The Shelter celebrated the ribbon cutting of its seventh Transitional Housing cottage, May 13, 2015, in preparation for welcoming its first family.
Since 2008, The Shelter’s Transitional Housing program has provided safe, affordable, and supportive transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence who are facing homelessness. It is the goal of Transitional Housing to maintain an empowerment-based, safe and secure living environment for domestic violence survivors and their children. Click Here for more information on the Transitional Housing program.
Apple Pie Day is held every year as a way of memorializing Jack and Lue Harris for their countless hours of volunteer service at Options and their very generous financial gift that enabled The Shelter to purchase the Options Thrift Shoppe building at 968 Second Ave. North in Naples.
Apple pie was Jack’s favorite dessert, so we find it only fitting that we celebrate his birthday, April 25 (this year on April 24), by sharing apple pie with our valued Options customers. This year would have been Jack’s 100th birthday, so we were very pleased that Jack and Lue’s son, Scott Harris, could join us with Jack’s second wife, Marilyn Harris.
Our Transitional Housing Advocate Gissa Infante was a guest on Fox 4’s Morning Blend. Click here for more information on The Shelter’s Transitional Housing program.
We had a blast at Fit ‘N Fun Field Day Unplugged on Sunday, April 19, at the Community School of Naples Athletic Field (enjoy video below). There was plenty of family fun including three-legged races, soccer dribble, a bounce house, face painting, carnival games, BBQ, snow cones, ice cream and more. Hosted by The Shelter’s NextGen Committee, the event raised more than $13,000 for The Shelter.
Thank you to our sponsors (see below), our event co-chairs Caroline Ridgway and Dave Anderson, emcee John Trierweiler of WINK News, and our celebrity dunk tank stars:
- Chief Tom Weschler, Naples Police Department
- Byron Donalds, Candidate, State Representative
- Jenny Jones, Reporter, Wink News
- Babbs, Radio Personality, B103.9 Radio
- Scott G. Blackburn, CFP, Principal, IMC
Under the theme, “We are Family,” the Shelter for Abused Women & Children honored its 250 dedicated volunteers, April 8, with a Volunteer Appreciation Brunch at the Naples Grande. In 2014-15, Shelter volunteers logged an amazing 22,000 hours of service. If monetized, the total would exceed $495,000, based on figures from Nonprofit Quarterly.
“The Shelter is an organization founded on the support of community members who dedicate themselves to our mission,” said Jamie Garry, volunteer coordinator for The Shelter. “Today we honor and thank each and every one of you for your time, unbelievable effort, and gracious love given to The Shelter. Each volunteer contributes in their own way and, as a team you have all created a critically important network of support and encouragement for the survivors we serve.”
The morning’s festivities included colorful floral table decorations created by women and children in the agency’s emergency shelter.
The lion’s share of the volunteer hours were given at The Shelter’s Options Thrift Store, but countless hours were also spent answering The Shelter’s crisis hotline, making copies, attending events, cleaning, organizing the food pantry or serving on various Shelter boards and committees.
This year’s Outstanding Volunteer of the Year was Carol Graham, who assists with The Shelter’s Peacemakers program. With Graham’s help, this children’s program was expanded to include therapeutic services that cover a variety of topics such as conflict resolution, what it means to be grateful and what emotions look and feel like.
“The many successes of the Peacemakers program are totally due to the fact that professionals like Carol were willing to assist,” said Shelter Youth Advocate Sandra Hack. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart and from the heart of every one of the children.”
Other outstanding Shelter volunteers included:
- Holiday Volunteers Maxine Robbins and June Ballew
- Administrative Volunteer Lois Castronova
- New Volunteer Declan McGarvey
- Guild Volunteers Ann Weatherwax, Cara Martin, Charlotte Tarr, Peg Melillo.
- Mending Broken Hearts With Hope Luncheon Volunteer Bette Aymar
- Options Volunteers Al Salata, Barbara Johnson, Eileen Johnson, Erika Aron and Irmgard Wannamaker
- Outreach Volunteer Shannon Holland
- Emergency Shelter Volunteer Barbara Ann Budd
Also honored was Faylee Goldstone, who was recognized for 1,296 hours of service in 2014-15. It was the second year in a row that Goldstone’s hours exceeded 1,000.
Volunteers with 10 or more years of service included Fred Adams, Phyllis Bond, Michelle Bright, Janice Carter, Carol Chapman, Maureen DiMarco, Eleanor Egerton, Sandra Estridge, Mary Greer, Lyn Hilliard, Hildegard Hudson, Shirley Hoerle, Patty Innamorati, Eileen Johnson, Barbara Johnson, Chris Kardon, Betty Keller, Patti Kipp, Barbara Lauber, Dotti Lawton, Milly Marshall, Ruth Mast, Jimany Sue McLaughlin, Diane Messana, Jan Miller, Lorraine Newcomb, Katy Olson, RaeAnn Patton, Annabella Richardi, Janice Rogers, Lorraine Rocklin, Jerry Shelpman, Sue Silber, Lois Spitzer and Betty Tinsler.
Shelter Executive Director Linda Oberhaus also shared a few words with those in attendance, stating “Whether volunteering at Options, in our emergency shelter, in administration, or on one of our boards, we appreciate the difference that you are making in the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in our community.”
Below: View the Volunteer Recognition Video that was presented at the Brunch
Our Women of Means Advocate Lise Descoteaux was recently featured on Fox 4’s Morning Blend. For more information on the Women of Means program, click here.
The Shelter’s Immokalee Outreach Office staff and Youth Advisory Committee members took part in Celebrate Immokalee, March 28, 2015. Read full story
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A domestic violence victim shared her amazing story of survival to help other women on Thursday.
“I knew I was going to die.”
Susan Still was in an abusive relationship with her husband for 24 years, “when he threatened my son that was just a line for me.”
One day, 11 years ago, her husband made their oldest son of three videotape nearly an hour of both physical and mental abuse. “My ex-husband is in prison now, he received a sentence of 36 years.”
More than 400 people listened to Still’s story during the Shelter from the Storm Luncheon.
“When we all work together with this large of a group and all of its residents we can absolutely stop domestics violence.” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk tells WINK News putting an end to the domestic violence epidemic is no easy task.
Every day someone is arrested for the crime in Collier County, “it says that we in law enforcement are taking the right and proper action.”
Sheriff Rambosk said that’s because victims are becoming more comfortable with reporting the abuse. “Thats what’s important to us and enable us to make the arrests that we need to make.”
He also said victims seeking help through The Shelter for Abused Women & Children is making a difference.
“It can totally make a difference in whether a family thrives, or a person thrives, or whether they don’t,” said Still.
Even though the sheriff said arrests are made daily, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Domestic Violence reports in Collier County are at their lowest in 20 years.
Shelter staff and fellow trustees joined Bob Cahners to celebrate the dedication of Pam’s Porch in memory of his late wife, March 9, 2015, at Rabb Cottage, one of The Shelter’s seven transitional cottages.
Bob shared with the group how he and his wife Pam stood on the shady porch on the day that Rabb Cottage was dedicated. He recalled how she loved the little cottage and was a strong supporter of The Shelter’s transitional housing program. The newly-named porch is a fitting tribute to Pam.
For more information on The Shelter’s transitional housing program, click here.
Shelter Executive Director Linda Oberhaus was interviewed by WINK TV reporter Jennifer Jones regarding the arrests of 15 people for human trafficking.
New details in SWFL human trafficking bust
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- Two people accused in a human trafficking ring in Southwest Florida are still on the loose. WINK News first told you about the 15 arrests last week.
Advocates for the Shelter for Abused Women & Children played a big role in taking down the ring. Director Linda Oberhaus says the women forced to have sex for money confided in their workers.
Those advocates, along with law enforcement, helped get the six victims to a safe place and their traffickers were arrested and booked into the Naples Jail Center.
WINK News was in court Saturday as 15 suspects appeared one by one before a Collier County judge.
They’re accused of smuggling at least six women into the country, then forcing them to have sex with men up to 45 times a day.
“Human trafficking really is about exploiting people for their own gain,” said Oberhaus.
In court, WINK News learned there were two children inside of the homes busted. They were supposedly being used to collect money for the victims.
“If a person is willing to exploit another person through sex trafficking for money, the fact that they involved children in collecting the money doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Oberhaus.
She tells WINK News up to 20,000 women and children are trafficked every year in the United States.
“It really takes courageous victims speaking up, and being willing to confide in whether its shelter advocates or members of law enforcement,” said Oberhaus.
On Friday, Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said Operation Human Freedom was Collier County’s biggest human trafficking bust.
“I think that will be a wake up call to many of the citizens here in Collier County that refuse to believe or just don’t want to believe that human trafficking really does exist here and it does,” said Oberhaus.
Alba Guzman, one of the suspects still missing, was basically arrested for the same crime three years ago. She was deported but somehow made her way back to Southwest Florida.
Members of The Shelter’s Youth Advisory Council and Shelter Youth leaders conducted an awareness rally, Friday evening, Feb. 27, 2015 at the corner Main Street and North First Street in Immokalee. One of several activities conducted by The Shelter during National Teen Dating Violence Awareness month, the goal of the rally was to raise awareness of Teen Dating Violence.
Multi-media journalist Kayla Boronell recently interviewed Men’s Tailgate Party Chairman Chair Ron Ciesla on the Good Works SW Florida Show. The event is the main fundraiser for the Gentle’men Against Domestic Violence (GADV) Initiative. Click here for more information on GADV.