All of our
Services
to Victims
are Free,
Private &
Confidential

In Greene County, call 724-852-2463

Washington Women’s Shelter, Inc.

THERE IS A SAFE PLACE TO GO!

SERVING WASHINGTON & GREENE COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA

CALL US at 724-223-9190 or 800-791-4000  24-Hours a Day, 7-Days a Week!

Winter 2009  Volume 17, Issue 4

From the Director

On behalf of all our recipients of service, the Volunteers, Staff, and Board of Directors of WASHINGTON WOMEN’S SHELTER, INC. would like to wish you and yours a safe and joyous holiday season.

Our mission is to offer a safe and peaceful haven to victims of domestic violence and their children. We can’t do it without you. Please help us help all of them.

In life, it is the smallest things that mean the most to us. Whether it is a friendly smile, a warm embrace, or simply a person to talk to, these are the things we often take for granted.  What happens when those friendly smiles get ignored, the embraces simply disappear, and the people you turned to for advice simply vanish?  This is often the everyday reality of victims of domestic violence.  The mission of Washington Women’s Shelter, Inc. is simple: help, protect, empower, and embrace. These are the fundamental attributes that I found to be engrained in every member of the shelter staff and in every volunteer who works there. Over the course of my time at WWS, Inc., I encountered numerous women from all different walks of life, some poor, some wealthy, some college educated, some high school drop outs and, although so different, they all had one thing in common, domestic violence.  Whether they realized it or not, these women were all bonded together by a tie that was much stronger than they knew, for these women, at one point or another in their lives, have fallen victim to the vicious cycle of domestic abuse. The cycle of abuse is not one that can easily be broken, but with the assistance of those who care, and in this case Washington Women’s Shelter, Inc., the cycle cannot only be broken but it can be defeated.

The shelter is driven by the ideal that the victim can, with the limited assistance of others, not only rebuild themselves and their lives, but do so in a manner that will move them from the position of a victim to a survivor. Through these women, I have learned more about myself than I ever deemed imaginable.  Along with them, I have learned ways to empower myself and others, how to stand up to what may seem impenetrable, how to look to the future and let go of the wrongs of the past. These victims come to the shelter to escape the viciousness of their lives and to capture something they believe to be lost forever, themselves. Washington Women’s Shelter, Inc. helps them become survivors; they help “end domestic violence one community, one home, one life at a time.”

News from Greene County

With the onset of school, Cheryl McCready, Greene County School Trainer, has been busy presenting programs at various schools throughout the county. Healthy Choices, a ten-week interactive program, has been completed at both Graysville and Springhill Elementary Schools. A total of 32 students participated in this program that teaches children non-violent solutions to conflicts.  Cheryl will begin presenting Healthy Choices at Bobtown Elementary in February 2010.  For more information on Healthy Choices or any of our programs, call Cheryl at 724.852.2373.

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the staff and volunteers at Greene County Women’s Center were busy spreading awareness throughout Greene County. A special thanks goes out to Angela Failor, an intern with Greene County Women’s Center, who spearheaded an awareness campaign on the Waynesburg University campus.  Angela set up an awareness table on campus and also organized a domestic violence presentation.  Speakers at that presentation were Linda Moon, Program Coordinator at GCWC, and Carol and Kimberly Furmanek, who lost their daughter and mother respectively to domestic violence. Carol and Kimberly were able to share their personal stories of living with the aftermath of domestic violence.  Thanks also go to the Community Nursing class at Waynesburg University who decorated trees around the campus. Lastly, we could not have gotten our message out without the help of the various organizations, businesses, and individuals who decorated trees and bushes with purple ribbons and bows, displayed our Empty Place at the Table* exhibit, and gave us space to set up DVAM displays to remind the community that we all must speak our about domestic violence.

* Empty Place at the Table © 2004 Women’s Resource Center, Inc., Scranton, PA 

Sharing the Holiday Spirit

All of our lives get very hectic during the holiday season.  There never seems to be enough time to do all of the things that we feel we need or want to do. We have baking to do, houses to clean and decorate, and we want to share those special holiday moments with friends and family. We here at Washington Women’s Shelter, Inc. are very lucky to have volunteers who are willing to do all of the above and still spend time helping domestic violence victims and their children.

Two WWS, Inc. volunteers, Paula Harvey and Eileen Kennon, wanted to make sure that the women and children staying in our Shelter were able to share in the spirit of the holidays. Paula and Eileen set aside an entire day to decorate the Shelter. They arranged for cookies, apple cider, and holiday music for all to share while readying the Shelter for the holidays.  There were jobs for all from the youngest to the oldest.  Laughter, a quality missing in too many lives at the Shelter, was heard ringing through the hallways. The smell of cookies and the sound of singing was present throughout the rooms. What a joy it was for the staff at our Shelter to see such fun taking place.

A very special thank you goes out to Eileen and Paula for bringing the holidays into the Shelter.  They gave the women and children staying with us the joy that too many of us take for granted: the joy of sharing this special time of year, and the spirit that goes with it, with others. On behalf of those staying at the Shelter, along with the WWS, Inc. staff, we want to thank all of our volunteers for their help in keeping the spirit of the holidays alive.

All of our services are provided confidentially and without regard to race, color, age, sex, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, handicap or disability, marital status or sexual orientation.  Washington Women’s Shelter, Inc. is registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999.  Registration does not imply endorsement.