From the Director: Summer is here and it is a chance to look both to the past and to the future. This past year has brought changes in our staff, the people we serve in our communities and the supporters we have. We had a new program begin, Teen Solutions, the youth program in Cottonwood and Jackson counties. We have learned many lessons in this process and we hope to meet many new people in this upcoming year through this grant funded by the Remick Foundation. Look elsewhere in this newsletter for information from the advocate for this program. We received a grant which allows us to contract with Southern MN Legal Services for an attorney to work with the special needs of immigrant battered women. Over 30 women were assisted with this program funded by the Legal Services Advisory Committee and we were recently funded for two more years in this collaboration effort. In March, we were asked to contract with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Services to work with victims of trafficking. This new challenge has enabled us to not only provide needed services to these victims, but to also expand our knowledge and skills in issues for immigrants. SWCC would like to thank the MN House and Senate for their work on the bills that were presented to them in this last session. One of the bills gave all crime victim programs a 5% increase in funding, the first increase since the late 1990’s. This welcome change was requested to keep up with the continued rising costs of providing some of our basic services. There were many other legislative changes which we will update in the fall newsletter. And I would like to thank all of you for your support again this year. Without our community, we would not be able to effectively do this work. It is a struggle to work in a world where so much violence is perpetrated and accepted. It is always a challenge to counter the images seen in movies, on television, in the news and even with our neighbors and friends. Having the courage to stand up for non-violence is, surprisingly, not always a popular stance. I applaud all of you who do it every day. Ruth Hubbling Southwest Crisis Center to hold 2nd Annual Hometown Hero Banquet Submitted by: Juli Leaman, Jackson County Advocate & Angie Blanshan, Cottonwood County Advocate The Cottonwood and Jackson offices of the SWCC will hold their 2nd annual banquet on September 15th in Windom in the BARC gym. They will again honor two individuals that have gone above and beyond their duty in assisting the SWCC in their efforts to end domestic violence/sexual assault. They will be honoring one individual from each of the separate counties. There will be a catered meal, silent auction and keynote speaker. The keynote speaker will be Rho the author of “Under Grandma’s Quilt”. Tickets are available from any staff member of SWCC or by calling one of the offices. Below you will find information on the keynote speaker. Having grown up in Fairmont and raised in a wonderful home, you would have thought life's choices would bring only good things to this shy, oldest daughter of 5 children. That was not the case, however, for Rho. She fell in love and married a man who had different values than her own. Her marriage was filled with abuse and loneliness. Her only real joy in life were her two children...and than she became pregnant with their third. Escalating violence brought her to a decision she never thought she would make. She had an abortion. After that, her husband convinced her she deserved nothing good in life and his continued beatings and words of hate seemed warranted. Rho's 19 year marriage ended 16 years ago. Up until the last three years, she had not shared a lot of her story. Shame, fear of rejection and of harm, she kept this nightmare to herself. Through her pastor and a psychologist, love and encouragement from her family, she has found surprising forgiveness of her ex-husband and finally of herself. She has realized that leaving him may have saved her life but forgiveness gave it back to her. "Under Grandma's Quilt" tells her story of broken dreams and restored joy and encourages others who know the pain of this abuse. Having recently moved back to Faribault to be near her children and their families has brought her full circle. She enjoys being a grandma, scrap booking, being with family, and working on a new project that she hopes will be completed in 2008. HOPE - the internal expectation of a different outcome Elder Abuse/Domestic Violence: Alike or Different? Submitted By: Raevette Loonan, Rock County Advocate Domestic abuse in later life is a subset of elder abuse. Elder abuse includes, but is not limited to, financial exploitation, neglect and abandonment as well as the typical forms of abuse used to control younger people. Love for the abuser, an attempt to keep the family together, medical conditions and disabilities may be some of the reasons that victims of elder abuse stay silent about the abuse occurring in their lives. Many victims are incapable of living in their own homes without having their abuser near, even if that creates more safety concerns. Is abuse caused by caregiver stress? Stress does not cause abuse. Most stressed people do not hurt others. At times providing care for an ill or frail elderly person can be stressful and those with abusive tendencies may use this stress to excuse their dangerous behaviors. Some signs of Elder Abuse include a pattern of physical injuries, declining health, expression of fear about caregiver, unexplained withdrawal from normal activities, financial concerns due to missing money or property, sudden inactivity, hesitancy to speak openly around the caregiver, unhealthy or unsafe living conditions or improper medication dispensing. These items are not a conclusive or inclusive list, nor are these signs of only elder abuse. Other factors may be contributing to the decline in the quality of life of an elderly person such as medical concerns or a change in their environment. Investigation is sometimes needed in determining why someone is experiencing the decline. If you observe elder abuse you can: o Talk to the victim alone. Voice your concerns for their safety. Let them know that the abuse is unlikely to stop unless there is some intervention. o Offer to go with them to talk to a professional about the abuse. o Help them create a plan to achieve safety. o Do not confront the abuser unless/until you have spoken to the victim about the possible ramifications of that. o If you are a mandated reporter, follow your particular reporting plan. o Speak to your local crisis center, law enforcement agency, or adult protective service agency for more general information regarding elder abuse. o Call 911 if immediate protection or medical attention is necessary. o Encourage the victim to stay as connected as possible to the support systems they have in place. o If applicable, research other resources for some of the care that necessitates the victim*s reliance on the perpetrator. If you are experiencing caregiver stress symptoms consider talking to someone close to you about it, calling a help line, talking with your health care provider or talking to a counselor or therapist. Not everyone has the ability to be a caregiver- it is ok to recognize your limitations and say "no". Educating others about elder abuse and creating services for them is the best way to help older victims live violence free. Summer Safety Tip Talk With Your Teens about Tough Issues Submitted by: Angie Rogotzke, Jackson Couty Youth Advocate Every year around this time, summer safety stories appear on TV and in newspapers. The beginning of summer is a good time to talk with your teens about some of the other challenges they may face during the upcoming months (and that they will face at some point in the upcoming years), like alcohol, drugs, sex, and violence. We don’t immediately associate these dangers with summer. But they are risks that kids encounter more frequently when they have free and unsupervised time. Summer, for teens, means freedom and adventure. It has the mystique of being a time when teens can reinvent themselves. Teens really believe that the summertime can change their lives (or at least their social status). They may take this idea so seriously that they become more vulnerable to peer pressure and poor decision-making when school’s out. You can help your teens become independent thinkers (and help yourself feel comfortable with the kinds of decisions they’re likely to make) if you and your teen children establish a pattern of open communication. During the summer, kids have more opportunities to try drugs and alcohol. So they’ll have to rely on their own sense of right and wrong when it comes to these choices. If you establish a clear position on drug and alcohol use and back up this position through the example of your own behavior, you’ll be more likely to influence what your teens will do if they are faced with choice to try drugs and alcohol. And, summer schedules change from day to day, so check in with your teens frequently about how they are using their free time. Make an effort to be available as often as you can, take advantage of the extra daylight hours by planning family activities in the evening. Help your teens find summer programs that encourage their outside interests. We know that during the school year, kids benefit from taking part in organized activities. Teens who spend as few as 1 to 4 hours per week in after school activities are less likely to use drugs or to become teen parents than students who do not participate in after-school activities. These positive effects of planned activities extend into the summer time. Teen Solutions is providing FREE summer activities to all middle school youth who are interested in forming/learning about healthy relationships and having fun. Some of the activities included: FREE movie nights at the Theater in Jackson, fishing at the river and grillin’ and games. With many more activities planned. Mondays and Thursdays, we will be addressing healthy relationships, living life free of violence, drug and alcohol usage, communication skills, anger management, stress reduction and dating choices. Teen Solutions is also looking to get involved with the community in various projects. For more information call 507-360-9730 The Southwest Crisis Center would like to thank all of our board members, both current and past, for their hard work and dedication to working to end violence in our communities Current Board Members as of 06/07 • Jon Ramlo, Chair • Lauree Teunissen, Vice Chair • Amanda McClure, Treasurer • Bonnie Schroeder, Recorder • Mike Zaske • George Gronholz, III • Barb Hernandez • Carrie Adams • Tonya Aanenson • Stacy Schepel • Thongsay Chantharath • Jenny Quade The Sou8thwest Crisis Center would also like to extend our thanks and appreciate to all the individuals and businesses who donated to our 4th Annual Ride Against Violence. Perkins Proud Image The Bullpen Arnolds Park Minnesota Vikings Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort Green Lantern Bar and Grill Historic State Theatre Jackson Chiropractic Jackson Cycle SW Tour and Travel True Value Heartland Image Harmony Gardens Bob’s Locker Heartland Mutual Veld Lumber Continental Western Group Papik Motors Quality Printing Sincerely Yours Forever Young Luverne Chamber of Commerce Shooting Star Casino-Hotel MN Timberwolves/Lynx Mystic Lake Gigglebees Sioux Falls Canaries Sioux Falls Storm Mary and Mary K Krogman KDOM Radio Windom/Shopper Citizen Becky Britten Bob and Steve’s Shell Expert Tire First Bank Brewster Birst State Bank SW Godfather’s Pizza Graham Tire Great Clips KW DeGroot Construction DeRuyter Brothers Pallets Ike and Julie Krogman Toro New Life Treatment Center Ban Lao Prins Trucking Inc Henderson Financial First State Agency Fulda Area Credit Union Lucht Law Offices Prairie Holdings Group, LLC Ron’s Repair, INC United Prairie Bank Worthington Chiropractic Worthington Elks Lodge # 2287 Johnson Builder’s & Realtors, INC R&R Construction Thrivent- Deborah Anderson Worthington Excavating Henning Construction Inc Silver Bucket Bar Inc Wendy’s Flower’s and Scents Paul Ward Dave DeRuyter Construction Holland Bar and Grill Joel Jacoby Construction Jackson Federal Savings and Loan Jackson Sports Land & Home Services Unilimeted, Dan Pike Agency Brett Wittry Handviet and Anderson Five Star Co-op B & L Construction Services Cragoe Realty Gary’s Painting Services Connell Car Care First Farmers & Merchants Jerry Hoff Floor Covering Linda Steen Ellison Meats Hartquist Funeral Home People’s Bank Hagen Beverage Distributing Inc. Johnson Jewelers Joyce Bohn Kelly Kluever Mary Sieve McCarthy’s Floral McDonald’s Restaurants Micks Repair Naomi Braaksma Nobles Cooperative Electric Northland Theater Palace Video and Tanning Panaderia Mi Tierra Pizza Ranch Quality Auto Body Rickers Studio Rune’s Furniture Runnings Farm and Fleet Sew Unique Shopko State Farm Insurance-Kevin Lease Sterling Drug Subway Textile Treasures The Printers Top Asian Foods UBC W2’s 3 Eagles Communications Worthington Sports Center MySpace, More Than Just a Place for Friends to Gather? Submitted By: Angela Junker, Operations Manager A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail, via MySpace, from one of my contacts entitled ‘Pray for Baby Kaleb’. I opened it thinking I would find something similar to one of those chain letters, where you have to send it to X amount of people in X amount of minutes or you will have bad luck for the next 5 years. Much to my shock it was a story of a young family, in their early 20’s and their baby boy, who is now almost 7 months old; Joshua, Kristy, and Kaleb Schwade. Kaleb is the victim of someone’s rage, resulting in Shaken Baby Syndrome. The following is the story of the Schwades’. On Wednesday, May 9, 2007, after Kaleb’s grandmother and aunt picked him up from daycare, they noticed he was sleepy and that he was having obvious breathing abnormalities. When Kristy picked Kaleb up from her mom’s, she described him as having “no life in his body”. After trying to wake him repeatedly with no success, she and her father rushed Kaleb to the Emergency Room where he was classified as a ‘trauma alert’. He was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital and was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Doctors discovered baby Kaleb had been smothered and was also diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome. Doctors had to put a tube in Kaleb’s brain to drain the spinal fluid from his ventricle. A CAT scan also revealed Kaleb had suffered a stroke. After having surgery on his brain, Kaleb developed bacterial meningitis, and was having trouble maintaining his body temperature. Charges were pressed against the babysitter but currently she is out of jail on a $5,000 bond. That is the only information that the family is allowed to give out at this time, they are currently waiting for her arraignment. Kaleb’s mother, Kristy, continues to post blogs updating the public on Kaleb’s condition. Much to the surprise of everyone, including the medical staff caring for this little boy, Kaleb seems to be making a recovery! As of the most recent updates, Kaleb is now responding to sound, he is beginning to focus on things with his right eye, and the meningitis is almost all cleared up! What once was an “if he survives” prognosis has now turned into “when he returns home”, which could be within a month! MySpace, which was once used as a way to communicate with friends and family, has now become a place for thousands of people to voice their support for this young couple and their son. Kristy has stated that she was using MySpace just to keep in touch with people she knew, but now it has grown to so much more! A site has been set up so anyone wanting to make donations to go towards Kaleb’s growing medical expenses can do so, another site is set up so people can show support for the Schwade family by buying t-shirts, bracelets, and ribbon magnets, which a portion of the proceeds also will go to Kaleb’s medical bills. Kaleb’s mom has said “disaster has done what discussion could not”. Thousands of people have united over MySpace. What was once a plea for prayers from close friends and family has grown into strangers becoming an extended family. There has been an out pouring of SBS (shaken baby syndrome) awareness all stemming from this incident as well. If you would like to know more about this story, please visit www. myspace.com/helpkaleb. Artistic Contributions Circumstance or Fate By: Kathi Blount-Survivor Many colors green, red, brown, and gold Another fall slowly unfolds Shorter days and longer nights Childhood terrors come to light Teasing shadows playing on the wall Several Monsters coming down the hall Many nightmares taunting me I lay awake, too scared to sleep Taunting memories from years gone past Suicide called, she was free at last A victim of circumstance laid to rest Please remember she did her best She couldn’t hold on, she had to die No one at all, heard her cries Until one day it was too late Was it circumstance or was it fate Possessiveness By: Kathi Blount-Survivor I stand in terror as he grabbed my arms I couldn’t leave, I stood frozen with alarm The look in his eyes I didn’t want to see Wild and haunting he was scaring me Possessive behavior he had never before shown Left me wanting to go home I must have known what the future would bring I left without him, life wasn’t worth living Through shame and torment the years flew by Finally I just told him “goodbye” Now there are days I sit and hide And many days I sadly cry *If you have an artistic contribution related to the mission of the Southwest Crisis Center that you would like to share please feel free to pass it on to one of our local advocates. We would love to consider your work for one of our up-coming newsletters. CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS If you are interested in becoming a part of the Southwest Crisis Center through volunteering, please contact our main office at 1-800-376-4311. WISH LIST Items needed to assist the victims we serve and help with office expenses. Phone Cards Gas Cards Hotel Certificates Grocery Certificates Stamps Fast Food Restaurant Certificates Diapers Baby Wipes Paper Cutter Vacuum Feminine Products Toilet Paper Paper Towels Kleenex Computer Printer Ink (call first) Individually wrapped snack items for children New Infant Clothing Bath Towels New Clothing New Shoes Laundry Detergent General Office Supplies General Cleaning Supplies Cash Donations |