Page 14 - 2016 The Shelter Impact Report

It was a storybook romance. Showering her with gifts and love
letters, Janice’s prince swept her off her feet. Shortly after she
moved in, he convinced her to sell her car, saying he would
drive her anywhere she wanted to go. That was the beginning
of her isolation from friends and family. It was not long before
her “prince” began to batter her.

One evening, desperate and ashamed, Janice called
The Shelter’s crisis hotline. An advocate helped her develop a
plan to leave. She arrived at The Shelter, devastated, stating,
“I cannot believe this has happened to me.”

Through individual and group counseling, Janet began to heal.
She was given a journal and wrote in it every day. Two things
remained on her mind; why had this happened to her and her
need for closure. Her advocate suggested she write her abuser
a goodbye letter. Janice could decide whether to send it or
throw it away.

One week later, Janice read her letter aloud to her advocate
as they sat in The Shelter’s Peace Garden. When she finished,
she tore it into small pieces.

Because of you, survivors are writing new chapters.

that moment...

“My first visit to The Shelter was at the insistence of my favorite cousin Jim Seitz
who was a Shelter Trustee. It was an enlightening experience. I had never toured
a shelter before. The 24-hour crisis line offering constant assistance was an
amazing revelation.”

Karen Smith | Member, Board of Directors

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