Posts Tagged ‘safe harbor’

When she walks through the door of Safe Harbor for the first time, she is scared.  She is broken and bruised, both figuratively and literally.  She is exhausted, weary from walking on eggshells and accepting the blame.  She is hopeless and not even sure how to search for hope – in her world, hope is at best a distant memory or perhaps something that has never existed at all.  She is stuck in the cycle of abuse, the pattern of being controlled and degraded and harmed by the one person who vowed to love her unconditionally.  As she holds her baby in her arms, she is not sure what the future will hold.  She wonders if she has made the right decision.  She doesn’t really believe that she has what it takes to pick up the pieces, to make it on her own.  She is unaware of her own beauty, her own strength.  She is a shell of who she once was, of who she could be.  She is insecure.  She is terrified.  She is a victim.

When she walks out of the door of Safe Harbor for the final time, she is starting a new journey.  She is healing, one day at a time.  She may not have every problem solved or every question answered.  But, she is aware of the steps that she has already taken and the steps that she has yet to take.  She is liberated from the oppressive power that used to control her every move.  Now, she is in control of her own choices, her own decisions.  She is becoming aware of the talents and skills that she has to offer in this world.  She is learning how to be a parent, and her baby now sleeps soundly through the night.  She is able to look in the mirror and smile at the woman who looks back at her.  She holds her head up proudly as she walks into her new apartment for the first time.  She is still not sure what the future will hold, but she is hopeful with each new day.  She is free.  She is strong. She is a survivor.

by Rebecca Callaham, Executive Director, Safe Harbor

From the Greenville News – August 8, 2010

Jessica Anderson. Natasha Kerns. Christine Crane: Three women who lost their lives this summer in Greenville County. Not to an illness, cancer or a horrible accident. Each one lost her life because the man who was supposed to love her allegedly took it from her. Each one silenced forever by domestic violence.

In South Carolina, where we promote family values and Southern hospitality, we are literally loving each other to death. South Carolina ranked No. 8 last year for the number of women killed by men. The previous year, South Carolina ranked No. 2. This is hardly an improvement, as South Carolina has consistently ranked in the Top 10.

According to the S.C. Department of Public Safety, Greenville County ranks No. 1 in the state for family violence victimization, No. 2 for domestic violence victimization, No. 2 for domestic violence aggravated assault and No. 2 for domestic violence simple assault. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bird & Baby Theatre Company Partners with Safe Harbor to Raise Awareness about Domestic Violence

This August, The Bird & Baby Theatre Company of Greer is producing The Few Lilies Project, a benefit for Safe Harbor. The Few Lilies Project exists to promote awareness of the issue of domestic violence and raise money for Safe Harbor. Through the theatre production and the accompanying art exhibit, the audience will be confronted with the issue in a unique way, and will be provided with the opportunity to contribute additional funds, above the initial ticket price, directly to Safe Harbor.

The theatre production consists of Arlene Hutton’s I Dream Before I Take the Stand, and a series of monologues written by local playwright Anne Pecaro.  Anne interviewed survivors of domestic violence, turning their stories into monologues. Read the rest of this entry »

“Domestic violence speaks many languages, has many colors and lives in many different communities.”
- Sandra Pupatello

Welcome to our blog!  Safe Harbor is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and other services for victims of domestic violence and their children in the upstate of South Carolina.  We also offer outreach and education concerning the issue of domestic violence throughout the four-county area that we serve – Greenville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties. 

Safe Harbor is excited to have the opportunity to use this blog to expand our outreach services to victims and to further educate our community about Safe Harbor’s mission and services.  We will use this blog to discuss the issue of family violence and related topics, to share news about Safe Harbor programs and upcoming events, and to share stories of hope and inspiration.  Read the rest of this entry »