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Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005
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Promise Place seeks help to expandBy MICHAEL BOYLAN Fayette County has the highest number of reported domestic violence incidents and child abuse incidents in the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Fayette, Spalding, Pike and Upson counties. These are problems that go hand in hand and Fayette County has had someone trying to help the victims of these crimes since 1987. Though it started as a small operation, the organization in place to help is growing and members of the community are coming together to help them. The Fayette County Council on Battered Women started in 1987. When it began it was two women with a pager, determined to help women in crisis. Around this time, the youth protection homes in Fayette County were being built and the Fayette Thrift Shop was formed, donating half of the funds they raised to the youth protection homes and the other half to the council on battered women. The organization grew and changed its name to the Fayette County Council on Domestic Violence. A number of volunteers came to the group, offering their assistance and the organization began to offer legal advocacy for women and support groups. In the early 1990s, the council opened The Lighthouse, a transitional home for women in crisis. It was donated to the organization which then renovated and enlarged it. The home has five apartments that women and children can stay in for up to 18 months. It is more than a shelter, said Promise Place executive director Sonja Strickland. It is a program. Goals are set and the residents receive a support network that helps them build a solid foundation. Eleven years ago, the council began to offer teen dating violence classes to all of the ninth-graders in the county during their health classes. They reach 2,000 students a year, hoping that the education they receive prevents them from needing an organization like theirs in the future. Recently, the council changed its name once again. Now it is called Promise Place. They have expanded their program throughout the Griffin Judicial Circuit and currently offer their help to over 500 women and men and 400 children a year. Through the years they have remained a nonprofit organization and until last year, when they received a $25,000 seed grant to expand their services, they had received no grant money. They have a modest budget of $150,000 a year with the highest percentage of funding coming from the Fayette Thrift Shop. The city of Peachtree City gives them $7,500 a year and the Fayette County County Commission and the Five Percent fund, a victims assistance fund, each give them $10,000 a year. Last year, the doors to Promise Place almost closed because they were $40,000 short of their budget. Everybody tightened their belts. The staff, which now consists of two full-time and three part-time employees, went without pay and everything possible was done to keep the lights on. Strickland now says that the outlook is a little better. They have received $4,000 from another grant and donations from Chick-fil-A, the Board of Realtors and too many other organizations to mention. Promise Place also receives a lot of support from the community in the form of donated items and voluntary services. There are over 50 people who volunteer their time to the organization. Promise Place also has a strong partnerships with the courthouse, the district attorney, the solicitor, the police department and the sheriffs department. There is a Domestic Violence Task Force that helps assure victims of receiving a unified response. It is important for members of law enforcement to be trained in the signs to look for when approaching a possible case of domestic violence, because an average of 10 incidents occur before it is reported to law enforcement. The dream for Promise Place is to open an emergency shelter in the near future. We have women call everyday and we have to send them elsewhere because we dont have a facility to take care of them, said Strickland. These facilities are often full and so, women in crisis are being turned away every day. They would also like to expand the transitional housing by five more apartments, have full time legal advocates for each county and offer counseling for children. There are countless ways for people in the community to help or continue helping Promise Place. Volunteers can serve on the Board of Directors or answer calls on the emergency crisis line, volunteer at the Lighthouse or on other projects. assisting with donations, letter writing, general clerical work, helping to build a computer data base, helping with our cell phone drive, serving on our speakers bureau. People can also contact their local legislators and let them know that there is a need in the county for an emergency shelter. The Peachtree City United Methodist Church has offered their help in spreading the word about Promise Place and helping them fundraise and organizers are hoping that more local churches and civic organizations join the cause as well. Volunteers are also needed to help make two upcoming fundraising events successful. Offshoot Productions is presenting a mystery theatrical production with dessert and coffee Apr. 16-17 at Peachtree City United Methodist Church. The Peachtree City Running Club is helping to put together a 5K Run from Domestic Violence to be held in Peachtree City on June 11. Proceeds from both events with go to a help build a much needed emergency shelter for victims of domestic abuse and their children. Promise Place invites all who are interested in getting involved to attend a volunteer training class at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Melears Barbeque on Georgia Highway 85 in Fayetteville. For more information contact Heidi Becker Vaisvil at 770-846-8659 or call Promise Place at 770-460-1604. For more information on Promise Place, visit www.Promiseplace.org, e-mail to promiseplace@bellsouth.net or phone 770-460-1604. |
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Copyright 2004-Fayette Publishing, Inc. |