Do MORE than be Aware....It's National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

 October is Natonal Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  You may choose to glance at the title of this post and feel that it does not not affect you...you are not being abused...you don't think you know anyone who is...it's one more cause with a colored ribbon used to show support. Abuse can take many forms...it doesn't have to be the black eye or broken ribs your mind might image. 

    Emotional abuse is damage that may not show on the outside but has leaves scars on the inside...is witnessed by children and creates an environment of fear, a loss of self esteem...the statistics are staggering....and may surprise you:

      - 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience severe physical 

         violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime

       - 1 in 10 women in the United States will be raped by an intimate

          partner in their lifetime.

        Domestic Violence does not know a neighborhood...an income level...an ethnicity...It does know how to destroy a family....how to kill a spouse....to leave children without a parent.  It knows how to create despair ...to be overwhelmed by not knowing where to go...how a family will be clothed and fed.

     How can you go beyond reading this post....wearing a ribbon....your community has lots of ways that you can help break the cycle of abuse.          We are fortunate to have The Womens Center in Waukesha as a community resource for victims of domestic violence. Their needs and wish lists are most probably not different than the ones in your own community. TWC - Waukesha provides food, shelter, education, community outreach programs, a 24 hour hotline and many other programs.

    You can write a check to your local shelter...you can do it right now and in honor of a loved one on their birthday....as a memorial when a family has asked for donations to the charity of your choice...You can make that call to find out what items are on the wish list of a shelter in your area.  In our area the list includes different categories of items. There can be things for the shelter's use as simple as garbage bags and cleaning supplies, food pantry items can include soup, peanut butter and jelly, coffee, hot chocolate, cereal, pasta and other non perishable food items. 

     Whether you choose to write a check or fill a shopping cart...do more than be aware...be a part of the solution in your community to the very deserving cause of curbing domestic violence.

       This is a public service message brought to you courtesy of Sally K. & David L. Hanson, Broker Associates Keller Williams Realty.

    

Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS