Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84GoodLifeFamilyMag.com SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2016 11 goodTO KNOW community, like Hope’s Door, in an effort to provide support for domestic violence victims and perpetrators and education for abusers in an effort to reduce the need for police response to domestic violence situations.” An innovative approach is to bring the entire community together to address the issue. One program doing just that is the Collin County Council on Family Violence (CCCFV). Over 60 member-partners representing all areas of the community, including local and state government, law enforcement, education, faith and social services, health care, and legal and workplace organizations pool their resources to fight this issue together in their community. The group’s monthly meetings provide a forum for collaboration and information sharing across organizations that would not otherwise have the opportunity to connect. Bringingtheseorganizations together, at a shared table, around a unified mission to respond to and eliminate domestic violence in Collin County, has been a powerful means to accomplish through partnership what could not be accomplished alone. The annual Facing Family Violence conference, held each October since 2002, has helped the group to educate the community and individuals who are focused on family violence in their professional work. Domestic violence can affect anyone—in any neighborhood, of any ethnicity, of any age and any gender. Increased focus on the male victims of abuse—and thus their willingness to come forward to report it—has been significant. However, the number of women who are abused is still far greater. And the men in our community are stepping up to be a part of stopping the cycle of abuse. Since 2013, the CCCFV has held the White Ribbon Rally, through which area men pledge to take a stand against violence. Therallykicksoffacommunity-widecampaignencouragingmen to become part of the fight. CCCFV Chair Hilary Valente says, “The goal is to raise up men who will stand up against domestic violence, holding other men accountable for abusive behaviors that may be witnessed.” Hope’s Door is getting young men— and women—involved in its new HYPE program (Hope’s Door Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs) to assist the organization through services and education to “enhance the community’s capacity to respond.” And in Dallas, the Genesis Women’s Shelter is especially fortunate to have its HeROs (He Respects Others) on its side. Genesis offers emergency and transitional shelter to battered women and their children as well as counseling, legal services and other resources. In 2010 a group of professional men realized that the statistics about domestic violence could represent their own daughter, their own mother, their own co-worker or their own neighbor. By 2015 over 300 men had decided they could make a difference and promote a zero tolerance policy for domestic abuse. According to Elizabeth Corley, community outreach manager at Genesis, these men decided, “This won’t stop until men stand up in the community and do something about it.” The HeROs are truly heroes to the agency and to everyone they serve. They put on events such as an annual golf tournament or this year’s “An Evening with Gentle Men” at the CrowLibraryonNov.2nd. Theyserve as mentors to the sons of battered women at Genesis’ transitional shelter to provide them with positive adult male role models. They go to the emergency shelter to grill dinner for residents EVERY Wednesday evening and have a speaker’s bureau to go out to local Rotary clubs, church groups and high school organizations to talk about healthy relationships. Their Court Advocacy Group was established about a year ago. Because battered women frequently have to face their abuser in court alone, this group was established to simply provide moral support and a strong physical male presence for the women as they try to obtain protective orders, fight for custody of their children, or when they file assault charges and must appear in a court of law. Anywhere from two to twelve men will take a day off work yet still don their coat and tie just to be of support to women they may not even know. Elizabeth says, “We’ve seen first-hand the impact of this program. A battered woman can look to her right and see the man who attacked her and look to her left to see a group of men letting her know she’s cared for.” It’s been such an empowering and impactful program that it has caught the attention of the Dallas District Attorney’s office, and they will call, sometimes at the last-minute, to see if the group can provide someone for their client. These women take comfort in knowing they are not alone. The hope is that ANY victim of domestic violence will know they are not alone either. In their own community, there are people who want to help and will support them as they make very brave decisions to leave a bad situation. Fortunately, I still carry the “empty” lipstick tube in my purse— just in case. I only hope I haven’t already missed the opportunity to give it to someone who really needed it. Youcanhelpinthefightagainstdomesticviolence bygettinginvolvedasavolunteerorattending eventstosupporttheselocalorganizations. HOPE’S DOOR WWW.HOPESDOORINC.ORG • 30th Anniversary Luncheon and Fashion Show September 16, 2016 at Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park • An Evening of Hope Gala February 25, 2017 COLLIN COUNTY COUNCIL ON FAMILY VIOLENCE WWW.CCC-FV.ORG • NorthTexas Facing FamilyViolence Conference October 19-21, 2016 at Collin College Theconferencethisyearwillfeaturekeynotespeakers DianeReeve,authorofStandingStrong:AnUnlikely SisterhoodandtheCourtCaseThatMadeHistory, ReverendAlMiles,whowillspeakon“DivinePrivilege: UnderstandingtheIntersectionofSpiritualAbuseand DomesticViolence,”andLisaL.Thompson,speaking on“SexualExploitationandTrafficking.” Continuing educationcreditwillbeawardedforcertainprofessionals. GENESIS WOMEN’S SHELTER WWW.GENESISSHELTER.ORG • Lecture Series at SMU’s Meadows Museum September 7 and November 9, 2016 • Genesis Golf Classic hosted by the Genesis HeROs October 10, 2016 • Lower Greenville Derby October 29, 2016 • An Evening with Gentle Men: Everyday Gentlemen, Extraordinary HeROs November 2, 2016