Houston's a city of great giving and the CultureMap Charity Challenge, presented by Yellow Cab, aims to highlight that. CultureMap selected 12 deserving nonprofits to compete for a grand prize as they all raise awareness for worthy causes. CultureMap is highlighting the charities over the next several weeks. Today: The Houston Area Women's Center.

For more than 35 years, the Houston Area Women’s Center has worked tirelessly to help survivors affected by domestic and sexual violence, giving them support and resources to move their lives forward.

Started in 1977 with just a handful of volunteers answering donated phones, the Houston Area Women's Center has since grown to have more than 100 paid staff, a counseling and administrative building, a residential shelter for 120 women and children, a state-of-the-art hotline call center and more than 1,000 active volunteers.

The nonprofit organization embraces the belief that all individuals should have equal access to political, legal, economic, and social rights. The center has created a community, especially for women, that embraces diversity, recognizes oppression, promotes empowerment and supports the right of all individuals to self-determination.

The overarching goal of the organization is to see the day when violence in our society is part of history rather than a part of people's daily lives.

Vote now for the Houston Area Women's Center — or one of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge.