With a big idea and the passion to match it, six women decided that Carbondale would no longer be without a refuge for women who are victims of sexual assault, rape, domestic violence or find themselves without a safe place to spend the night.
These six women wanted to see to it that every woman in the region had a place to come, if only for a night, when they found themselves in the tight grip of a situation that seemed impossible to escape.
Thirty years ago, in 1972, six women offered Carbondale and the surrounding region the best gift they could give: themselves.
Three decades later, the tradition of hope continues at the Women's Center. Consider the following statistics. We found them shocking and appalling and yet a driving reinforcement as to why the Women's Center is so needed, if you need a reason.
In FY 2001, the center provided 7,320 nights of safe shelter, 812 people with comprehensive domestic violence services, 4,884 hours of domestic violence counseling and advocacy services, 357 sexual assault survivors and their partners with comprehensive services and 4,239 hours of counseling to sexual assault survivors. In addition, the center fielded 12,386 calls on its crisis hotline and assisted in 449 Orders of Protection.
Where would these women have gone if assistance was not available? On average, the center receives more than 33 calls to its crisis hotline and 20 women seek safety under the protection of its roof daily.
It is estimated that one-third of American women report being physically or sexually abused at some point in their life, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline's website.
Six women decided that if and when it happened in Carbondale, women would have a place to go.
It wouldn't, however, be easy.
As full as their passion and hearts were, they had a checkbook just as empty. In addition to the donations that trickled in, they sold daffodils on campus and hosted bake sales. With their first annual budget of $360, they had just enough funds secured to rent a small house on Walnut Street.
At the year's end, not even one woman had knocked on the door asking for assistance; not one woman called for help, not one woman came looking for a place to stay.
Most of us would have declared there was no use for the Women's Center, washed our hands of the wasted time and moved on. No one can blame the volunteers for considering closing the doors and letting the roof of protection collapse.
Then late November came, and a taxicab arrived. On behalf of all the women in Carbondale, those that account for the statistics, those that will in the future and even those who never will, but feel a little safer at night knowing it's there, we say thanks for sticking around.
What late November and a taxi-cab brought was a woman who had no other place to go and the beginning of a center, which 30 years later would still be continuing to provide counseling, a warm place to stay, protection and, most importantly, hope.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
