Dr. Taylor Pedersen Talks Providing Peace

While sitting in a routine community meeting, Dr. Taylor Pedersen (Bolivar Family Medicine Runner-Up) learned that Dallas County did not have a domestic violence shelter. “I just couldn’t believe it to be true that we didn’t have a shelter or resource like that for people,” Pedersen says. “I just thought about my patients and how many times we call and try to find advocates for them, and at the end of the day there’s just really nowhere for them to go.”

As a family practice obstetrician, Pedersen sees a lot of patients for women’s health and, unfortunately, many cases of domestic violence. Seeing the crisis in the community, she turned to her husband, a police officer of 10 years who had also seen a lot of domestic violence during his time in the field. “We were just like, ‘Well, what can we do?’” she says. “And he said, ‘I guess we’re opening a nonprofit.’”

In October 2024 Pedersen opened The Bright Beacon, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence to provide them with safety and a pathway to a renewed future. “It’s much more than just providing them a safe place,” Pedersen says. “It’s providing peace they can survive and thrive in and giving them their power back by helping them find their strengths. Every person is so different, so it’s about how do we figure out who you are and make you successful so you can stay out of that situation and feel like you can be a hundred percent on your own or with your children.”

Since opening their doors, The Bright Beacon team has seen an immediate impact on the community. “There have only been three weeks that we have not been completely full,” Pedersen says. “We’ve been able to see it make a difference in the lives of a lot of women.”