, Run & Family Fun at Settler’s Cabin Park and we’re already deep into planning mode.
But we can’t pull this off without our community, and there are a few things we really need right now.
Sponsors - this is a big one. We’re 100% volunteer-run, no corporate backing, no safety net. If you or your company can help, it makes a real difference in whether this event breaks even.
Basket donations - baskets are our biggest revenue source at the event, and we’re looking for donated items or assembled baskets. Gift sets, candles, kids items, scratch-offs, and themed baskets always do really well. If you’re able to contribute, we’d be so grateful.
Volunteers - we need hands for setup, kids activities, and keeping things running. It’s early and it’s long but it’s worth it.
If any of this is you, send us a message. We’d love to hear from you.
💜 alinaslight.com
This picture of Alina and Elly gets us every spring. Dandelion crown, pink shirt, that little smile. She couldn’t have been more than four or five here.
It’s spring again. The flowers are back, and so are we - still showing up, still putting SOS devices into people’s hands, still talking to kids in schools about what healthy love actually looks like. Still here because Alina can’t be.
If you’re new to our page, that’s why we exist. A young woman lost to domestic violence, and two parents who decided her death would not be the end of her story.
alinaslight.com 💜
This weekend, some of us will be surrounded by family and noise and too much food. Some of us will be sitting with an empty chair at the table.
However Easter finds you this year, we hope it’s gentle where it needs to be and full where it can be.
From our family to yours - Happy Easter. 💜
