Her Space: Group raising sexual assault awareness
from the Journal Gazette...
Her Space -
Group raising sexual assault awareness
Her Space -
Group raising sexual assault awareness
Stefanie Scarlett
The Journal Gazette
If you need help
24-hour Rape Crisis Hotline: 426-7273
Sexual Assault Treatment Center: 423-2222
24-hour Domestic Violence Crisis Hotline: 447-7233
•To request REACT programs for your school or organization, call the Women’s Bureau at 424-7977, ext. 203
•For programs on dating violence, call the YWCA at 424-4908
If you go
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
What: Fundraiser for the Women’s Bureau’s REACT program, which provides sexual assault prevention programs to area students and free counseling for survivors.
When: 10 a.m. Sept. 11; registration begins at 9 a.m.
Where: Headwaters Park West
Registration: $35. Call 424-7977 or go to www.womensbureau.com
FORT WAYNE – When Abby Widmer talks with area students, she’s often surprised by their opinions on dating and sex.
Many say a woman’s choice of clothing is related to her likelihood of being sexually assaulted. They also tend to believe that if a guy pays for dinner on a date, he can expect sex, she says.
“To me, that’s just crazy, (but) a lot of people agree with that.”
Widmer, director of the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau’s REACT program, quizzes students about their attitudes before she leads prevention programs at their schools. REACT, formerly called Rape Awareness, stands for Respond, Empower, Advocate, Collaborate, Treat.
“In some respects, getting the word out there is helping, but there is still so much to do,” Widmer says.
And the latest statistics from the Indiana Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released a few weeks ago by the Indiana State Department of Health, reflect that.
In 2009, 11 percent of high school students surveyed said they had been physically forced to have sex. And 12 percent reported they had been “hit, slapped or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend.”
Those numbers increased slightly from 2007. Both percentages also are above the national average, according to survey data.
Locally, the Women’s Bureau is one of the agencies trying to raise awareness and reduce such violence. It serves nine counties in northeast Indiana.
“We work to keep people informed about the statistics so that they realize the serious and pervasive nature of sexual assault,” chief executive officer Jeanette Dillon says.
“We can bring the numbers down – (and) help make it so fewer people are raped – if we have open and frank discussions about the problem, its cause and its prevention,” she says.
REACT offers local schools three prevention programs that are geared to different age levels.
Even the youngest students who go through radKIDS, a national program, learn about self-confidence, respect for others and personal safety, including “the right to tell,” or alert someone else if they have been hurt, Widmer says.
The program geared to middle and high school students focuses on myths and facts about sexual assault, laws and age of consent, and how alcohol can play a role. Another one, Getting Ready for College, covers “date rape” drugs and self-defense techniques.
REACT also offers intervention services, in the form of a 24-hour rape crisis hotline (for information and referrals) and free counseling for survivors.
When visiting schools, Widmer has found the topic of dating violence is less taboo than it used to be, she says.
But unfortunately, some things haven’t changed.
“The reporting rate for any of these kinds of crimes still is extremely low,” Widmer says.
Copyright © 2010 The Journal Gazette. All rights reserved. News service copy is used with permission. The information contained in the report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Journal Gazette or granting news service.
476 Women’s Bureau members and climbing!
The Women’s Bureau can now count 476 members following the Bureau’s “5 by 5/25” Member Drive. Thanks to all of you who signed up! We nearly reached our goal of 500 because new members joined current members in supporting the Bureau with their generous gifts.
Your membership dollars fund our efforts to keep Northeast Indiana informed while our programs help improve the quality of life for women and their families throughout the region. Because of you, more children will learn how to stay safe from bullies and sexual predators, more moms will learn new skills so they can live sober and with their children, and more expert mentoring will be provided to women and men building their own businesses. Your dollars sustain our Rape Awareness Program (now known as REACT), Transitions and Women’s Enterprise.
Visit www.womensbureau.com for details about the Women’s Bureau or call us at 424-7977 for more information. Don’t forget to visit the Special Events page of our website to see if you’re free to join us for fun and fundraising this summer, especially for Women’s Night of Shoes on August 11 and run, jane, run Golf Classic on August 17. Also, it’s not too early to mark you calendars now to join us September 11th for Walk A Mile in Her Shoes® 2010.
Your support has never meant more. Thank you!
from Indiana's News Center...
2010 Walk a Mile In Her Shoes Event Kicks Off
By Scott Sarvay, WISE33
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - There's a high-heeled kickoff for Walk A Mile In Her Shoes.
Laura Donaldson joins us live from the Fort Wayne Country Club at noon where one of Indiana's NewsCenters own is sporting red heels.
Chief Meteorologist Curtis Smith is wearing a pair of lipstick red heels as he emcee's Wednesday's kick-off luncheon.
Walk A Mile In Her Shoes raises awareness of domestic and sexual abuse of women.
More than 500 men walked in red, four-inch heels through Headwaters Park last year to raise awareness of the Fort Wayne Women's Bureau's programs.
And the men also experienced a bit of what many women go through everyday.
Curtis Smith and Indiana's NewsCenter Station General Manager and President Jerry Geisler will show their support in the feet-swelling shoes.
The main event will take place Saturday, September 11th.
You can still sign up and show your support by logging onto the Walk A Mile In Her Shoes website.
Click HERE to see the article.
The Fort Wayne Women's Bureau Announces New Leadership Strategy, Mission, and Name at Annual Greeting 2010
Important elements of the Women’s Bureau were revamped in 2009 and those changes were officially unveiled at the Bureau’s Annual Meeting at the I&M Conference Room at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, 3211 Stellhorn Road in Fort Wayne.
With good food and conversation, members, board members, and staff gathered to hear more about the Bureau’s new leadership, updated mission statement and name change. The Triad pointed to successes since officially launching the collaborative leadership model in November of 2009. It was explained that the Bureau’s new mission of “Advancing women through advocacy, education, and economic empowerment” is a better reflection of the agency’s current work and future goals than the older mission. And it was revealed that the words “Fort Wayne” were officially dropped from the agency’s name to better reflect our broader geographic focus as we work to help all women throughout Northeast Indiana.
For more details, please call 424-7977 and ask for an annual report.