Our friends at Apple Creek Flowers in Woodstock brought us another beautiful arrnagement of flowers this week- and they say they are going to keeop doing so! It is so nice to have fresh flowers in the office! THANK YOU Apple Creek!
May 22 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
WOODSTOCK – A judge convicted a veteran Algonquin police sergeant of domestic battery despite the alleged victim’s testimony that it never happened.
You can read the full story here. This case has been on the front pages for a couple of weeks- and everyone seems to be dumbfounded that the victim recanted and denied the abuse ever happened. This is the rule, not the exception- it happens so frequently that to DV insiders it’s completely unremarkable.
The abuser was convicted anyway- through the testimony of other witnesses and the victim’s own 911 call. This is called “Evidence Based Prosecution” and the McHenry County States Attorneys office has gotten quite adept at using supporting evidence to get a conviction without the victim’s testimony.
May 22 2009 | In the news | No Comments »
Jane Farmer had a letter to the editor in the Northwest Herald this weekend:
To the Editor:
I was shocked and appalled by attorney Keith Karlson’s remarks regarding domestic violence (“Suspension, no pay for Algonquin sergeant charged with domestic battery,” May 5). I cannot let Karlson’s remarks go unchallenged. I would think that anyone who spends so much time in court would know that domestic violence is not something that should be “laughed away” as he put it. Studies show that as many as 4 million women in the United States experience serious assault by an intimate partner each year, and more than 3 million children witness their mothers being abused.
I would hope we can all agree that there is nothing to laugh about in those statistics; indeed, family violence is one of the worst problems confronting our society. There are serious effects on children that witness violence in their own homes and the trauma all members of the family experience leads to long-term effects.
Please know that victims of abuse do have a place to turn 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Turning Point will take the issue of domestic violence seriously. Call 815-338-8081. Turning Point is here to help.
Jane Farmer
Turning Point executive director
As always, the mention of Turning Point brought out all sorts of commentators! You can read it all here!
May 18 2009 | Uncategorized and Volunteers | No Comments »
Some heartbreaking stuff in this in-depth interview with Amy Leichtenberg, who’s two sons were murdered by her abusinve ex-husband. It’s important to note that when she talks about non-responsive police & court officers, she’s not talking about our local officials, but rather the down-state ones. You can read the full story here.
May 18 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
Our Shelter volunteers are a trained group of volunteers who visit monthly to spend an evening with our shelter residents. This month, working with our volunteer master gardener Ann Huetter, they planted container gardens for the shelter patio. They also started some vegetable seedlings and are hoping to plant a full-fledged vegetable garden for the shelter. They were much aided in this pursuit by the abundance of garden supplies donated to the shelter by Ken & Kim Cox this month!
If you’d like more information regarding volunteering the the shelter, call Jennifer at (815) 338 8081!
May 10 2009 | Volunteers | No Comments »
The ‘Bojan Butterflies’ Mary Kay unit led by Patty Bojan delivered gift baskets full of spring Mary Kay products to the shelter residents today for Mother’s Day. The items totaled over $1,000. Thanks for making Mother’s Day that much brighter for the Ladies of TP!
May 10 2009 | Volunteers | No Comments »
Thanks to the gang at Apple Creek on Throop Street in Woodstock for the lovely flowers! They dropped off an arrangement for all the “Moms” who come to Turning Point! What a thoughtful gesture! It’s not too late to send flowers to YOUR mom! Apple Creek is at 209 Throop Street in Woodstock 815 338 2255.
May 06 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
In today’s Northwest Herald!
To the Editor:
The Men’s Ministry Group of Light of Christ Church in Algonquin deserves a huge thank you for its recent volunteer work at Turning Point.
This was the third year in a row they chose to serve at Turning Point, performing spring cleaning, grounds work and building maintenance projects. They worked with such enthusiasm and put so much effort into all they did. They were a joy to work with, and everything looks beautiful!
Turning Point relies on the help of volunteers throughout the year for a great variety of things. With stories of domestic violence so frequently seen in the news, it is good to know there are always volunteers who ask, “What can I do to help?”
If you are one who would ask that question, please call 815-338-8081.
Jennifer Kenning
Volunteer coordinator
Turning Point
Well said, Jennifer! If you’d like to see it (or add a comment) on the NW Herald site it is here.
May 04 2009 | In the news and Volunteers | No Comments »
Thanks to Kim in the TP development office for this great tip! This Column ran exclusively on “Women on the Web”- a great source for writing by and about women. We link it here.
“I have made errors in judgment before, and I have owned up to them, but there has never been a situation where I was so totally uninformed about a subject I thought I understood reasonably well. The subject is domestic abuse. I feel the need to share my new understanding with others.”
May 03 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »