Archive for August, 2009
Whew, what a weekend!
Rain, wind, cold- nothing could keep folks from turning out to ‘Take a Stand!’
Donations always come in for a few days after the event, so I don’t ever like to say there is a “Final” number, but as of this morning we’re at $69,736. That includes almost $5000 in donated items for our food pantries and the donations that came in On-Line during the event, as well as the over $60,000 raised from people coming down or calling to ‘Take a Stand’ during the Star 105.5 radio broadcast- no matter how cold or windy it was!
But as always, the dollars tell only part of the story. First and foremost, for 36 hours, Star 105.5 told our story and took our message to the public- our crisis workers are busy this morning with victims who took courage from the message they heard this weekend and are getting help to put an end to the violence in their homes. As always, we had folks come down to Sam’s Club during the radiothon because they heard the message that help was available and took those first steps to connect with Turning Point and change their lives.
And hundreds and hundreds of people wrote a check, donated on-line, tossed a dollar in the bucket or made a call to make sure that help would be available when needed. This was the first year people were able to “Take a Stand” online, and hundreds did. We had nearly 200 people become a supporter of Turning Point on Facebook and over 50 people made donations either through Facebook or the Turning Point website. And, as I’ve been writing this note, I’ve been happily interrupted by people who were calling to see if they still could make a donation by phone- of course, the answer is yes!
If you haven’t been able to participate you still can!
- Call Turning Point (815) 338 8081 to make a donation- either cash or items for our food pantry our supply closet. (We received over a DOZEN cases of copy paper this weekend- an item we are VERY MUCH in need of every day!)
- Go online to WWW.McHenryCountyTurningPoint.Org for more information on our services or to make a donation- click the “Donate Now” button. Visit our Blog to get information on how you can link up with Turning Point on Facebook and learn more about upcoming events.
- Call Jennifer to learn more about volunteering for Turning Point! (815) 338 8081.
So that’s where we stand on Monday Morning! One thing to remember is that while the Radiothon is 36 hours, Turning Point is 24/7/365! Even during “Take a Stand,” staff and volunteers were answering crisis calls, families were living in the shelter, and victims were getting the help they need to end the violence in their homes. It is never too late to help them and “Take a Stand for Turning Point”!
August 31 2009 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
This is the weekend we’ve been waiting for- Time to TAKE A STAND FOR TURNING POINT! You can hear the event on Star 105.5 FM or listen online by going to http://www.star105.com/Listen-Live/2734772 There are several ways you can make a donation (which is tax deductible as allowed by law):
1. Write a check and mail it to Turning Point, PO Box 723, Woodstock IL 60098.
2. Make an on-line donation by going to http://www.mchenrycountyturningpoint.org/ You can click on that “Donate Now” link and make a contribution with a credit or bank card. (There is also a lot more information about Turning Point there- This is already the longest E-mail I’ve ever written, it doesn’t need to be any longer!)
3. If you are on Facebook, you can visit the Turning Point page, become a supporter and make an online contribution there. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/332897?m=91e6b129
4. The event is held LIVE on air Friday August 28 and Saturday August 29-you can stop by Sam’s Club in Crystal Lake and make a donation in person. Or call in (during those two days only- phones are live 6 AM Friday until 6 PM Saturday, 8/28-29 ONLY) on our donation hotlines 815-276-9499 or 815-549-6655.
5. Or call Turning Point during business hours and give us the information: (815) 338 8081.
August 27 2009 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
Turning Point Blog and website (Click the “Donate Now” button to make a donation).
Facebook Page: Become a fan!
Facebook Cause: Join the cause and feature it on your Facebook profile. You can also make a donation here.
Turning Point (815) 338 8081. 24 hour crisis line 1-800-892-8900.
For a very brief presentation about the changes Turning Point advocates can bring to the lives of their clients, please click here.
August 26 2009 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
Chris Krug in Sunday’s Northwest Herald:
“Take a stand with Turning Point: Don’t forget about the fourth annual Take a Stand for Turning Point fundraiser, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. WZSR-FM and its on-air personalities will host a 36-hour radiothon, broadcasting from the parking lot of the Crystal Lake Sam’s Club beginning at 6 a.m. Friday.
Listeners can call into the radio station or stop by the mobile studio and make a donation.
I don’t have to tell you how badly affected the local nonprofits have been by the inane cuts that have been made to the Illinois state budget. But I will anyway.
Turning Point works on a primary level with local law enforcement and serves as a 24-hour, on-call resource by sheltering people whose lives have been shattered by domestic violence. This is not a superfluous organization that we can live without in McHenry County. And the $170,000 funding gap that Turning Point faces can’t be covered by a bake sale or by selling some raffle tickets.
These are challenging times for all nonprofits, and as the months wear on, we will tell you more about the solid local organizations that provide unique and necessary services and the specific funding shortages they are facing. Gov. Quinn might be OK with turning his back on these groups, but I am confident that our community isn’t.
In the meantime, get out next weekend and show some love to the folks at Turning Point.”
You can read it all here.
August 24 2009 | Fundraising and In the news | No Comments »
Turning Point has been trying to use on-line technology this year to reach new donors and spread the word about Turning Point and DomesticViolence. Part of that outreach has been to do an on-line challenge to raise $6,000 for the radiothon through donations from the TurningPoint Website and Facebook pages. We started with a $1100 goal but had to increase that when we passed that in the first couple of days!
So far, the amount raised through the Facebook groups, cause and on-line outreach: $3395! Our goal is to raise $6000 which would provides emergency shelter and supportive services for one a mom and two children who had to flee their home in order to be safe. Staying in the Turning point Shelter isn’t just “bed & board”- Residents get individual and group counseling and often job training, parenting classes, financial counseling- whatever they need to successfully transition to peaceful, healthy homes of their own. In the short term, that shelter saves lives; in the long term, staying there can also CHANGE lives.
WE ARE going to make it! Please help today!
There are several ways you can make a donation (which is tax deductible as allowed by law):
1. Write a check and mail it to Turning Point, PO Box 723, Woodstock IL 60098.
2. Make an on-line donation by going to http://www.mchenrycountyturningpoint.org/ You can click on that “Donate Now” link and make a contribution with a credit or bank card. (There is also a lot more information about Turning Point there- This is already the longest E-mail I’ve ever written, it doesn’t need to be any longer!)
3. If you are on Facebook, you can visit the Turning Point page, become a supporter and make an online contribution there. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/332897?m=91e6b129
4. The event is held LIVE on air Friday August 28 and Saturday August 29-you can stop by Sam’s Club in Crystal Lakeand make a donation in person. Or call in (during those two days only- phones are live 6 AM Friday until 6 PM Saturday, 8/28-29 ONLY) on our donation hotlines 815-276-9499 or 815-549-6655.
5. Or call Turning Point during business hours and give us the information: (815) 338 8081.
August 24 2009 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
The Mayor of Milwaukee is recuperating from an attack he suffered after coming to the aid of a woman being attacked by a relative:
“As they were walking, his daughters and another family member told him a woman holding a baby was calling for someone to call 911. “Our immediate thought was that there was something wrong with the baby,” he said.
Within seconds of calling for assistance, however, they realized the woman was calling for help because of an altercation with a man, apparently a relative of the woman. Suddenly, he said, the man came after him and began beating him.
“He came up and was very, very agitated,” he said. “Events took off from there very, very, quickly,” said Barrett. “Things got very, very, ugly, very, very, quickly.”
Barrett said the attack highlights the explosiveness of domestic violence. He said has often told his security detail and others that domestic violence issues are the most dangerous for police to respond to.”
Indeed. You can read the story in the Chicago Tribune.
August 19 2009 | In the news | No Comments »
We will be accepting donations of food & office supplies at “Take a Stand for Turning Point.”
Among the most needed items: Canned soup and pasta, boxed dry pasta & jarred or canned sauce, breakfast cereal and breakfast or granola bars, fruit snacks, canned meat or fish, jarred baby food and canend formula, cookies, crackers and kid-friendly snacks, juice boxes, peanut butter, and canned fruit.
Needed Office Supplies: COPY PAPER, coffee, creamer, sugar and sweetener, coffee cups, COPY PAPER.
August 19 2009 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
I am linking to this story in today’s Chicago Tribune because it deals with a lot of issues people have questions about: “Why does a woman stay in an abusive relationship?” “How can I help my friend (or in this case, sister) who is in a dangerous situation?”
“Brown Simmons said she encouraged her sister in the last few months to file an order of protection against her husband but she didn’t. She had sought one in 2006 after Tyler allegedly choked her and punched her in the face and head, Cook County Circuit Court records show.
In the petition, Johnson Tyler said she and her husband had a history of abuse and she feared more violence, the court records show. Her husband was charged with domestic battery but the charges were dropped and the order of protection dismissed when Johnson Tyler didn’t show up in court almost a month into the case.
“I told her it’s really sad,” Brown Simmons said of her sister’s situation. “Some one’s going to get hurt.”"
You can read the whole story in the Tribune.
August 19 2009 | In the news | No Comments »
Turning Point will offer Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence-approved training beginning September 10. The training will be held at McHenry County College. This 40-Hour Training is required of all Direct Service volunteers (Direct contact with Domestic Violence victims through counseling) in the state of Illinois. The training is also valuable in many professional capacities including, licensed social worker, teachers, and attorneys. It helps to better explain the dynamics of abuse, understand the effects on the victims and the children who witness it, and understand how to best react and empower a victim of violence. In addition, participants in the training can become a direct service volunteer and help Turning Point by becoming an advocate, serve as a crisis call operator, group co-facilitator, volunteer caseworker, or shelter volunteer. In addition, training attendees can earn up to 40 continuing credit hours for their professional psychology or social work licenses. . Registration is required, as well as an $85 administrative fee for Turning Point volunteers, and $340 for community members not planning to volunteer.
Turning Point has offered Domestic Violence victim services for the past 27 years, including individual and group counseling, emergency shelter and legal and non-legal advocacy. Volunteers are needed in several of the agencies programs, including answering crisis calls and co-facilitating groups.
For further information about ICADV training please call Jennifer Kenning at (815) 338 8081.
August 19 2009 | Programs and Volunteers | No Comments »
Just a few reminders of why we do this:
· Domestic violence is the single most common source of injury to women – it is more common than auto accidents, muggings, and rapes by a stranger combined.
· Medical expenses from domestic violence are about $3-5 billion annually and businesses forfeit at least another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, non-productivity and absenteeism.
· About one in 10 (10%) of adult women in relationships are physically assaulted per year; many times that number are abused in non-physical ways (isolation, verbal abuse, extreme domination.
· One in 10 wives is raped by her husband at some point in the relationship.
· Annually in the United States, 503,485 women are stalked by an intimate partner for an average duration of about two years. Seventy-six percent of female homicide victims were stalked prior to their death.
· Victims of domestic violence often lack the financial resources to flee their abusers. This is particularly true in cases of single income households where only one partner controls the checkbook, and the other is unable to accumulate money to flee.
· Both women and men can be victims of partner violence, but women are five times as likely to be the victims of injurious or deadly partner violence.
· Most violence against adult men is by unrelated adult men; most violence against adult women is by related adult men.
· One in three (37%) women treated in the emergency room is there for DV-related injuries.
August 19 2009 | Programs | No Comments »
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