'The impact is real': Advocates for domestic-violence shelter tout benefits of funding, volunteering
Seconds after lights were shut off in an emergency shelter for victims of domestic abuse, chilling screams of a little girl were heard as a 911 call was played.
The child was a 6-year-old seeking help while her parents were having a violent confrontation.
In the dark, listeners could only concentrate on the phone call's loud thumps in the background and the desperate voice that screamed, cried and pleaded for the 911 dispatcher to help: "No, daddy, no!"
Advocates of preventing domestic abuse say a call like this might cause a victim of domestic abuse to finally reach out for help in getting out of a dangerous relationship, and an agency that provides resources to those victims and their family is A Safe Place.
On Tuesday, the Zion-based organization that advocates for Lake County residents through myriad of services for families experiencing domestic abuse hosted a unique experience — which included hearing the child's call for help — to show a glimpse of what victims go through and how the agency assists them.
The goal of the event was to show the incredible need for volunteers and board members who can contribute to the mission to eliminate domestic violence, said Pat Davenport, executive director of A Safe Place.
The journey of the close to 30 guests began at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, where the group was greeted by Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey, who gave a welcoming speech and said the Bears organization has been a supporter of A Safe Place since 1988.
From there, a progressive dinner bus tour headed for Zion. In between sips of wine and bites of appetizers that were served, staff members from A Safe Place, including legal advocacy coordinator Damaris Lorta, explained the need for more volunteers at the advocacy center.
"This calendar year, we have done 2,100 orders of protection," Lorta said. "This work would be impossible without our core volunteer group."
To drive home that figure and the impact of that work, Lorta read a letter from a client explaining how her abuser had sent 3,600 texts that included threats to her life, images of guns and pictures of her abuser's genitals, Lorta said.
"This is one of the milder cases we see," Lorta added, drawing audible sighs and gasps from the passengers.
The first stop was the organization's emergency shelter on the north side of Zion, where staff offices and emergency housing rooms were shown and more statistics were provided, such as the ratio of men and women clients they see — 80 percent women, 20 percent men.
The second stop was in Mundelein, where the Family Visitation Center director Lisa Raddatz explained how supervised visits for parents work.
An intricate coordinating dance to keep mothers and fathers from running into each other during child visitations involves separate parking lots and entrance doors that victims and abusers go through, Raddatz said. She added that volunteers also assist in that area.
On the bus back to Halas Hall — where remarks were offered by Lake County States's Attorney Mike Nerheim, Chicago Bears Vice President Brian McCaskey and board president Kate Johnson — there were opportunities for questions: Do you work with perpetrators? Is alcohol and drugs often a cause?
A Safe Place Chief Operating Officer Dr. Ozella Barnes said a significant part of the organization's work is a six-month program that works with offenders. Although drugs and alcohol can play a part in an abuser's behavior, the substances aren't the motives behind domestic violence.
The Lake County State's Attorney's Office has been instrumental in keeping that program going, Davenport said, allowing abusers to have therapy that can help them take accountability and change their behavior.
Other services are geared for children, such as a mentoring program for boys that a survivor of "an unsafe household" who only wanted to be identified as Daniel spoke about Tuesday.
The young man said it was the mentorship of volunteer Gene Minsky, whom he considers family now, that has helped him overcome trauma and be a successful student at Lake Forest Academy.
Davenport said with more staff and resources, she'd like to see a mentorship program for girls, too.
Domestic abuse survivor Joyce Mason, who now sits on the board and helps others who have experienced what she went through, also spoke on the bus ride.
"It means the world to me that you've taken the time to learn about us," Mason said. "The impact is real."
All of the guests seemed engaged and stayed until the end of the event, which included dinner at Halas Hall.
Highland Park resident Joyce Brown said she learned a lot, and the sheer number of people affected shocked her. Last year, guests were told, the agency served 14,533 people.
"The fact that they have to turn away victims because they don't have the resources and staff to help everyone who comes to their door is devastating," Brown said.
Meredith Ansenberger of Buffalo Grove said she already knew about the work A Safe Place does and, in the past, has financially contributed to their mission. She added that Tuesday's event solidified her continued support.
Brian McCaskey reminded guests that the NFL organization would not be supportive of A Safe Place if it weren't making the community a better place to live.
"We recognize that A Safe Place is a leader in issues that relate to domestic violence, (and) they do great work," McCaskey said.
The last appeal of the night came from board president Kate Johnson, who said A Safe Place is a full-service organization that needs assistance from the community to grow and continue its work of transforming lives and families.
"We need your minds and your brains and your sweat equity," Johnson said.
Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
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