Family

Advertising Supplement to the Sun Journal, Sunday, October 10, 2010

5tips

for traveling with kids

Literacy: Read all about it

Fun things to do on Halloween

Five tips for traveling with kids

By Cyndi Woodworth Feature Writer

Taking a family vacation? Before you pack the suitcases and load the kids into the car, check out these five tips for traveling with children.

1. Prepare before you go.

Kate Edgecomb, a mother of three from Auburn, always prepares before leaving her house with kids

in tow. “Before you leave, make everyone go to the bathroom.

Limit all drinks, and try not to let kids drink during a road trip,” Edgecomb said. To keep your kids hydrated, pack fruit snacks or fresh fruit.

Edgecomb said. Portable DVD players, travel board games, and books are also popular ways to entertain traveling tots.

2. Plan for the worst.

Pack for fun.

If chugging across America on a train, deals for children are plentiful.

According to the Amtrak website, with the purchase of an adult ticket, “Children ages two to 15 ride half price every day. Infants under two ride free.” With extensive coverage, Amtrak could be an easy way to reach your destination.

“If traveling with toddlers, bring extra clothing because accidents will happen,” Edgecomb explained. To keep sane behind the wheel, and to keep children happy, bring plenty of games and activities. Give tablets of paper and coloring books to the small kids along with a crayon so they can color while you drive,

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departure. For international flights, try to be at the airport three hours before takeoff.

Research recent Transportation Security Administration re gulations b efore you f ly.

According to the TSA website, “Passengers can carry on as much breast milk and baby foods as needed. When passing through security, make sure breast milk and baby foods are declared to TSA security officers.”

3. Find budget friendly family deals.

5. Create an itinerary.

By Christina LeBlanc Feature Writer / Photographer

To get a quick start on your holiday, Dahl suggests renting a car at your destination before you depart.

Dahl said, “A family of four going to Florida could rent a safe vehicle, like an SUV or a mini-van” and have the freedom to drive from Orlando to Key West when they arrive in the Sunshine State.

If flying fits your family’s needs, check out local airlines for frequent travel deals. Most airlines have a policy where children under two fly free when an adult purchases a ticket.

Once you arrive at your vacation destination, having a well structured plan will lead your f a m i l y to f u n . M a ke h o te l reservations in advance and preplan specific places, activities, or events to go to or see. As any parent knows, plans can (and often do) change, so leave room in your schedule for adjustments.

4. Arrive ready for security.

Traveling by plane, train, or automobile could easily turn an innocent family vacation into a rollercoaster ride of stress. But by following these five tips, family trips can become memories that will last a lifetime.

Erik Dahl, of Dube Travel in Auburn, recommends getting to the airport early. “It takes a long time to get through security, especially with kids,” Dahl said. For domestic flights, arrive two hours before

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School climate, technology, and discipline

School culture and climate greatly affect how successful school discipline policies can be. “The ideal school climate is one where the focus is on teaching and learning and the future of kids,” said Gus LeBlanc, principal of Lewiston High School.

“If you can get students to engage in the belief that the learning, education, and achievement part of school is important, and have activities and rituals in the school that recognize and support those values,” he said, there will be far fewer disciplinary problems.

LeBlanc said that most disciplinary trouble he deals with stems from students not following the school’s code of conduct (which state law mandates each school have) or from students acting disrespectfully to teachers, administrators, or other students. One way to maintain a respectful school culture and deter harassment or bullying is to maintain uniform standards of discipline.

Discipline page 3 ‰

Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, October 10, 2010

Discipline from page 2

According to LeBlanc, “There are a number of state policies as to what school administrators can do, in terms of suspension and expulsion” when taking disciplinar y action, including a maximum of 10 consecutive days of suspension. (The power to expel a student lies not with administrators but solely with the school board.) But while there are regulations regarding disciplinary action, administrators have to deal with specific issues as they arise.

“The whole issue of technology has become a challenge for us, with iPods, cell phones, all of those things, and kids using them at inappropriate times,” said Steve Galway, assistant principal of Edward Little High School in Auburn. “We met with the kids last year to discuss the issue... we heard

Domestic violence from page 8

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e N C A D V, “violence against women is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior, and thus is part of a systematic pattern of dominance and control.”

Abusers use coercion and threats, isolation, minimizing, denying, and blaming to control their victims. Lachance noted that “many women keep going back, not just to the same partner but to the same type of relationship.”

Sometimes the most difficult step is the first step, telling someone.

Health care agencies including doctors, hospitals, school nurses, and family planning clinics can often be the first safe point of contact for a victim. According to Faye Luppi of the Violence Inter vention Par tner ship in Portland, healthcare providers who suspect abuse “need to know how to safely ask the question, and what to do when the answer is yes.”

A recent initiative with health care providers stresses the importance

what their needs are, they heard what our needs are, and we’ve come to an understanding that cell phones have their place,” he said, but only during specific times.

Gus LeBlanc, Lewiston High School principal, chats with a student in his office.

Students can use their phones before school, af ter school, between classes, and at lunch. The plan seems to have worked. “We now have minimal times when they are inappropriately used,” said Galway.

Oak Hill High School in Sabattus has adopted a similar policy; cell phones were once forbidden, but policing misuse became a nightmare.

“By meeting the kids halfway, we’ve had much less turn-in of cell phones and we’ve found that the misuse of them has not been a real issue,” Oak Hill Principal Patricia E. Doyle said. “I think it’s an understanding we have to come to as different generations move through the technology age...

of screening for domestic violence in a safe setting, and then making referrals to the appropriate support organizations.

Another recent initiative, described by Luppi, with respect to adolescent relationship abuse and teen dating violence, “will help schools adopt policies that will create a safe place for kids to disclose.” Glidden noted AWAP is “active at the high school level and is expanding its programs to include younger children.”

I n O x f o r d Co u n t y, “ Vo i ce s Committed to Change” is an education and support program where students are trained to assist their peers who are at risk or involved in an abusive relationship.

Other such programs reach out to refugee groups, faith communities, senior citizens, and teen parents, as well as the homeless and those who suffer from mental illness.

According to Luppi, the community response also needs to include employers. Auburn Attorney Rebecca Webber has assisted women who have been terminated from their place of employment because they were victims of abuse whose partners’

the students have to understand acceptable use and there’s a middle ground we’ve found that I think is helping the process.”

Of course, these technologies can cause trouble even when they are not used at school. “The biggest bullying issue we deal with is cyber bullying,” said LeBlanc.

phones, and social sites such as Face b o o k , am o n g oth e r technologies and sites. This bullying happens outside of school, but the effects overflow into the school environment.

Parents can monitor their children’s online ac tivit y to avoid cyber bullying and poor relationships with peers.

Cyber bullying involves e-mail, cell

How else can parents better

behavior had become noticeable at the jobsite.

responsible for supervising the o f f e n d e r s ’ co m p lian ce w i th court orders.”

One adverse effect of terminating a victim’s employment is that she may then believe that she is economically dependent on her abuser, and therefore will be less likely to leave the abusive relationship. This practice also rewards the abuser’s behavior and reinforces his ability to control his victim. It may also make other women in abusive relationships less likely to report, for fear of losing their own jobs. Films and “tool kits” are presently being developed for businesses to educate them as to what they can do if they believe that an employee is in an abusive relationship, and how they can help.

One example of the movement toward greater “accountability” is the Judicial Monitoring program, which follows an offender as he complies with post-conviction requirements, including the Batterers Intervention Program, and Orders issued by the Court to

prepare their children to avoid disciplinary trouble in school?

According to LeBlanc, “Respecting boundaries is very important.”

Doyle added that “a positive attitude and willingness to engage, as well as the ability to respectfully communicate your needs” go a long way.

It also helps if students come to school ready and willing to learn. “If a parent can motivate a child to be invested in what the school has to offer, and cultivate an understanding that there is something to be gained in the teaching and learning process,” LeBlanc said, “the child will be motivated to do well in school and that will solve a lot of the issues.”

For more on school climate, school culture, and bullying prevention, visit the Maine State Department of Education’s website at http:// www.maine.gov/education/.

protect the victim. “ E n d i n g d o m e s t i c v i o l e n ce requires a social, political, and economic environment to ensure that all people affected by domestic abuse and violence are supported and batterers are held accountable. Everyone must be part of the solution.” (http:// www.mcedv.org/domviolence/ index.htm)

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Luppi suggests that we need to consider changing the question from “why does she stay?” to “why does he continue to abuse?”

How can we work together to stop the abuse?

As stated by its website, the goal of the Domestic Violence Case Coordination Project “is to enhance offender accountability through improved information management and coordination among the various agencies

Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, October 10, 2010

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3

Halloween

By Dan Marois Feature Writer / Photographer

For the ultimate in ghoulish adventures during October, consider a road trip that includes Salem, Massachusetts, and other towns in central Maine.

Salem, Massachusetts: Home of Haunted Happenings Known as the home of the famous Witch Trials, Salem, Massachusetts becomes the Halloween center of the world with Haunted Happ enings , a m onth long schedule of activities leading up to October 31.

Lewiston native BJ Nadeau visited Salem last year. “The Salem Witch Museum is really great,” said Nadeau. “It tells you the history of the witch trials and it makes the 300-year-old story come alive.”

Nadeau said that the Museum Gift Shop has a large assortment of t-shirts and souvenir-type items as well as historic books about the

brings adventure and family fun Witch Trials and other events in Salem and Massachusetts.

Another favorite for Nadeau, was the Witch Dungeon Museum where there’s a live reenactment of a witch trial as well as a tour through a typical dungeon of the time. “Live actors create a great story and you get to see the conditions of the time period,” he said.

A must see place in downtown Salem is one of the oldest burial grounds in the area dating back to 1637. The cemetery contains the graves of Captain Richard Moore, a Mayflower pilgrim, and witchcraft trial judge John Hathorne among the historic figures.

History buffs will also enjoy a visit to the famed House Of The Seven Gables. Built in 1668, it is the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansion in New England.

The house was the inspiration for author Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his legendary novel of the same name.

Kathleen Grenier, of Lewiston, has visited Salem on a day trip with a group of teenagers from Lewiston. She said that the girls had fun, but particularly enjoyed a couple of experiences.

“They really liked

the Pirate Museum,” said Grenier, where a guided tour brings guests to a re-created dock-side village, a cave and a pirate ship. “It was just fun to see the pirate related items in the gift shop.”

Another favorite for the teens was walking through the old graveyard where they tried to find their own birth date on the assorted tombstones.

Fo r t h o s e s e e k i n g p s yc h i c entertainment, there’s the Annual Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo that offers Tarot readings, palm readings, clairvoyant visions, and crystal ball readings, all designed to give visitors a hopeful glimpse into the future.

When visiting Salem, be sure to wear your own outrageous Halloween costume.

Mechanic Falls: Home of Pumpkin Land Harvest Hill Farms on Route 26 in Mechanic Falls is fast becoming one of the most

p o p u l a r H a l l owe e n - t h e m e d parks in Maine. Opened in 2009, it features assorted activities including haunted rides, inflatable bounce houses, wagon rides, a huge pumpkin patch area, playground slides, and a popular petting zoo.

It also hosts two corn mazes — a larger, more difficult one to maneuver, and a smaller one — the Munchkin Maze — for younger visitors. On a recent Saturday afternoon visit, Pumpkin Land had the feel of a country fair catering to younger visitors and families.

This is the second year that Lyndsay Dyer, of Auburn, has visited Pumpkin Land. She made this year’s visit with five youngsters, ages two to six.

“It was really fun last year, but this year with so many new activities it was phenomenal,” said Dyer. “The kid’s favorites were the Petting Barn and the Ball Pit while my favorite was the “Frankenslide.”

This year, the park will feature The Gauntlet, a haunted nighttime ride that the park owners said, “will not be for the faint of heart.”

Point Sebago hosts weekend fun

is fun for all ages and runs October 15 through 17. They offer packages that include meals, entertainment, and lodging options.

According to the Point Sebago website, the weekend offers, “A Costume Party,” a “Very Scary Haunted House,” a spectacular “Monster Rock Show,” Haunted Hayrides, Pumpkin Carving and Decorating, Face Painting and plenty of candy for the kids.

Joker’s for indoor fun in Auburn You might also consider a trip to Joker’s in the Auburn Mall. Joker’s offers fun-filled activities, where the whole family can interact, relax, and most of all have fun together.

Joker’s provides many indoor playground activities along with arcade games, food, and great parties and service.

If the weather looks bad, you can always move the celebration indoors to a variety of school, co m m u n i t y a n d r e c r e a t i o n department Halloween parties.

Websites for Halloween fun www.hauntedhappenings.org www.harvesthillfarms.com

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Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, October 10, 2010

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PHOTOS, clockwise, top color photo above: • Enter Pumpkin Land for a Halloween treat.

• Auburn resident, Lyndsay Dyer, tries out the Frankenslide with son, Matthew age 4, and daughter, Rachel age 2.

• The Salem Witch Museum details the saga of the 1692 Witch Trials. Of the 400 persons accused of witchcraft, 20 of them were condemned and executed.

• The House of the Seven Gables, immortalized by author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of the same title.

• Kathleen Grenier, of Lewiston, is Bewitched in Salem as she stands by a statue honoring the famous television witch, Samantha, portrayed by Elizabeth Montgomery. Bewitched originally aired from 1964 to 1972 and still airs today on nostalgia networks.

• The Burying Point Cemetery dating back to 1637 is a popular Salem, Massachusetts attraction.

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Beyond stereotypes: Teenagers caught in crossroads

By Sharon Bouchard Feature Writer / Photographer

Making your way in the world today sometimes really does take everything you’ve got and for no one is that more true than it is for teenagers.

They are caught in the crossroads of adolescence and adulthood; not yet adults and no longer children.

Te ens are e x p e c te d to ac t responsibly and make sound decisions, yet most of the adults in their lives treat them as if they are incapable of doing either.

Teens must navigate through the

The Hatch family of Hebron, left to right: Rich, Andrew, Jane, and Samantha.

landmines of school, relationships, drugs, alcohol, dating, self-image, technology, sometimes divorce, and, occasionally, abuse, all the while keeping their eyes on the future of becoming adults while still clinging to the fragments of their childhood.

Adolescents are known to be moody, insecure, argumentative, and have odd sleeping patterns and awkward growth spurts.

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changes can be blamed for some of the inconsistent behavior, that is not the only factor. Researchers have discovered that the brain undergoes significant changes during adolescence.

Ted Moccia, principal of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, seated, and Shawn Lambert, director of Oxford Hills Technical School.

According to www.newscientist. com teen brains really are unique.

“Though many brain areas mature during childhood, others mature later, such as the frontal and parietal lobes, responsible for planning and self-control.”

Ted Moccia, principal of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and an educator for 28 years, and Shawn Lambert, director of Oxford Hills Technical School and an educator for 17 years, feel that in spite of the physical and brain chemistry changes that teens are going through they are a very positive asset to society. “Our kids are great,” said Moccia. “There is a big misconception that they don’t care when in fact they care deeply.”

“They are hard working good kids,” Lambert agreed regarding the student body of 1,100 kids.

“They’re thinking about who they are in a rapidly changing world and following their passion.” Both educators agree that there is a preconceived notion by adults that people should be leery of teens.

Andrew Hatch, age 14 and a freshman at O x ford Hills Comprehensive High school, echoed this sentiment. “The worst part about being a teenager is that adults don’t trust you.”

“For me,” said Hatch’s sister Samantha, age 16 and a junior at

the same school, “the worst part of being a teenager is not having enough time.” Andrew and Samantha, the children of Rich and Jane Hatch of Hebron, both lead very active lives.

Andrew is involved in football, alpine skiing, band, 4-H and Boy Scouts and Samantha participates in soccer, alpine skiing, soft ball, orchestra, jazz band, Key Club, 4-H, Girl Scouts and was a 2009 delegate to the National Guard Youth Conference.

When not participating in school and other activities, the Hatch kids have homework, chores, and try to fit in a social life. Andrew does not currently have a girlfriend, but Samantha does date when she can fit it in. And, when time allows, the family plays board and computer games together and they are all involved with their church.

“It ’s hard raising teenagers,”

said Jane Hatch, “but I think the hard work is worth it and that my kids are well-rounded and well-grounded. I think they are typical teenagers.” The Hatches have some experience, having raised two older children, Jennifer Dowling, 23, and Chris Dowling, 20. Andrew and Samantha both have cell phones and are computer savvy as are most of their peers.

“I think the technology of today is good,” said Principal Moccia. “ The k ids have tremendous connectivity, greater resources and are more confident than teens of a few years ago. You just can’t pigeon-hole the kids, no matter what their background, they really can be anything they set their minds to.”

Perhaps Lambert sums it up best, “Every kid is different and no student should be sold short because every single one of them has something to offer.”

Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, October 10, 2010

The joys of libraries and literacy: Read all about it

By Rich Livingston Feature Writer

Repositories of knowledge in written form can be traced to the dawn of civilization.

History Magazine speaks of a collection of “about 30,000 clay tablets found in ancient Mesopotamia [dating] back more than 5,000 years,” for example.

A

ccess to written knowledge – l i te r a c y – w a s , however, a closely guarded secret of the ruling classes for millennia.

In 18th Century America, teaching slaves to read was considered a crime. Throughout medieval times, nearly all written knowledge was suppressed by the Church.

Throughout the Renaissance, co l l e c t i o n s o f b o o k s w e r e controlled chiefly by wealthy individuals, including clergy and lawyers. University libraries were essentially random assemblies of volumes that had been donated by alumni and other patrons (Thomas Jefferson’s legendary library at Monticello was bequeathed to his beloved University of Virginia).

Widespread access to book s improved in 1830s America when Horace Mann, then secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, advocated for the establishment of libraries in public schools as an answer to his own question: “After we educate our children, what do they have to read?”

The public library system as we know it today is largely a function of the largesse and vision of Andrew Carnegie who endowed libraries through much of rural America (and including both the Auburn and Lewiston public libraries) at the beginning of the

20th Century. And, today, Maine ranks second in the country in the number of public libraries per capita, according to the website St ate M as ter.com, a fun compendium of all sorts of comparative data.

immigrant population (aided by a new grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation for just that purpose).

“The Somali community is being led by their kids,” Speer said. “For instance, there will be between 20 and 40 kids here everyday for help with their homework.” And the Lewiston library now provides on-site access to the newer, more robust version of the popular Rosetta Stone language learning software.

At the same time, local libraries have been experiencing record growth. Lynn Lockwood, of the Auburn Public library, said that facility experienced “double- or triple-digit growth in most services and activities last year,” including, especially, “circulation of materials among children and teens.”

That experience was echoed

by Rick Speer of the Lewiston Public Library, who said, “2009 was our busiest year ever and the circulation of materials hit new record levels.”

So, access to books helped fuel literacy, and improved literacy helped drive the need for access to books. But “literacy” is itself a little hard to define with any sort of consensus. There is the notion of “functional literacy,” including the ability to comprehend at levels beyond simply reading and writing one’s own name.

While Maine has its share of literacy challenges, at the most fundamental level – something called “basic prose literacy,” which includes skills needed to “search, comprehend and use continuous texts,” – Maine is tied for second in the nation, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Education (most recent data available).

From the same source, Maine ranks fifth in the nation in the population

Submitted photo

Hayden Dinsmore explores a book in the Auburn Public Library book nook.

percentage (81%) with better than basic eighth grade reading skills. While there is by no means any discernible direct connection b e t w e e n M a i n e ’s e nv i a b l e rankings of library concentration and basic literacy, area libraries are pro-actively committed toward improving literacy, “Especially among pre -scho oler s,” s aid Auburn’s Lockwood.

also provide a wide variet y of community-oriented programming, and often serve as a town’s primary community gathering space, too. “Libraries are the people’s university,” Lockwood said, but she added that nothing is as important as offering story time for kids and providing them the opportunity to explore for themselves, as well.

“Young children are our most important customers, along with their parents.” Early engagement encourages a lifelong interest in reading, enhanced educational and employment opportunities, and contributes to economic prosperity, Lockwood explained.

This sentiment is also shared across the river, where the Lewiston library is now focusing on helping to improve literacy among the new

“People from the Federal Reserve have been travelling the country to lecture about the importance [of early childhood reading programs],” Lockwood added.

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Further good news is that the proliferation of electronic distractions has not impeded the rate at which kids are becoming more engaged with local libraries, and at younger ages, than ever before. And the libraries are keeping up, with new plans to lend electronic readers to adults with library cards, and to offer free downloads of books which, like old Mission Impossible assignments, will eventually self-destruct.

Downloads, convenient though they may be, may vanish, but printed words will endure, and thanks to the pro-active outreach of local libraries, there will be a steady supply of people ready to read them.

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Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, October 10, 2010

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What to do when . . .

domestic violence hits home

By Deborah Conway Feature Writer / Photographer

“Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other.” (http://www. domesticviolence. org/definition/) The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website states that “one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.”

Although a significant percentage of victims of domestic violence are women battered by male par tners, men, children, the

e l d e r l y, a n d i n d i v i du a ls i n “dating” relationships can also be victimized. According to Kelley Glidden, director of Community Education for the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project, 7% of domestic violence victims are men.

Records maintained by Crystal Lachance, officer of Youth & Family Ser vices and other Domestic Violence coordinators with the Lewiston Police Department, indicate that the number of complaints reported in 2009, in Lewiston alone, totals 1,632, with 228 involving a physical assault and one resulting in the victim’s death. Glidden added that of the 17 homicides that had occurred in Maine in the first 7.5 months of 2010, eight were related to domestic violence.

The Domestic Violence Co o r d i n a t i o n Pr o g r a m w a s established about 10 years ago to investigate and follow all domestic violence related cases. The officer assigned to each situation acts

as an advocate for the victim and follows the victim from the initial investigative meeting, often taking place amid the chaos in the victim’s residence, to delivering the victim to safety, providing referrals, obtaining Protection Orders and performing safety checks. The officer provides investigative assistance to the District Attorney’s office as it builds its criminal case against the abuser. Jane Morrison, executive direc tor of AWAP, Glidden, and Lachance agree, law enforcement agencies have become much more sensitive and educated with respect to domestic violence.

Morrison shared, “The mission o f th e A b us e d Wo m e n’s Advocacy Project is to support and empower those affected by domestic violence and engage the communit y in creating social change in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.”

In accordance with its Mission Statement, AWAP provides a wide range of services to victims of domestic abuse including the following:

• A 24-hour HELPline (1-800-559-2927); • S helters where women and their children who have left a dangerous situation will find supportive and safe refuge; •C lothing and necessary items for victims who left their homes with only their children and the clothes on their backs; • S upport and empowerment as victims set goals, seek employment, finish school, and develop a plan for their future; •A dvocacy and assistance with legal matters including Protection from Abuse Orders; and, •A 48-week Batterers Intervention Program, where batterers learn non-violent conflict resolution and are held accountable for their actions.

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FAMILY

Above: Participants in the domestic violence vigil held in Lewiston-Auburn hope to raise awareness of this crime and its effects on individuals as well as the community.

Community resources • Abused Women’s Advocacy Project serving Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford; www.awap.org; 24 Hour Helpline: 1-800-5592927; Androscoggin Advocate: 795-6744; Farmington Advocate: 778-6107; Rumford Advocate: 369-0750; Norway: 743-5806 • Lewiston Police Department Domestic Violence Team: 5133138 extension 3311; In the event of an emergency, call 911 • Pine Tree Legal Assistance; Lewiston office: 784-1558; Website: www.ptla.org/index.html • United Somali Women of Maine; Lewiston office: 753-0061; Website: www.uswofmaine.org • Statewide Domestic Violence Helpline; 1-866-834-HELP • Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence; Augusta office: 4308334; www.mcedv.org • Violence Intervention Partnership; Portland office: 871-8380; Website: www.cumberlandcounty.org/VIP/activities.htm • Domestic Violence Case Coordination Project; Website: www. courts.state.me.us/maine_courts/annual_reports/annualreport/ ar-09/courts_maine/dvccp.html • Family Violence Prevention Fund; www.endabuse.org • National Network to End Domestic Violence; 1-800-799-7233; Website: www.nnedv.org • Maine Coalition Against Domestic Violence; www.ncadv.org • www.domesticviolence.org • R.E.A.C.H.; Rape Education and Crisis Hotline; 1-800-871-7741; www.reachmaine.org • Sexual Assault Crisis Center; Auburn office: 1-800-871-7441; http://sexualassaultcrisiscenter.org

Many victims of domestic abuse are reluctant to seek help, and often have a number of reasons for remaining in an abusive relationship. As to why victims are reluctant to disclose that they have been abused, Glidden believes that victims sometimes feel that there is “stigma, shame, and judgment”

associated with asking for services.

Often there are minor children involved, or victims believe that they are financially dependent on the abuser.

Domestic violence

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Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Sunday, October 10, 2010