Victims' Voices:

Empowering Victims of Relationship Violence

I like to celebrate. Birthdays, anniversaries, milestones of all kinds. If there is a reason to make and eat cake I believe it should be done but there is one anniversary/milestone that is fast approaching that I always struggle with. In less then a month, June 25 to be exact, the 16th anniversary of my first marriage will be upon me. I know many would look on this day with anger, heartache and pain and I'd be lying if I said those feeling never cross my heart and mind. But I'd also be lying if I didn't admit that feelings of relief, love and gratitude cross my mind and heart as well. It is the latter feelings that have been dancing in my mind as of late. It started a couple weeks ago when someone asked me if I regretted marrying my ex-husband. Mr. Boy had just celebrated his 15 birthday and I was reflecting on what a blessing he is in our lives. His humor, his candor and his laugh are just a few of the things I sincerely love about him and I couldn't help but wonder if...

I have been blessed to work with the amazing team at on the Minds of Moms Magazine on and off for the last year. They work hard to provide entertaining and relevant information on parenting. The approach parenthood as the hardest and most wonderful job we will ever have. As I blogged about in an earlier post I had the opportunity to write an article on Teen Dating Violence for their newest issue which they were kind enough to feature on their latest blog . I have been blessed over and over again to use my experiences to help others. The reality is I wish my words, my story, my example weren't needed. Dating should be one of the happiest and most exciting times in life. Instead it is a time of fear and secrets for many. Dating Violence is a topic that parents like to think will never touch their children. The reality is that 1 in 5 teens reports having been involved in a abusive relationship and that makes them 73% more likely to be involved in a domestically violent relationship ...

I don't typically toot my own horn but I must admit I was pretty excited when the latest issue of the MADE state action leader newsletter came out and they included information about my article in the current issue of On The Minds of Moms . See for yourself: Dear MADE State Action Leaders, Our MADE State Action Leaders, members and local partners have jumped into a new year full of energy, and more committed than ever to increasing support for, and membership to MADE. In this week’s update we wanted to announce our new Facebook fan page and highlight some recent news from our MADE community. Become a Fan of Love Is Not Abuse and MADE on Facebook To help capitalize on our growing number of members to the MADE cause page on Facebook, we recently launched a new Love Is Not Abuse and MADE fan page on the social networking Web site. Fans will be able to post messages to the page, suggest their friends become fans, check out photos from events like last year’s It’s Time to Talk Day and ...

Today's Oprah is titled Staying Alive and will share with us the story of Teri, a domestic abuse survivor who left and was still nearly killed by her ex-husband.: "Teri thought the abuse was over after she left her husband. Then, he did the unthinkable. Teri and security expert Gavin de Becker on the lessons you can learn from her story." *This entire article and photos are taken from Oprah.com A Mother's Fight for Life The Oprah Winfrey Show April 27, 2010 Think about the women in your life. Now, think about who they're in a relationship with. Is that person capable of hurting someone you love dearly? World-renowned security expert Gavin de Becker says you don't need a weapon to protect your loved ones—or yourself—from violence. You just need to open your eyes. Take Gavin's assessment to help determine if your loved one is at risk. The Gift of Fear author has advised everyone from the CIA to presidents and world leaders about staying safe. Now, he has ...

As many of you know I was featured in an AMAZING little magazine called On the Minds of Moms just over a year ago. I was honored to be featured by them but most of all I feel blessed to be a part of their "family". Just a couple months before we moved to Ohio they asked me to write an article on Teen Dating Violence for the winter issue. I was excited to again be apart of this publication but due to a crazy move and life in general had to delay getting the article to them. Once we got settled Dani asked me if I would still be willing to contribute to the magazine. Naturally I said yes and am now THRILLED to announce that my article is on stands across Fargo-Moorhead in the April-May issue of the minds of moms. Because I know many of you don't subscribe (you should fix that) I thought I'd upload it here in case you'd like to pursue it. (You'll need to click each image to enlarge it for reading.) Thank you Dani & Sheri for giving me my first by line but mos...

This article was taken from the Huffington Post and shows why Dating violence awareness and curriculum is way pass due in our schools. When a Girl Dies Madeline Wheeler Abuse prevention advocate, Playwright Posted: March 22, 2010 01:42 PM If a 19-year-old girl had brutally stabbed her 19-year-old boyfriend to death, it would be national, front page news. But when girl is murdered, it can simply fall by the wayside. Should we be expected to acknowledge the 579 girls and young women murdered annually in America? I think so. Allison Myrick of Groton, Mass., a Fitchburg State College freshman, was brutally murdered by Robert Gulla, her abusive boyfriend, on January 23, just days after filing a restraining order against him. Massachusetts, along with much of the nation, is still reeling from the tragic suicide of bullying victim Phoebe Prince , but have we become so callous as to not be touched by this domestic violence death as well? The weekend that Allison was murdered, I was preparing...

The Joyful Heart foundation is an organization that helps Survivors of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse. It was start by Mariska Hargitay who plays Detective Olivia Benson on Law and Order SVU. "The mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues." * from the Joyful Heart Foundation's website They do this using a variety of methods including awareness activities, survivor retreats, fundraisers, a monthly e-zine and a variety of other ways. Recently they were nominated for the Pepsi Refresh Everything Grant and they won!! They will be awarded $250,000 grant to help further help victims and are planning to use it to help produce 3 issues of Reunion magazine. A magazine devoted to helping victims so they can become survivors and eventually heroes of their own stories! WAY TO GO JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION !!!!! ...