Transformations A Newsletter All about Safe Places Volume 7, Number 2
March 2012
The mission of Safe Places is to create communities where every child is protected, every home is a safe place, and where every person
A Newsletter All about Safe Places
can live a life free from violence.
Volume 7, Number 2
March 2012
In This Issue Page 1
Safe Places Holds Verizon Wireless HopeLine Drive at Annual Symposium
Page 2
April - Child Abuse Prevention Month
Page 4
Sexual Assault Awareness Month and The 2012 Clothesline Project
Page 6
Safe Places 2012 Symposium on Sexual Violence
Page 7
Color Your World - Beautiful Items for Sale to Benefit Safe Places and Commemorate Child and Adult Victims of Violence During April
Page 8
Safe Places Recognized by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III in Washington
Page 9
News and Information
Page 10
Calendar of Events
Page 12
Board of Directors and Development Committee Update
Safe Places
1609 Broadway
Little Rock, AR 72206
501-374-SAFE (7233) 24-Hour Crisis Line: 501-801-3700 Statewide, Toll-free Crisis Line: 1-877-432-5368 www.SafePlacesLR.org Copyright
C
Safe Places 2012
BRING YOUR USED WIRELESS PHONES
Safe Places Holds Verizon Wireless HopeLine Drive at Annual Symposium
Safe Places is holding a Verizon Wireless HopeLine drive at our annual symposium on April 3, 2012. During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month and National Crime Victims’ Rights Week - all observed in April - the Symposium is held to raise awareness about violence.
WHAT: Used wireless phones collected in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
WHEN: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 / 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
WHERE: Darragh Center Auditorium Main Library 100 Rock Street - Little Rock, AR
WHY: The symposium will consist of two panels, one of which is designed to improve current services for victims of sexual assault. HopeLine, a project of the Verizon Foundation, raises awareness about sexual assault and supplies victims of domestic violence with free phones. The phones collected at the Safe Places Symposium will be refurbished and programmed with free minutes and a hotline number for use by domestic violence victims.
Safe Places Director Kathy Manis Findley says, "It is our privilege to work with Verizon in the very important HopeLine initiative that helps insure safety for our clients and for victims of violence across the country. Please bring your used phones to the Symposium� Phones and accessories may also be dropped off at Safe Places at 1609 Broadway, Little Rock. For more information on donating, please contact Safe Places at 501-374-SAFE (7233).
Since the launch of the cell phone recycling program, HopeLine from Verizon has: Collected more than 7 million phones Distributed more than 90,000 phones - more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service to be used by victims of domestic violence Properly disposed of 1.6 million no-longer-used wireless phones in an environmentally sound way Kept more than 200 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills
Page One www.SafeplacesLR.org
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
Pinwheels are a symbol of a happy, protected and carefree childhood. Everyone has a role to play in preventing child abuse and supporting healthy families. Safe Places invites you to honor the children in your life this April. Page Two www.SafeplacesLR.org
Myths &Realities about Children Exposed to Family Violence Myth
“
My child doesn't even know what's going on when we're fighting."
“
Reality
Children do know that their parents are in conflict. They may see their father hit their mother, or throw or destroy objects. They may hear their mother threaten their father, or give him the “silent treatment.” Even if they are not in the room, children can hear yelling, screaming, crying and slapping. They witness the after-effects of the abuse, such as a swollen lip, black eye, mom being “sick”, or having belongings destroyed.
Reality
Myth
“
Our conflicts have no real effect at all on our children. They are not involved and they don’t know what’s going on.
Children almost always know what’s going on between their parents. Parental conflict is one of the strongest predictors of childhood problems. Children are even more damaged when parental conflict involves their father's abuse of their mothers. When this occurs, children may feel terrified for themselves and their mothers, anxious that it will happen again, afraid that they will be taken away, helpless to do anything, and angry at both parents. They may be hurt physically while trying to protect their mother. They may experience learning disruptions, speech and language problems, attention and behavior problems, and stress-related physical ailments (sleep problems, headaches, rashes, stomachaches). They may be too ashamed or feel too “different” to interact with other children, or may be aggressive or hostile in their interactions with peers since that is what they've learned.
Myth
Reality
“
“ “
My child may be upset for a little while but s/he'll get over it soon enough.
Witnessing abuse has long-term effects on children. Children who have witnessed domestic violence are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, delinquency, bullying and violence in later relationships.
Myth
Reality
“
My children know that our fights are not their fault.
“
Children often feel guilty in response to their parents' conflicts. They may feel that they caused the abuser to become angry, and thus the conflict is their fault, or that they should have stopped the abuse. They also may feel guilty for loving the abuser, or for siding with the victim.
Page Three www.SafeplacesLR.org
The Clothesline Project
"Rape really is a way of killing a person, but then asking them to get up afterwards. It's a way of stealing one's spirit, but you're supposed to somehow keep going." - Salamishah Tillet Page Four www.SafeplacesLR.org
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Rabbi Elias Lieberman Remarks for Elizabeth Lee Peace Award Ceremony October 26, 2004
For most of us, clothing is something we throw on in the morning or give some thought to before an important occasion. But here and now we think, of course, about clothing of another sort, t-shirts hanging from clotheslines across this country bearing powerful messages and representing victims of violence and abuse. The dignity stripped from these victims by their tormentors is given final expression in those garments. Clothing doesn't define us; in fact, it can be the ultimate disguise. Abusers can wear Armani or Thrift Store. We can't identify the abusers among us by what they wear, but we do know they are among us in alarming numbers - in our towns and our neighborhoods - and they will remain among us until we come to understand the most basic and shocking of facts: that our society still tolerates violence. For those of us who find that reality intolerable and whose faith orientation centers us around biblical scripture, we need only turn to Leviticus 19:16 which tells us "Do not stand by idly and see your neighbor's blood spilled." To not stand idly by means teaching our daughters and sons how to keep themselves safe from abusive and coercive relationships; it means being prepared to believe what victims tell us about the abuse they suffer and the fear they experience; it means working to remove the stigma which inappropriately clings to victims of violence. Refusing to stand idly by means constantly reminding our elected officials that the status quo is unacceptable and that ever greater protections for the abused and battered need to be written into law. It means being ever-prepared to say, "That woman who has been victimized could be my mother, my sister, my daughter."
Please join us for the Safe Places Clothesline Project Exhibition. Presented by Children International, UALR, during our Symposium on Sexual Violence April 3, 2012
Someone, if they haven't already done so, will one day write a Ph.D. thesis on the sociological history of the t-shirt, that humble garment which has been the vehicle to communicate anything and everything one might wish to proclaim to the world. But one cannot experience The Clothesline Project and ever see a t-shirt quite the same way again. Whether or not clothing has inherent dignity is a question we can debate at our leisure. There is no denying, however, the inherent dignity in every human being that is diminished through acts of violence, abuse, and intimidation. It need not be so; it must not be so if we are to be true to the best that is in us.
Page Five www.SafeplacesLR.org
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 9:30 am - 3:00 pm Darragh Center Auditorium Main Library 100 Rock Street, Little Rock Registration: $10; $5 for students Call 501-374-7233 to register OR register online at: http://www.safeplaceslr.org/2012-SAAMSymposium-Registration.html
Symposium Agenda 9:30 - 10:00
Registration and Breakfast Snack
10:00 - 10:15
Welcome and Introductions Kathy Manis Findley
10:15 - 11:15
Panel I - Promoting Healthy Sexuality to Prevent Sexual Violence
Guest Panelists: Alexis Harris, Philander Smith College Student, Psychology Kimberly Tillman, Department of Human Services Pam Plummer, Director of Parent Center, Center for Youth and Families Jan Scholl, Director of North Little Rock Mayor Youth Council Students, Children International Youth Council, UALR Lisette Yang, Safe Places Latino Advocate Kathy Findley, Executive Director, Safe Places 11:15 - 11:30
Q & A - Audience
11:30 - 12:00
The 2012 Clothesline Project Exhibition Tour - Children International, UALR
12:00 - 1:00
Lunch
1:00 - 1:45
Panel II - Improving Community Efforts in Serving Victims
Guest Panelists: Juanita Haywood, Little Rock Police Department Victim Services Carla Jackson, RN, BCEN,SANE-A, St Vincent Trauma Nurse Coordinator Lynette Parham, Assistant Administrator Community Relations, Attorney General's Office Sarah Hicks, Detective Little Rock Police Department Lisette Yang, Safe Places Latino Advocate Kathy Findley, Executive Director, Safe Places 1:45 - 2:00
Q & A - Audience
2:00 - 2:30
There's No Excuse for Dating Abuse (Drama), Children International, UALR
2:30 - 3:00
Wrap-Up & Continuing Education Certificates
Page Six www.SafeplacesLR.org
To Benefit Safe Places, Try Mary Kay® NouriShine Plus™ Lip Gloss Give your lips with instant moisture and glimmering shine. You’ll love the superlight, long-lasting, creamy formula and the good-foryour-lips ingredients, like antioxidants and botanical extracts, that leave lips smoothed, protected and conditioned.
Available in Fancy Nancy
or Cream and Sugar
And also receive a commemorative button for April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month and 2012 National Crime Victims Rights Week. Created especially for Safe Places, this 3’x3” Clothsline Pin Button features a teal shirt symbolic of sexual assault, a purple shirt symbolizing domestic violence, and a blue pinwheel that reminds us to always protect children.
Get both the lip gloss and the button for
$16
Proceeds benefit the work of Safe Places.
Order Color Your World lip gloss and commemorative button by calling Safe Places at 501-374-SAFE (7233) OR order by email at kcontreras@SafePlacesLR.org while supplies last. Please indicate preferred lip gloss color.
Safe Places Presents
The Cloisonné Clothesline Pin
$10
A special design created especially for Safe Places, cast in elegant cloisonné with silver metal trim. Teal symbolizes victims of sexual assault. Purple is symbolic of domestic violence. The blue pinwheel symbolizes children who have been abused and reminds us that childhood should be a carefree and safe time of life. To order your Cloisonné Clothesline Pin, call Safe Places at 501-374-SAFE (7233) OR order by email at kcontreras@SafePlacesLR.org. Page Seven www.SafeplacesLR.org
FBI Director, Robert S. Mueller, III, Recognizes Safe Places Executive Director and 57 Other Community Leaders In a ceremony held on Friday, March 16, at FBI Headquarters in Washington, Director Robert S. Mueller, III recognized the recipients of the 2011 Director's Community Leadership Award. These leaders, selected by their area FBI field offices, have made outstanding contributions to their local communities and demonstrated a commitment to improving the lives of their neighbors.
Kathy Findley, executive director and founder of Arkansas non-profit Safe Places, was selected for the honor by Special Agent in Charge, Valerie Parlave, and the FBI's Little Rock Field Office, for her compassion, dedication to the community and its victims, and accomplishments in a field that often goes unrecognized.
“You are all determined to create a safer world for our children. You are all dedicated to protecting our neighborhoods from crime and violence. Just as important, you are all devoted to upholding the rule of law and defending the freedoms we cherish,” said Director Mueller in commending this year's award recipients. Since 1990 through the Director's Leadership Community Awards (DCLA) the FBI has publicly recognized the achievements of individuals and organizations like these who have gone above and beyond the call to service by making extraordinary contributions to their communities in the areas of terrorism, cyber, drug, gang, or violence prevention and education. And this year is no exception: today, nearly 60 individuals and organizational representatives all 2011 DLCA recipients gathered for a ceremony in their honor at FBI Headquarters. Director Mueller, who presented a specially designed plaque to each recipient, called the honorees “catalysts for change” in their communities and said that each one shared “a willingness to lead....a commitment to improving your neighborhoods...and a desire to make this country safer for your fellow citizens.” Page Eight www.SafeplacesLR.org
Findley received the award along with 57 other outstanding peers from across the country for their “selfless actions within their communities.” “I'm honored to receive this prestigious award for the work that Safe Places does every day to help protect and provide for victims of violence. This award is really a reflection of the hard work of my colleagues and the bravery of the victims we serve,” said Findley. “I am truly grateful to the person who nominated me, Doris Anderson, and to Maria Hoskins, who was my host in Washington,” said Findley. “From the moving opening presented by the U.S. Air Force Color Guard to the music by the U.S. Air Force Band, every detail was flawless. I have said the Pledge of Allegiance hundreds of times in my life, but I will never forget the feeling of saying it in that place with my peers from across the nation.” Previous recipients of the Director's Community Leadership Award include NBA star Alonzo Mourning, journalist Erin Andrews, and actor Steve Harvey's Steve Harvey Foundation.
Safe Places Sexual Violence Support Center Assists in Training Forensic Nurses Carla Jackson, RN, BCEN - Advanced Practice Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, trainer and St. Vincent Trauma Nurse Coordinator - invited Safe Places staff to assist in a February training of a group of nurses from communities throughout Arkansas. The nurses, who are seeking certification in forensic examination of sexual assault victims, heard from Safe Places staff about the immediate emotional and physical needs of sexual assault victims who present in the emergency room, the unique role of victim advocates in that setting, and ways we will work together to ensure comprehensive crisis response for victims. Safe Places staff Ann Prosper, Karla Contreras and Lisette Yang described all the services Safe Places provides for victims and also exchanged suggestions with nurses on future training and orientation on the role of victim advocates.
Fifteen Teenagers and their Sponsors Is a CROWD in Safe Places’ Limited Space A recent visit by UALR Children International and Youth Program Coordinator Susannah Myers, was meaningful and informative for a group of fifteen bright and enthusiastic young people, and for Safe Places staff. The purpose for their visit was to find out what Safe Places does and determine ways they might help us with a project to improve their community. Karla Contreras presented a brief session of Expect Respect, a part of our curriculum on healthy relationships. As a result of this first meeting, the Children International Youth Council will develop and host The Clothesline Project to be exhibited at our April Symposium on Sexual Violence. The young people are also performing the play, “There's no Excuse for Dating Abuse.” We are looking forward to a long-term relationship with these great young people. Children International website: http://ualr.edu/children/
News & Information Safe Places Welcomes Our Newest Intern Welcome to Sara Stevens, who is doing a service learning project with Safe Places. Sara is in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at UALR. The mission of the MSW program at UALR is to prepare its graduates for highly specialized roles in either clinical or managerial and community practice. Safe Places is a wonderful incubator for interns, giving them an inside look at the field of victim assistance and exposing them to victims of sexual and family violence, child abuse, sex trafficking, and other crimes, as well as to the extensive prevention efforts of Safe Places. We are delighted to have Sara on our team.
Safe Places Newest Program - A Partnership Initiative with Pulaski County Juvenile Detention Center Children in juvenile detention need to know that there is someone “in their corner” to help them succeed through the many challenges they will face after their release from detention. To address this need, Safe Places is implementing a specialized Chances & Changes Mentoring Program that focuses on after care. For a minimum of seven weeks, Safe Places staff will continue the anger management/conflict resolution groups we provide to the children while in the detention facility. Most importantly, we will and match them with caring adult mentors to help them navigate their own road to success.
In April . . . Lilly's Dim Sum, Then Some Includes Safe Places in their One Day, One Community Event Safe Places will again be dining at Lilly’s on Tuesday, April 3. We hope many of you will, too, and help us take advantage of the opportunity to receive 15% of the day's sales from Lilly's. Thank you to Lilly's entire staff for extending such a warm welcome to us again. We’ll see you at Lilly’s sometime during the day. Enjoy a great meal! Page Nine www.SafeplacesLR.org
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April Events April 3
2012 Symposium on Sexual Violence 9:30am - 3:00pm, Darragh Auditorium, Main Library, Little Rock Information/registration at 501-374-7233
April 3
Eat at Lilly’s all day. Safe Places receives 15% of the day’s food sales.
April 4-5
Arkansas Drug Endangered Children Conference; Information, 800-635-6310
April 14
Delta Daring to Strive Girls Conference; 8:00am – 2:30pm, UALR Student Center Information at 501-838-8448 or www.daring2strive.com
April 20
Safe Places Child Abuse Prevention Month Event and Pinwheel Garden
April 22
Crime Victims’ Rights Week Opening Ceremony/Parents of Murdered Children Remembrance, Clinton Presidential Center; Information at 501-517-7662
April 24
Healing Place Ministries Annual Homicide Memorial Service; 11am, Philander Smith College; Information at 870-535-0101
April 25
Crime Victims Assistance Association of Arkansas Victim Services Recognition Ceremony; 10am, Clinton Presidential Center; Information at 501-340-8081
Page Ten www.SafeplacesLR.org
Safe Places On-Site Support Groups Adult Sexual Assault Survivor Support Group, Phase I; Tuesdays 6:00-7:30pm (Closed group) Adult Sexual Assault Aftercare Survivor Group, Phase II; 2nd & 4th Mondays 6:00-7:00pm MOM'S Group - Mothers of Sexually Abused Children Support Group; 1st & 3rd Mondays 6:00-7:00pm Adolescent Support Group; Tuesdays 5:30-7:00pm (Open Group) Domestic Violence Support Group; Thursdays 6:00-7:30pm
Safe Places Off-Site Support or Prevention Education Groups Pulaski County Jail Women's Group; Trauma After Sexual Violence; Mondays 1:00-2:00pm Recovery Centers of Arkansas (NLR); Domestic Issues; Tuesdays 1:00-2:15pm Recovery Centers of Arkansas (NLR); Trauma After Violence; Thursdays 1:00-2:15pm Pulaski County Juvenile Detention Center; Transforming Anger; Fridays 9:00-10:00am; Female/Male Groups
School-Based Groups / Female McClellan High School (LR) Transforming Anger; Mondays 11:05-12:05 Felder Learning Academy (LR) Transforming Anger & Expect Respect; Fridays 8:35-9:35am Little Rock Job Corps Safe Dates; Tuesdays 6:00-7:00pm
School-Based Groups / Coed Hamilton Learning Academy (LR) Transforming Anger; Wednesdays 8:40-9:45am Henderson Middle School (LR) Expect Respect; Wednesdays 9:30-10:30am
Other Groups St. Anne's Catholic Church (NLR) Expect Respect (Spanish); 7:30-9:00pm; Monthly; Male/Female Group Philander Smith Safe Dates; Fridays 3:00-4:00pm; Male/Female Group North Heights Recreation Center (NLR) Expect Respect; Wednesdays 4:30-5:30pm; Male/Female Group Sherman Park Recreation Center (NLR) Transforming Anger; Thursdays 4:30-5:30pm; Male/Female group Little Rock Job Corps Safe Dates; Mondays 2:30-3:30pm Male/Female group
Page Eleven www.SafeplacesLR.org
Safe Places Board of Directors and Development Committee Update Featured Board Member of the Month Sister Lee Ann McNally understands the concept of tough love. She gives a healthy dose of it every time she teaches a Reinventing Your Life class at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility. She spends her life helping women take back their lives in positive ways. Being the executive director of Center for Women in Transition takes a great deal of her time and energy, but she also expends an extraordinary amount of time and energy as a member of the Safe Places Board.
Sister Lee Ann McNally
She has served several terms on the Board of Directors for Safe Places since 2003 and continues to provide guidance and wisdom to the organization. Sister Lee Ann knows Safe Places well and takes seriously our vision. So she is always instrumental in helping the Board stay firmly focused on our mission. Thank you, Sister Lee Ann.
Welcome to New Members of Our Development Committee Safe Places welcomes Dan Rankin and Katherine Blackmon to our Development Committee. Both will be an asset to the work of Safe Places and have already been instrumental in helping us ensure a long and healthy future of serving victims of violence. Katherine, who is an attorney and owner of the Law Offices of Katherine E. Blackmon, has been practicing law since 1997. She is a cum laude graduate of Southern Methodist University and the University of Southern California (JD, 1997). She is a member of the Pulaski County and Arkansas Bar Associations, Womens Law Association and the Central Arkansas Family Law Association. She was also named in Goldline Research’s 2009 Leading Attorneys of the Southeastern United States (as seen in Forbes). Her work as an Attorney ad litem in Circuit Court gives her great insight into the work of Safe Places. Welcome, Katherine! Dan, a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, is a 1983 graduate of Drake University, with a BA in English. He earned his Law Degree in 1987 from the Drake University School of Law. He and his wife, Kim, live in Little Rock. As a former practicing attorney and owner of a small business, Dan has a varied background helping individuals and families. He has already been a great help to Safe Places, and we are delighted to have him on our team. Safe Places Board of Directors Dale Sharp Chase Clark Marvin Black Lee Ann McNally Maria Reynolds-Diaz Crystal Haskins Jennifer Priime Sheriff Doc Holladay Page Twelve www.SafeplacesLR.org
Safe Places Development Committee Nicolas Mayerhoeffer Dale Sharp Katherine Blackmon Bryan Day Jeff Spry Dan Rankin Mike Sells
Safe Places
Transformations www.SafePlacesLR.org