More from Battered Women's Shelter...

I have still been in contact w/ my local organization and the director gave me just a few facts along w/ a story that I wanted to post on here to share w/ all of you!


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Staff: we have 50, we hire people with high school degrees all the way up to masters degree

Volunteers: we now have 40, they do everything from answering hotline calls to reading the kids bedtime stories......to planting flowers and cooking

Goal: well that would be the mission statement..............we would love to go out of business because there is no more family violence, but that will never happen, so on a smaller basis........I would guess we just want to help one family at a time stop or prevent family violence.

Targets: all victims of family violenceHelp........oh gosh yes, it helps a lot......let me connect a story for you to use.

With permission from the author, I would like to share a letter I received on Nov. 25, 2008:“My name is Ben See, and at the age of 6, (in 1981), I was a resident of the Akron Battered Women's shelter for around 2 months. I am now a grown adult, but still have vivid memories of the safe house. I remember all the women that were afraid to go outside in fear of their significant other finding them. I remember the women having hardly anything. I remember my mother coming to the safe house door with a load of dirty laundry, 2 children, and just the shirts on our backs. I remember food stamps, I remember government cheese, and I remember my mother not even having any personal feminine hygiene items, I remember the fear of the unknown as well. I am now a grown adult, with my own wife and new son. I am a software engineer as well as a Firefighter/EMT. Recently, I have taken some time to reflect on my own childhood. The Battered Women Shelter is burned into my mind. I remember the location, the house, where I slept, and some of the faces of the women. I remember as a child the holidays being the most difficult time. My mom had very limited funds and could not even get her children clothes let alone toys. I have been so fortunate in my life, and have grown into a man that respects women, and have been fortunate enough to climb the ladder out of where my mother, sister, and I came from. During this holiday season I would like to either donate money or items that the shelter needs. If there are children in the shelter that need some sort of toys, I am willing to do what I can for them. Just me typing this really brings up a lot of memories from my childhood, but it puts a smile on my face knowing that I can help those that are in a position that my family was in before.”