Please join us for the 2008 U.S. Bank Galena Parade of Homes.
Mary Kay Ash Foundation support Breast Cancer Research, so in October I would like to do classes or individual facials with proceeds going to the foundation.
Also I will be part of the style show at Dubuque River Convention Center on October 20th which increases people awareness of Breast Cancer and provides assistance to those in need. Tickets are available from me. This is a great event for those who have not been before.
Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program promotes screening for anyone who does not have insurance. Information is available from myself or by calling 866-590-8499. We need to get more women enrolled in Jo Daviess County. Submitted by Judy Behnke.
Tyler's Justice Center for Children Submitted by Tina Steele-Lietz, Executive Director for Tyler's Justice Center for Children.
Tyler's Justice Center for Children is an advocacy center for children who are victims of sexual and severe physical abuse. The center is currently located on Hwy. 20 in Stockton, Ill., and serves Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Carroll counties. Tyler’s has outgrown its current facility and is in need of a larger building in order to effectively handle its caseload and provide the services needed to fulfill its mission.
The new facility is being funded from community donations and support. Thanks to the fundraising committees in Jo Daviess and Stephenson Counties the majority of the funds have been raised through corporate meetings and special fundraising events.
Donors who contribute over $500 to the campaign will be recognized on a special “Giving Tree” which will be located in a prominent location within the new facility. The Giving Tree is a 7’ x 7’ oak carved tree, created by local artist, Dick Anderson. The tree will have child- sized hands as the leaves, with a brass plate inscribed to recognize donors.
The facility will be complete in September and the home of Tyler’s Justice Center for Children will officially be moving! With that, there are some much needed last minute items for the new facility. The items needed are 5 wall paper towel holders, 5 small waste baskets, 2 large indoor garbage cans, 5 toilet brushes with holders, 5 bottles of liquid hand washing soap, 3 entry way rugs, 5 bathroom rugs, broom/dust pan, Swiffer mop, 3 plastic chairmats, coat rack/wall hooks and magazine racks. Tyler’s also needs office furniture of various kinds such as a board room table and chairs, stove/oven, large refrigerator, mini refrigerator, microwave and 2 desk chairs.
If you are interested in donating, volunteering, or simply want to learn more about Tyler’s Justice Center and the “Helping Hands for Hope” building campaign, please feel free to contact Michelle Murphy at Tyler’s Justice Center for Children at 815.947.6030. If you can help in any way, the staff and clients of Tyler’s Justice Center will greatly appreciate your assistance.
You Give Love a Bad Name Article by Carrie Melton
Ever since I thought about writing an article on healthy relationships I struggled with finding a phrase that would catch the readers’ attention. As I scoured the books and all the materials I have at hand, I realized that a factual article on healthy relationships might not be all that interesting. After all, we know what a healthy relationship looks like, right? Then “inspiration” came unexpectedly on my morning run, listening to my ipod: Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”. Yes, for all those thirty-somethings, you know the song. The one you played in your car as you drove around town crying over that breakup with the one you were sure to marry some day. I know what you are thinking, Bon Jovi? Inspirational? and granted, most of the song is the chorus, but I just had to get online and print off the lyrics to over analyze them. After all, as a domestic violence advocate for fourteen years, everything in my world revolves around abuse against women and all those overt and subliminal messages we send to our youth and society as a whole about accepting violence and stereotypical gender roles.
So, in the first stanza, “You promise me heaven, then put me through hell”. This could be the line that embodies the beginning of every abusive relationship. There is only one characteristic that all abusive relationships have in common: they started out as good ones. Think about it, you know that if a man approaches you for your number, he is not going to preface his request with the notion that he abuses the women in his life. This line could also be representative of the cycle of violence. The cycle that abused women are faced with after a violent incident. The abusers make promises and apologies for their behaviors; Promising changes, promising heaven.
Next, “Chains of love got a hold on me, When passion is a prison, you can’t break free”. Many victims of domestic violence say they feel trapped and can’t get out of their abusive relationship. They have become emotionally beaten down and can’t find the strength or have the resources to leave. When a victim of domestic violence is able to leave, it becomes the most dangerous time for her. Those chains of love become symbolic of the real barriers that women face in leaving an abusive situation.
“There’s nowhere to run, no one can save me, the damage is done”. Survivors of domestic abuse report that emotional abuse is the most common and most hurtful type of abuse they’ve had to endure, with long lasting emotional scars. There is support for victims to heal emotionally and find safety. Locally, CHOICES provides free and confidential services (815.777.3680), and there is the Illinois Domestic Violence helpline (877-863-6338) and the Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (866-331-9474).
Ok, being a huge Bon Jovi fan and a domestic violence advocate does not make me an expert on healthy relationships. But I certainly know what a healthy relationship is NOT. A healthy relationship is not power of one person over another, jealousy, physical violence, isolation from family and friends, control over money, manipulation, minimizing the abuse, using the children or threats.
I truly don’t want to make light of a serious issue or equate domestic abuse with Bon Jovi, but I wanted to keep your attention on a subject that may need a new angle to increase awareness. So, before you dig out your tape deck and uncover your Bon Jovi cassette from your box of ripped jeans and concert t-shirts, remember October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 1 in 4 women (teens and adults)
