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 Bingo Family Night
Reserve your spot and join us for this fun, first ever, Bingo family night. Register early!
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
🎄💜 Something NEW is coming to Alina’s Light this holiday season!
For the past several years, we’ve loved bringing families together for our annual Lunch with Santa. This year, we’re switching things up a little and introducing a brand-new holiday event!
🎉 Christmas BINGO Family Night!
Join us for an afternoon filled with Bingo, exciting prizes, raffle baskets, pizza, a photo booth, an Ugly Sweater Contest, and lots of holiday fun for the whole family!
📅 Sunday, December 13th
⏰ 3:00–6:00 PM
📍 Montour High School Cafeteria
🎟️ $20 Admission Package
Includes 5 Bingo sheets (3 cards per game), a dauber, dessert, and a drink!
💜 Kids 6 & Under — FREE!
Includes a special Kids’ Bingo Game, dauber, dessert, and drink!
And don’t miss our special Grand Prize Bingo Game! 🎁
Whether you’ve joined us for our holiday celebrations before or this will be your first Alina’s Light event, we can’t wait to celebrate with you!
💜 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Space is limited, so reserve your spots today!
https://www.eventzilla.net/e/christmas-bingo-family-night-2138699630
Let’s make new holiday memories together while supporting the mission of Alina’s Light! 💜
Alina is joy
Alina is laughter
Alina is passion
Alina is courage
Alina is the light that guides us all
as we work to bring awareness and aid those affected by a battle many have fought before her, and continue to fight today. Alina was taken from us by an act of domestic violence 9 years ago on this day. Today we celebrate her life, and continue her legacy.
Alina is love.💜
•••
Poem and Music: @gabzprise @hdy.cope
A year ago today, the City of Pittsburgh invited us downtown to celebrate and recognize our domestic violence advocacy efforts and officially declare October 7th, 2025 as Alina’s Light Day in Pittsburgh. We are still so thrilled and honored about this announcement. It warms our hearts to know that our impact is being noticed, and our voices are being heard. To our team, thanks to our wonderful supporters, every day is Alina’s Light day. 💜✨
This week, Alina’s Light was honored to attend and speak at the “You Are Not Alone” Domestic Violence Awareness Gathering and Campaign. 💜
We stood alongside survivors, families, advocates, and community members united by one message: no one should ever have to face domestic violence alone.
It was especially meaningful to hear Colleen Bowers share the story of her beautiful daughter, Melissa, who is also one of the women honored on our Alina’s Dolls Wall. Every woman represented on that wall is more than a statistic. She is a daughter, a mother, a sister, a friend, and someone deeply loved.
To every survivor: we see you, we believe you, and we stand with you.
To every family carrying the pain of losing someone to domestic violence: your loved one matters, their story matters, and you are not alone.
Together, we will continue to speak, educate, support, and work toward a future where Love Shouldn’t Hurt. 💜
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For our team, this month is equally as difficult as it is important. As we approach the 9-year milestone of the day Alina left this world too soon, we reflect on the impact we’ve made over the years and the reason for everything we do. Although this month is a challenging time for Alina’s loved ones, it is also one of great accomplishment and perseverance. We vow to continue our hard work, even during the difficult moments, for Alina and for every individual impacted by domestic violence. Even if we only impact just one life, the work is well worth it. Through our grief, we will continue to find the light.
💜 Happy National Daughters Day! 💜
Today, we celebrate every daughter — those we can hold in our arms and those we forever hold in our hearts and continue to love beyond physical presence. 🦋
Our wish at Alina’s Light is that every daughter is safe, loved, respected, protected, and free to live the life she deserves.
Hold your daughters a little closer today. Remind them how loved and worthy they are.
And may every daughter always know that love should never hurt. 💜
Wrapped up our 2nd Annual Real Men Wear Purple Golf Outing with a full turnout and even fuller hearts! ⛳️💜
Watching this incredible community come together to honor Alina and support those impacted by domestic violence was unforgettable; especially as our golfers pledged to love, honor, and respect their partners before teeing off.
A huge thank you to all of our sponsors, donors, and players! Extra special gratitude to AOH/LAOH Division 23 for hosting our post-golf gathering with such warm hospitality, and to @babaemmasllc for the amazing food. Together, we keep her light shining bright. ✨
#AlinasLight #RealMenWearPurple #GolfForACause #CommunityStrong #DomesticViolenceAwareness
💜 Tomorrow is the day! 💜
We are so excited for our 2nd Annual Real Men Wear Purple Golf Outing! Our team has been working hard behind the scenes to get everything ready for an amazing day of golf, community, and purpose.
A huge thank you to all of our incredible sponsors who helped make this event possible. Your generosity and support mean so much to Alina’s Light and allows us to continue making a difference in our community. 💜
We are ready to welcome 30 teams of Real Men and make it a day to remember!
See you on the course! 💜⛳️
Love. Respect. Protect.
This past weekend, 15 Angel Moms & Dads came together for our annual retreat. 💜
They laughed, cried, shared stories about their children, supported one another, and spent a beautiful weekend healing together.
Our Grief Support Program, led by Alina’s mom and Certified Grief Coach Elly Sheykhet, has become such an important part of Alina’s Light.
Grief doesn’t have a timeline, and parents need continued support, connection, and a place where they truly feel understood.
We are so proud of what our Angel Moms Club has become. It is much more than a support group. It is a family. 💜
⛳️ WE ARE OFFICIALLY BOOKED! ⛳️
Our 2nd Annual Real Men Wear Purple Golf Outing is officially FULL!
30 teams of Real Men will be joining us on September 19th for a day of golf, fun, community, and most importantly—a purpose that means so much to all of us at Alina’s Light. 💜
We are incredibly grateful for every golfer, sponsor, business, family, and friend who is helping make this day possible.
And now we have ONE LAST CALL FOR SPONSORS!
We are getting ready to finalize our event brochure, and we want to make sure every one of our generous sponsors is included and recognized at the outing.
If you’ve been thinking about sponsoring Real Men Wear Purple, now is the time! 💜
Thank you for standing with Alina’s Light and helping us continue the work behind this very special day.
30 teams. 120 Real Men. One powerful message.
REAL MEN WEAR PURPLE. 💜
Our team could not turn a blind eye to the recent advertisement that was released by a golf brand. Especially with our outing coming up, we would like to reiterate our stance on the harmful depiction of domestic violence in today’s media.
We were extremely disappointed to discover this ad and believe that normalizing this behavior only adds to the harm. “Boys will be boys” was never an acceptable statement. It is our job to control the conversation and promote healthy love and respectful behavior between partners. 💜
What a wonderful visit we had with the amazing team at CPI Creative!
From the moment we walked through the door (and saw our names on their welcome sign 🥹), we felt right at home. We spent time talking, sharing the story and mission of Alina’s Light, exchanging ideas, and dreaming up some exciting things we can create together.
But what we loved most was the people. So warm, welcoming, creative, and genuinely excited to learn about what we do and help us carry our mission forward.
We are so happy to welcome CPI Creative as a new Alina’s Light partner and can’t wait to see what comes from this new friendship and collaboration.
Thank you for opening your doors to us, making us feel so special, and believing in what we do. 💜
