Eve’s
Place Announces
Second
Annual Grand Ball
With Special Guest Speaker Denise
Brown
Eve’s Place will host its
second annual charity fundraising
ball presented by Henry Madison
Research, Inc. with special guest
speaker Denise Brown, sister of
Nicole Brown Simpson. The gala will
take place at the Renaissance
Glendale Hotel and Spa in Glendale,
Ariz. starting at
6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 12th
2008. The fundraiser
helps to raise awareness about
domestic violence (DV) and provides
a revenue source for safety and
services to empower women and
children who are victims of DV.
“Domestic violence is a problem
that affects everyone,” states Velda
King, President of Eve’s Place Board
of Directors. In Arizona alone,
over 17,000 women and children are
affected. “We may not know it, but
we all know someone who has been
affected in some way by DV. It
costs at least $67,000 a month to
keep our doors open.”
Eve's Place a place for Domestic
Violence Victims
By LeeAnn Sharpe
The Mission of Eve's Place is to
provide hope and assistance to
victims of domestic violence. Their
goal is to educate the public about
domestic violence and provide
programs to empower abused women and
children.
Eve’s Place recently
hosted a ball and auction to raise
funds for their domestic violence
victim shelter program. Among the
many concerned and caring guests
attending ball were Don and
Mary Larkin, of Larkin
Associates, in Surprise, Richard
Stevens, Crystal Vanthoff
and Carol Fuller. Dorothea
Boothe and Marylou Stevens
Board of Directors Eve's Place,
along with Velda King,
President of Eve's Place with her
husband Ron King; and Barbara
Levy were four of the Eve's
Place staff that worked very hard
for months before the event and did
not stop till the last guest had
departed. A few of the other guests
included Michael Fahey,
Executive Director Sun Valley Lodge,
Sun City; Sharon Phillips;
Herme Sherry, Arizona State
Senator Jim Waring; Mike
and Diane Shapiro Lemke;
Skip Hanson; and Dr. Geoff
Radoff.
Denise Brown was the
keynote speaker. In 1994, Denise
lost her younger sister, Nicole
Brown Simpson, in one the most
publicized murder cases in American
history. Nicole was a long time
victim of domestic violence at the
hand of her famous football star
husband O.J. Simpson.
Since the loss of
her sister, Denise has committed her
life to raising awareness against
domestic violence and has
established The Nicole Brown
Charitable Foundation in Nicole's
memory, to assist victims of
domestic violence.
Since early 1995,
Denise has traveled to various
states speaking on domestic
violence. She has helped raise funds
for local shelters all across the
country with her appearances, and
has assisted in the success of a
major project called the Vine
System, an automated victim
notification service of the release
of batterers from prison. As part of
her commitment, Denise has worked to
help pass a variety of legislative
solutions for domestic violence. One
of her most important projects was
to lobby on behalf of the “Violence
Against Women Act”. U.S. Senator
Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
contacted Denise Brown and asked for
her assistance on a portion of the
bill that was being stalled in
committee in the U.S. Senate. With a
potential reduction of its federal
allocation to domestic violence
services, Denise testified to the
U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee
for increased funding for the
“Violence Against Women Act”. After
her testimony, that portion of the
bill's funding was increased from
$18 million to $32 million. U.S.
Senators Biden and Hatch have cited
Denise as "having done more for the
issue of domestic violence than any
other individual."
“I made a promise to
Nicole so that she did not die in
vain, and to keep this promise I’ve
dedicated all my energies to making
our communities safer through
education and awareness, sharing
programs that work, helping pass
legislation, and challenging us all
to stand up for what is right. I’ve
learned two things on my continuing
journey, one that I’m not alone in
my loss, and two that I’m not alone
in my determination to make sure
that the epidemic of violence does
not go unanswered. I do this in
Nicole’s name,” says Denise.
Advice to the
abused.
-
If you are in a
relationship and a victim of
domestic violence you need to:
-
Think of a safe
place to go if an argument
occurs - avoid rooms with no
exits (bathroom), or rooms with
weapons (kitchen).
-
Think about and
make a list of safe people to
contact.
-
Keep change with
you at all times.
-
Memorize all
important numbers.
-
Establish a "code
word" or "sign" so that family,
friends, teachers or co-workers
know when to call for help.
-
Think about what
you will say to your partner if
he\she becomes violent.
-
Remember: You
have the right to live without
fear and violence.
If you have left the relationship:
-
Change your phone
number & Screen calls.
-
Save and document
all contacts, messages, injuries
or other incidents involving the
batterer.
-
Change locks, if
the batterer has a key.
-
Avoid staying
alone.
-
Plan how to get
away if confronted by an abusive
partner.
-
If you have to
meet your partner, do it in a
public place.
-
Vary your
routine.
-
Notify school and
work contacts.
-
Call a shelter
for battered women.
For more info, check
out the Domestic Violence Safety
Tips page on
http://www.safetyatevesplace.org/tips.html
Workplace
Guidelines
There are 60,000
incidents of on-the-job violence
each year, and most victims know
their attackers intimately.
If you are experiencing domestic
violence:
-
Notify your
supervisor and the human
relations manager about the
circumstances regarding your
situation.
-
Discuss options
available to you, e.g.,
scheduling, safety precautions,
employee/family assistance
benefits.
-
Submit a recent
photo of the perpetrator to your
safety manager in the event of a
confrontation at work.
-
Request that all
information be treated with
confidence to provide for your
safety and well-being.
If you are the co-worker of someone
experiencing domestic violence:
-
If you suspect a
co-worker is suffering abuse, do
not directly confront her/him
since it is important for an
individual to self-disclose for
her/his own safety and
well-being.
-
Express concern
and a willingness to listen and
be supportive if needed.
-
Offer support by
listening and assisting; when an
individual is ready, she/he will
confide.
-
If a co-worker
confides in you, encourage
communication with the human
resources manager and her/his
supervisor.
-
If you witness an
incident at work, contact your
safety manager or law
enforcement immediately. Make
sure that the incident is
documented.
If you are the supervisor or manager
of an employee who is experiencing
domestic violence:
-
Be aware of
unusual absences or behavior and
take note of bruises or
emotional distress.
-
Contact the human
resources manager to discuss
concerns, resources available
and ways to support the
employee, e.g., safety planning,
employee assistance counseling,
family resource referrals,
flexible scheduling, security
measures.
-
Be familiar with
community resources and
referrals.
-
Maintain
confidentiality at all times; be
sensitive to the seriousness of
the situation.
-
Discuss who is
appropriate to speak with the
employee; agree on all forms of
communication, e.g., providing
the safety manager with a photo
if there is a risk at work.
-
Assist the
employee in documenting all
incidents with the batterer that
occur in the workplace.
-
Take action
against domestic violence by
encouraging employees to
volunteer and by providing
financial or in-kind support to
your local domestic violence
programs.
-
Eve’s Place and other shelters in the valley offer a
home-like setting at an undisclosed,
secure and quiet location. They
offer counseling and transportation
for essential obligations. They can
provide assistance with filing legal
paperwork, looking for employment,
finding a new place to live, and
more. If you need help, call.
LOCAL
24 HOUR CRISIS HOTLINE: 623-537-5380
Panorama
Hills Monthly would like to thank
Mr. Johnathan Tom Director of
Operations for
Maricopa County Home
Shows for getting the donation for
Eve's Place of three large box of
Bounce Dryer Sheets from Proctor and
Gamble, one of the exhibitors at the
show at the AZ State Fairgrounds.
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ttp://www.safetyatevesplace.org/
