Between Friends Summer Newsletter

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    A WOMANS WRITE|SUMMER 20121

    NEWSLETTER FOR BETWEEN FRIENDS SUMMER 2012: VOL. 14, ISSUE 2

    A WOMANS WRITE

    Celebrating 25 Years of Building a Community Without Domestic Violence

    SPEAKING OUT FOR LOVE, NOT HATE

    On Saturday February 18th inrecognition o Teen Dating Violence

    (TDV) Awareness Month, we invitedyouth rom all over Chicago tounite their voices and help educateothers in an evening o originallive perormance, entitled LoveNot Hate: Building RelationshipsWithout Abuse. The event washeld at Center on Halsted and theparticipating groups included RogerC. Sullivan High School, Better BoysFoundation, Schurz High School,and 808s: Youth Empowerment

    Through Dance. The eveningeatured original plays, danceroutines, and musical numberswritten, directed, and perormedentirely by youth. Themes thatwere incorporated included thewarning signs o an abusiverelationship, the cycle o abusewithin a relationship, and how todevelop healthier relationships.

    The theater was packed tocapacity; with standing room onlyin the 160-seat theater. SelinaCudia, a 16 year old studentparticipant said about the event,So many times we are talkedatabout relationships and nottalked with. I like how people o allages came out to support talkingwith us about good relationships.

    The group, 808s: YouthEmpowerment Through

    Dance, enthusiasticallyperform for the crowdat the Love Not Hatetheater event.

    Two teens perform scenes from the plays theycreated about the issue of dating violence atthe Love Not Hate theater event.

    To see more photos viswww.facebook.com/BetweenFriendsREACH

    OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL EVENT EVER!

    On March 10, 2012, BetweenFriends hosted its annual undraiser,Bubble Ball, at the beautiul RiverEast Art Center. Hosts MarionBrooks o NBC5 and legendaryChicago radio DJ Catherine Johnspumped up the crowd, helping us

    raise over $135,000.

    This year, Between Friends honoredJudge Grace Dickler with theFriend o the Year Award or herdedication to protecting domesticviolence survivors through the legalsystem. During the event, therewas no shortage o excitement.Art-rock perormance artist Elliott

    From o Art Beat Live provided liveentertainment with his energizingperormance set to classic rockmusic, creating a series o Chicagocentric paintings that were soldo in a live auction. Perhaps themost enjoyable part o the evening

    was mingling with the wonderulguests who savored deliciouscupcakes rom Big City Cakes,posed in the pop-up photo booth,and danced up a storm to an arrayo music rom DJ Dustin oToast& Jam. To everyone whoparticipated: thank you! (Seepictures on page 6).

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    A WOMANS WRITE

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    Dear Friends,

    As many o you know, Between Friends has been a leader since 1995 in the prevention o intimate partnerviolence through our teen dating violence prevention programRelationship Education: A Choice or Hope(REACH). Of the youth that we work with, more than half have been abused by a dating partner by the timethey reach eleventh grade. While our long-term goal is to eect sustained changes in the prevalence o

    dating violence, our short-term goal is to make sure that youth and adults are educated about datingviolence and inormed about how to prevent it.

    I am excited to report that over the past 2 years we have received amazing support rom current oundationand corporate donors who increased their commitment to our prevention eorts while we have alsowelcomed a number o new oundation partners. In addition, with the help o a long-standing major donorwho strongly believes in our work with youth, we have garnered increased attention and support romnew individual donors. These combined eorts have enabled us to hire 3 additional Prevention & EducationSpecialists beore school starts this year!

    In addition to this great news, Between Friends was awarded the Chicago Dating Matters Initiative (CDMI)grant rom the Chicago Department o Public Health. This 5-year grant is made possible througha partnership with the CDC's Division o Violence Prevention and is intended to implement a new initiative,Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships. Dating Matters aims to promoterespectul, nonviolent dating relationships among youth in high-risk, urban communities.

    This CDMI grant will allow us to add another Prevention & Education Specialist creating a total o 3 male/emale teams providing an array o prevention programming to youth, teachers and parents throughoutChicago this year. Since each team can work with approximately 2,500 youth and adults throughout theschool year, which will triple our impact!

    Kathleen A. DohertyExecutive Director

    THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS CORNER

    ART AGAINST ABUSE

    Violence, especially againstwomen, is prevalent in music, artand pop culture. To encouragecreative ways to address theseissues and counterbalance the

    Attendees at the Art Against Abuse trainingseminar learn how to create therapeutic puppets.

    negative messages that teensencounter in their day-to-day liveswe hosted Art Against Abuse:Engaging Youth to End the Cycle ofViolence. It was a ree proessionaltraining held at theJane AddamsCollege of Social Work at UIC andattended by almost 100 counselors,social workers, and adults whowork with teens experiencingviolence in their lives.

    A variety o art orms werepresented by the acilitatingorganizations, each with their ownmethod on how to educate youthabout violence.A Long Walk Homeused poster art and other orms o

    multimedia to talk to youth aboutbuilding healthy relationships,Puppeteers Without Bordersaddressed individual conict andviolence through the creation andplay o puppets, and BetweenFriends taught how to reclaimones story through altered bookart. Additionally, Project NIAusedpoetry as a means to boost sel-confdence in young women andthe Neighborhood Writing Alliancetaught the expression o emotionand experiences through creativewriting. One attendee commented,Not only did I release emotion, buI was able to get a sense o how tobring this to my group.

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    A WOMANS WRITE

    |SUMMER 20123

    A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COURT ADVOCATE

    Put yoursel in the shoes o aclient who would visit our CourtAdvocate. Yesterday your husbandcame home in a rage. He comesater you and slaps you across theace. You notice out o the corner

    o your eye that your two childrenare watchingparalyzed with ear.

    Today you wake up and realizeyou cant live in terror anymoreand you decide now is the timeto call Between Friends. You areconnected to a Court Advocate andtake the frst step towards living ina saer home.

    Every day our Court Advocates

    work with survivors who are scaredabout what their abuser will donext, yet they work with diligence,compassion, and tenacity. Here ishow Victoria and Maria typicallyspend their day as Court Advocatesin the Rolling Meadows courthouse.

    8:45amThree clients are expectedto return to court to receive aPlenary Order o Protection (POP),which will legally protect them rom

    their abuser or 2 years. This istheir second visit to the courthouse;during their frst visit, the CourtAdvocates helped them fll out thepaperwork necessary to receivean Emergency Order o Protection(EOP), which lasts 21 days. Two othem have arrived already and ouradvocates ask how their abusershave responded to the EOP. Oneabuser is not at the courthouse,making it easier or the POP to begranted. The other abuser is upsetabout the EOP and plans to protestin court. Unortunately, one clientdoesnt return.

    9:00amMaria, Victoria, and theirclients go to the courtroom to waitor their cases to be called.

    10:10amThe frst client is called.Since her abuser is not there,she breathes a sigh o relie. Itis still intimidating or her to tellher story to a judge in a roomull o strangers, but Victoria is

    at her side and oers words oencouragement. The judgegrants the POP.

    10:35amThe second client iscalled and nervously approachesthe bench. Her abuser is presentand tells his version o the events,hoping to prevent the POP rombeing granted. The client isintimidated, but Maria supportsher throughout his testimony. The

    judge asks her questions aboutthe severity and requency oher abuse. The client musters thecourage to tell her story and basedon her brave testimony the judgegrants the client a two year POP.

    11:00amVictoria and Mariareturn to the ofce. They callclients to remind them o courtappointments or the next dayand ollow up with recent clients

    to ensure that their abuser isrespecting the boundaries setby their orders o protection.

    11:30amA client walks into theroom and explains to Victoria thatshe is interested in getting an ordero protection against her boyriend.Victoria leads her to her deskwhere they begin the process oflling out the orms. It takesabout three hours to explain theprocess o obtaining an order oprotection, listen to the womansstory and fll out the documents. Theclient must retell the abuse that ledher to seek an order o protection.The process brings up memories,and Victoria is supportive as thewoman becomes emotional.

    11:40amAnother client walks inand Maria begins to help herwith the process o fling or anorder o protection.

    1:00pmA potential client walksin requesting help with an order o

    protection. However, both CourtAdvocates are already assistingclients, and will be or anotherhour. They give her a packet oinormation detailing her rights andoptions which she will use to fllout the orms on her own. Potentialclients are oten turned away dueto lack o stafng. (Continued onpage 4.)

    WHAT IS AN ORDEROF PROTECTION (OP)?An OP is a written courtorder, signed by a judge,which requires an abusivehousehold or family member(including someone in a datingrelationship) to do or not docertain things. It can order anabuser to stay away completely,to stop all abusive behaviorwhile allowing contact, and/orit can order an abuser to leavethe household or the durationo the OP. It can protect you and

    other household members.

    HOW LONG WILL THEOP LAST?An Emergency Order oProtection (EOP) lasts up to 21days. During the 21 days, lawenorcement will attempt toserve the abuser with the order.At the next court date,a judge can grant a Plenary

    Order o Protection (POP) thatcan last up to two years.

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    A WOMANS WRITE

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    2:00pmBoth Court Advocates arefnishing with their clients. Once allthe paperwork is completed theymust wait or a judge to hear thepetition. I the petition is granted,their client will have an emergency

    three week order o protection.3:20pmCourt Advocatescheck to see i last weeks orders

    A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COURT ADVOCATE (continued)

    o protection have been servedto the abusers. This inormationis crucial, as it alerts the CourtAdvocates and their clients owhether the abuser knows that theyhave been reported. Since a sheri

    must serve the order o protection,it can take a bit o time. I an orderhas not yet been served, CourtAdvocates will work with the sheri

    Between Friends helped shakeo the April showers by hostingHamBingo at Andersonvillesavorite burger joint, HamburgerMarys. On the night o May 7th,we teamed up with the abulous

    Ms. Velicity Metropolis to play dragqueen bingo and have a greatnight! Donated rom all over thecity, prizes included git certifcatesrom Tulip Boutique, SaltedCaramel, Women and ChildrenFirst bookstore, and more.

    Watch out, Hamburger Marys,well defnitely be back or more!

    HAMBINGO

    Our Prevention and Education Manager, Colleen Nor ton, celebrates her win with VelicityMetropolis at HamBingo.

    to push it through.

    The work that our Court Advocatesdo on a daily basis is tough,but it is through their hard workand dedication that hundreds

    o survivors are granted legalprotection rom their abusers eachyear.

    HONORING ONE OF OUR OWN

    Kathy Doherty, the Executive Director ofBetween Friends, accepts the CommunityAdvocate Award for her tireless work onbehalf of survivors.

    FREEDOM FUNDSupport survivors o domestic abusein maintaining their independenceby donating to the Freedom Fund!The und provides assistance toclients or short-term fnancialneeds, such as a security depositor an apartment, transportationcosts, and legal ees.

    To donate visit: www.betweenriendschicago.org.

    FB + TWITTERFollow us on Twitter at @Between_Friends and like us onFacebook at www.acebook.com/BetweenFriendsChicago.

    On March 22nd, Between FriendsExecutive Director, Kathy Doherty,was honored at The ChicagoMetropolitan Battered WomensNetworkChicago Ches Spring

    Into Action beneft. She receivedthe Community Advocate Awardor her longtime dedication tobreaking the cycle o violence inour communities with her workand leadership at Between Friends,as well as her participation inother domestic violence councilsstatewide. Kathys continual supporto domestic violence awarenessand advocacy is an inspirationto us all.

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    A WOMANS WRITE

    |SUMMER 20125

    INDIVIDUALS

    $25,000 and upCarl GreerRocco & Roxanne Martino

    $1,000 to $24,999Bonnie ChanKathleen Doherty

    Andrea FranceBeth McCormackKathleen NadlerKatherine RaynalChristy RobertsFran Krasnow & Seth Pines

    $500 to $999Lisa CarterRobert & Nancy DuyNancy Freeman

    Timothy GlaudePatricia LockeElise & Ron Magers

    John & Kathleen RoeserSharon Sachse

    FOUNDATION ANDCORPORATION SUPPORT

    $10,000 and aboveAlphawood FoundationAnonymousIrving Harris Foundation

    New Control Direct MarketingPierce Family Charitable FoundationRavenswood Health Care

    FoundationVNA Foundation

    $2,500 to $9,999AnonymousBalasa Dinverno FoltzBenjamin B. Green-Field FoundationCitadel Foundation

    Illinois State Bar AssociationIllinois Tool Works FoundationJacob Best FoundationJenner & BlockPeoples GasPierce & AssociatesS&C FoundationSaint Francis HospitalStout Risius Ross

    $1,000 to $2,499American Agricultural Insurance

    CompanyAriel InvestmentsAzko NobelBank FinancialBrigite Schmidt Bell, PCCubs CareFirst Congregational Church o

    WilmetteFirst Presbyterian ChurchFusion 92Geneva InvestmentHNTB Corporation

    Pure InsuranceReznick GroupUBS FinancialUnited Stationers Charitable

    FoundationWinnetka-Northfeld Rotary Club

    $999 and underCenter or Neighborhood

    TechnologyMarineau Family Foundation

    Roseneld Haron Shapiro & FarmerFourth Presbyterian Church

    DONATIONS (12/2/115/4/12)

    2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

    Christopher Corona, PresidentLisa Carter, Vice PresidentTimothy Glaude, TreasurerBrenda Moller, SecretaryAnita BishopNancy Bonner

    Alison ClarkeDana DamyenOksanna MalanAnne RayChristine Wyrick

    NEWSLETTER:

    Mollie Anderson, EditorDesign Courtesy o Cristyn Hypnar

    $250 to $499Elizabeth Arnold

    Julie BartlettLynda & James Bell

    Dana DamyenBarbara & Terry FerrariHoward & Joyce HaywardLauren & Bob HomanSheila & Robert HulsemanDawn LawrenceStacy LernerDavid & Deborah MacKenzieYesenia & Jose MaldonadoGlen MangoldVida MarksBarbara Niehus

    James PhilipsBarbara Posner

    Jean RothbarthMaggie Weiss

    Julie & Chris Wisbrock

    STAFF:

    Mollie Anderson, Grant WriterNatalia Borrero, Prevention &

    Education SpecialistKathleen Doherty, Executive DirectorAmanda Espitia, Director ofDevelopment and Communications

    Monica Guzman, CounselorLee Jacobs Riggs, CounselorMaria Lopez, Court AdvocateYesenia Maldonado, Director ofPrograms

    Erin McMillan, Prevention & EducationSpecialist

    Caryn Moore, Childrens CounselorColleen Norton, Prevention &Education Manager

    Yolanda Owens, Senior Prevention &Education Specialist

    Paul Robinson, Prevention & EducationSpecialist

    Megan Rose, Court AdvocacyCoordinator

    Nancy Toncy, Clinical SupervisorVictoria Piehowski, Court AdvocateCarrie Villa, Associate Director

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    NEWSLETTER FORBETWEEN FRIENDS

    Between FriendsP.O. Box 608548Chicago, IL 60660

    CRISIS LINE: 800-603-HELP OFFICE PHONE: 773-274-5232 www.betweenriendschicago.org

    Photography by Kelly AlliGuests at the Bubble Ball wined, dined, and danced all while raising thousands of dollars for survivorsf domestic violence! It was our most successful event to date, read all about it on page 1.