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A new beginning for
crisis center
Agency marks 25 years in the area
(9/8/03 Keene Sentinel)
By Will Coghlan,
Sentinel Staff
It was an anniversary that marked the end of one era and the beginning
of another.
Women’s Crisis Services, a nonprofit agency providing domestic and
sexual violence crisis intervention and advocacy services to two
Monadnock counties, took a major step forward on Sunday when it unveiled
its new name, Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention, along with a new
logo and tagline — The Power to Change Lives.
The celebration, held at the Hellenic Hall at St. George Greek Orthodox
Church in Keene, was attended by more than 100 agency employees,
volunteers and community leaders, including Mayor Michael E.J. Blastos
and the Cheshire and Hillsborough county attorneys.
“The people on the staff here give voices to those who have trouble
finding their own,” Cheshire County Attorney William M. Albrecht 4th
said.
According to Elizabeth Sayre, executive director of the center, the
inauguration of the new name marks a new chapter in the organization’s
25-year history.
“We remain strongly committed to the needs of women in crisis. But
addressing the issues of domestic and sexual violence requires proactive
outreach that engages the entire community,” Sayre said. “As
Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention, we are strengthening our
commitment to address the root causes of domestic and sexual violence,
with the goal of prevention.”
Sayre said the new name is a symbol of the agency’s expanding list of
services to Monadnock Region communities, including a major new
initiative to expand its education programs.
“The reality is that one in four women will be abused by a partner in
her lifetime. Relationship violence against and among men is also on the
rise, yet many people don’t acknowledge the problem,” Sayre said.
“Ending the violence means educating everyone.”
Founded in 1978, the agency has been expanding its services ever since.
The organization now provides a 24-hour crisis line, the region’s
first battered women’s shelter, self-help support groups, and a
variety of other victim assistance and advocacy services from its
offices in Keene and Jaffrey.
In 1979, the agency assisted 201 women; in 2002, it provided services to
more than 6,000 people.
At the anniversary celebration Sunday, one of the group’s domestic
violence survivors told how she escaped an abusive relationship.
“I’m a woman who has learned the value of me,” said Kelly Doyle,
who told the crowd she wouldn’t have been there if not for the
agency’s help.
“Our commitment is to help people get the power and control back in
their lives,” Sayre said. “The better we can be at preventing
violence, hopefully one day we will put ourselves out of business.”
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