Crisis Line
1-800-270-1620 or 641-673-5499

	Empowering Our Community
Volume VI, Issue 2		July 2006

[ Upcoming Events | Your Return on Investment (ROI) | Cheers to our Volunteers! | Violence Prevention: The Upstream Analogy | Can Anyone Answer Me? | Call for Help Today | Study: Women in Shelter Fear Being Killed | Central College Service Day | A Picture Says a Thousand Words | Responding to Childhood Sexual Abuse | Mahaska Sheriff’s Posse Supports CIS | Fundraising Activities Support Advocacy Services | Central Students Reach Out and Speak Out | ]

Don't forget to read the Press Releases

Upcoming Events

• October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, please call and request a presentation, display table, or special event at your organization!
• October 16-20  Finding Your Voice: Speaking Out Against Violence & Oppression week at William Penn University
• August  Level I Advocacy Training, required for new staff, volunteers, and interns
• Mom’s Off Meth (MOM) Support Groups, weekly in Chariton, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Pella, and Sigourney

Your Return on Investment (ROI)

Crisis Intervention Services (CIS) provides hope, support, and resources to individuals affected by domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other crises throughout Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska and Marion counties.  We believe that the services provided to our communities are critical.  We literally help save lives, and we work to prevent future violence.  As you all know, our heavy reliance on government grants puts us in a precarious situation.  Many victim service organizations like ours have closed in the past four years due to decreasing grant availability.  I recently attended a conference on program sustainability as one of our goals is to establish long-term financial security for CIS. The message I left with was very powerful. One thing that we were challenged to do was to think about the services that we provide our communities in terms of an investment.  We have established goals in our strategic plan and we measure outcomes of our services.  But, what is the monetary value of the outcomes?  We provide emergency shelter for approximately 150 women and children every year.  Not only are we helping them with immediate housing, but we are helping many of the women to join or re-join the workforce.  This in turn helps to create jobs, and gives additional wages being spent in our communities on rent, food, gas, etc.  Children in the shelter are provided with stability, safety, and support services.  This helps them learn more at school.  There are certainly immediate benefits to that (ask any teacher), but what is the long-term economic value of services to children who are traumatized?  What is the economic value of every prevention program we provide to our area youth?  I am not an economist and do not have the answers readily at hand.  But, I challenge each of us to think not just about giving to a charitable cause, but about investing in CIS and the positive outcomes that we help to create.  We will publish our Fiscal Year 2006 Annual Report by the end of December 2006.  Meanwhile, here are some highlights of the positive outcomes in which we hope you will invest.

• Answered 1,200 crisis calls
• Served over 700 new victims
• Sheltered approximately 150 women and children for an average of 30 nights each
• Provided 34 presentations with 994 in attendance
• Provided 25 trainings for 504 area professionals
• Provided 54 prevention programs for 1,013 area youth

Cheers to our Volunteers!

On April 24, Crisis Intervention Services, along with United Way, celebrated National Volunteer Week, with an appreciation luncheon for all of our volunteers.  During the last year 70 volunteers have given over 3,500 hours of service to Crisis Intervention Services.  This is an increase from approximately 1,900 hours last year.  This increase in hours is a reflection of the compassion and dedication of the communities, we strive to serve. 

This past year we were privileged to have several new volunteers join our volunteer staff.  Some of the volunteers were students looking for experience in their field of study, while some of the volunteers were concerned community members looking for a way to reach out and help.  Volunteers serve in many capacities and are critical to quality non-profit programming.  Examples of volunteer activities at CIS include increasing community awareness by posting flyers, sitting with a victim to listen to her story and providing emotional support, fixing a bicycle for a child in shelter, gathering donations for a fundraising activity, answering the 24-hour crisis line, assisting staff with computer needs, spending a day helping us with yard work at our housing facilities, transporting shelter residents to the grocery store, and serving on the Crisis Intervention Services Board of Directors. 

Crisis Intervention Services is always looking for new volunteers to serve in a variety of ways within their own communities.  In the last year, Crisis Intervention Services has been able to grow and consistently provide quality services.  This growth is a direct result of the support and encouragement that we have received from all the communities that we serve in Lucas, Marion, Keokuk, and Mahaska counties.  The ways volunteers can and do serve Crisis Intervention Services and our communities is limitless.  Every contribution a volunteer makes is valuable and greatly appreciated by Crisis Intervention Services. 

Crisis Intervention Services will once again be holding volunteer advocacy training at the end of this summer.  This advocacy training is tentatively planned for the week of August 28th.  We welcome anyone who is interested in volunteering to attend.  Crisis Intervention Services needs to increase our volunteer base in all four of the counties we serve.  If you, or anyone you know, are interested  in volunteering with Crisis Intervention Services, there are two different ways to sign up.  You may check out our website at www.cismc.org.  We have a list of volunteer opportunities and a volunteer application that can be downloaded, filled out, and sent in.  You may also call Jackie, Volunteer Coordinator, at 641-673-5499 or 1-800-270-1620 for information and for an application to be sent directly to you. 

Once again the staff of Crisis Intervention Services would like to thank all of our volunteers for their tireless devotion to victims and their families. 

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.” —Erma Bombeck

U can 2 SISTERHOOD

caring and sharing is what it is all about!

This support group meets every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in a safe and confidential location.  Group members support each other in recovering from traumatic experiences and with accomplishing personal goals. Children’s group is available during adult group.  To register for the group call 673-0336.

Violence Prevention: The Upstream Analogy

One day, a fisherman was fishing from a river bank when he saw someone being swept downstream, struggling to keep their head above water. The fisherman jumped in, grabbed the person, and helped them to shore. The survivor thanked the fisherman and left, and the hero dried himself off and continued fishing.

  Soon he heard another cry for help and saw someone else being swept downstream. He immediately jumped into the river again and saved that person as well. This scenario continued all afternoon. As soon as the fisherman returned to fishing, he would hear another cry for help and would wade in to rescue another wet and drowning person. Finally, the fisherman said to himself, “I can’t go on like this, I’d better go upstream and find out why so many people are falling in the water.”

  When he went upstream, he found that people were drawn to the edge to look at the river, but there was no safe way to do this. Many of them fell. The fisherman went to the community leaders and reported the number of people who had fallen into the river. He also reported that this was due to the lack of a protective barrier on the cliff.  Community leaders build a wall behind which people could safely view the water.  Some still fall, but there are fewer victims to rescue.

  Why not stop the problem from even happening? The problem may not be totally eliminated—or at least not right away– but there may be fewer people to rescue downstream. This upstream analogy describes efforts in primary prevention. Primary prevention deals with both risk and protective factors. A risk factor is a behavior or condition that, on a basis of scientific evidence, is thought to increase vulnerability to a specific condition. Within violence prevention, there are risk factors for both perpetration and victimization. Assignment of risk factors, however, is not meant to blame the victim. Women are at higher risk for breast cancer, but we don’t blame women for having more breast tissue than men.  Risk factors are meant to suggest vulnerabilities.

  Just as there are risk factors for violence or any public health problem, there are protective factors that share the same complexities of biological, social, cultural, economic, and political influences.  Violence prevention capitalizes on these protective factors. This story looks at how the fisherman made the first small step to finding what he could do to help identify and work to solve the problem. 

  Prevention is about social change. Focusing on prevention may help create an environment where people are safe in their relationships, homes, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. Crisis Intervention Services continues to provide prevention and education programs in public schools and civic and religious youth groups.  Below are just a few ways you can assist our work in preventing violence.

• Write a letter to the editor about preventing violence in your community
• Motivate your community leaders to address the issue of violence
• Interrupt behaviors such as bullying, harassment, violence, abuse, and controlling behaviors
• Support legislation and local policies designed to prevent and respond to violence
• Engage your professional organizations in discussions regarding violence prevention
• Encourage language, behaviors, and visual images that promote safety and respect
• Create policies in your organization that promote safety, respect, and accountability including workplace violence and harassment policies
• Contact CIS about ways you can help or for support in your organizational work to promote social change!

Can Anyone Answer Me?

I can’t focus

My mind races too fast

Jumping from moment to moment

My family leading the cast

But it isn’t a movie

It’s my life I see

Playing over and over

Never ending within me

How can I escape myself?

My tears fall

As I hide in my bed

Wishing to end it all

When will this be over?

When will I finally be free?

Questions abound

Can anyone answer me?

I can’t sleep

Nightmares waiting for me

Thrusting me back

Forcing me to see

I can’t control it

No matter how hard I try

They own me

And I just wish I could die

Instead I am awoken

And again my tears fall

Knowing nowhere is safe

Will I ever know peace at all?

When will this be over?

When will I finally be free?

Questions abound

Can anyone answer me?

-Kathy F

Call for Help Today

What do I do?  Where do I go?  How will I make it?  These are a few of many questions I found myself asking only two months ago.  I was aware of abuse, but I always thought, “It won’t happen to me.”  So when it did happen I felt helpless, scared, and even embarrassed.  But Crisis Intervention Services soon helped me and my family turn negative and scared thoughts into feelings of hope and security.  Their emotional support was more than I could have hoped for.  Not only did they give me emotional support, but also a safe place to live.  They showed me I am strong enough to get through this and do it on my own.  I often wonder though, if I knew about them sooner would things be different for our family?  That is why I am writing this article.  I have found that a lot of people don’t know about Crisis Intervention Services, and I feel if more people knew, more would ask for help.  If you ever find yourself in that situation don’t feel helpless.  There are people who care and there is hope and security.  You can get through anything if you make the right call.

Study: Women in Shelter Fear Being Killed

A Canadian study found that 77% of women living in shelters are in “serious danger of a homicide from their abusive partner.” According to the author (Dr. Tutty, University of Calgary), 75% of the women had experienced physical abuse and in one-third of the cases the batterer prevented the victim from receiving medical attention.   Some of us who are familiar with shelter work might wonder at the simplicity of conducting a study to see if women in shelters fear death.  We ask this question daily, as it is one of the 20 questions on our research-based lethality assessment (Dr. Campbell, 2004).  But, it is easy for us advocates to forget that most people don’t deal with the possibility of death on a daily basis.  At Crisis Intervention Services, we provide emergency shelter for over 150 women and children and outreach services for 600 women, children, and men every year who are victims of violent crimes.  The risk of homicide is something that we face with these families every day.  We rely heavily upon support from local law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, and magistrate judges to keep violent offenders in jail and families safe.  The ultimate measurement of successful collaborations is the prevention of domestic violence homicides.  

Central College Service Day

Crisis Intervention Services would like to give a big thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers who volunteered both their time and their tools on the recent community service day.  Many staff, faculty, and students from Central College joined with CIS staff, board members, and volunteers in improving the landscaping for both the transitional housing apartments and the emergency shelter. 

At the transitional housing apartments, volunteers made a significant improvement by planting grass seed, moving dirt piles, filling in holes in the lawn, raking leaves, picking up trash, fixing and cleaning up a wire fence, digging four flower beds, and planting flowers in the new flower beds. 

The CIS Building and Grounds Committee was responsible for coordinating the work to be completed and providing the needed materials, while Central College made the arrangements for providing the volunteers. As the transitional housing advocate and on behalf of the transitional housing residents, I would especially like to thank board member Sandi Fell, for all of her hard work involved with the planning of this successful event.  Thanks to everyone for the hard work! 

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

The Mahaska County FVRT is a multi-disciplinary team with representatives from the following agencies: Batterers Education Program, Crisis Intervention Services, Department of Human Services, HUGS Council, Mahaska County Attorneys Office, Mahaska Health Partnership, Mahaska County Sheriffs Office, New Directions, Oskaloosa Police Department, and Southern Iowa Economic Development Association. In mid 2004, the team identified a need of many of our community providers that interact with victims of violent crime. Many agencies photography equipment was old, expensive to use, or non-existent.  Most agencies did not have printers that would print the quality of pictures necessary for evidence in court, so printers were added to its outcome goals.  The Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Taskforce offered funds to the FVRT to continue its goals. Taskforce members voted to provide approximately $7,500.00 to the FVRT camera and printer project, including Keokuk County Health Center, Keokuk County Public Health, and the Sigourney Police Department. Adams Camera House in Oskaloosa assisted with technical advice on equipment functions/expected team needs and ordered all the equipment purchased. The Taskforce includes representatives from the following agencies: Crisis Intervention Services, Keokuk County Health Center, Keokuk County Community Health, Mahaska Health Partnership, Mahaska Community Health, and New Directions. The Taskforce operates with funds provided by a Rural Health Outreach Grant secured by Crisis Intervention Services. The Taskforce works to improve medical, mental health, and victim services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Their funds have also provided the training of seven Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) nurses for Keokuk and Mahaska County and the equipment to perform evidence-based sexual assault exams securing a higher conviction rate related for these crimes.

The next project being undertaken by the Family Violence Response Team will be the formation on an actual team to be activated in cases of child sexual abuse and serious child physical abuse. Responders from the County Attorneys Office, Crisis Intervention Services, Department of Human Services, Mahaska County Sheriffs Office, and the Oskaloosa Police Department would be activated when a child meeting the above conditions presents at any facility in Mahaska County. This approach would lessen the number of times the victim would have to tell their “story” of abuse and key people would be present to issue search warrants, conduct searches, protect the child (ren) from further harm, and offer emotional support for the child (ren). It is the hope of all team members that this approach will secure more convictions and better protect children from re-victimization.

Responding to Childhood Sexual Abuse

Childhood sexual assault is not something to be taken lightly or swept under the rug.  According to the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, in 2003 alone there were 932 confirmed reports of child sexual abuse and prostitution.  Roughly 67% of Iowans who have experienced sexual violence experienced it before the age of 18.  Females and males who were sexually assaulted were equally likely to be abused with 65.8% of men and 67.1% of women that were sexually assaulted experienced the sexual violence before the age of 18.

More often than not, the perpetrator(s) who commits the abuse is a family member, friend, acquaintance, or date.  These are people that a child should be able to trust.  When a child is violated they may experience severe trauma.  Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault.  If children are not given adequate support and removed from the abuse, they are at risk for serious health problems as adults.  The correlation between childhood trauma and serious adult health problems is strong.  These health issues may be tobacco use, substance abuse, obesity, cancer, heart disease, depression, or unintended pregnancies.

A child should never be blamed for the violence and trauma that is happening or has happened to them.  Trust may be difficult for the child who has experienced or is experiencing sexual violence.  It is not because they don’t want to trust, but rather they have been violated by someone they once trusted.  If anyone confides in you or hints to you that they have been or are being sexually abused, please do not take it lightly.

If you know a child who is or is strongly suspected of being sexually abused please seek support for them now.  It is our responsibility as community citizens to protect the children we know and care about.  The 24-hour crisis line for Crisis Intervention Services is 641-673-5499 or toll-free at 1-800-270-1620.  The number to the Child Abuse Hotline is 1-800-673-3322.  If you are a mandatory reporter, Department of Human Services (DHS) requires that a written report be submitted within 48 hours of the verbal report.  All reports made to DHS are confidential, and your name will not be disclosed as having reported a child abuse incident. 

Mahaska Sheriff’s Posse Supports CIS

The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Posse recently gave donations to local organizations who provide critical services to area youth.  They are completely supported by donations from the community and wanted to give some of it back to programs who serve youth in the community. The Sheriff’s Posse had a committee decide which organizations to donate to and the amount of funding to give. Crisis Intervention Services was fortunate to be one of the organizations selected.  The funds will be used to support our emergency shelter which services 150 women and children each year. The Sheriff’s Posse has donated $1,000 to CIS.  Other local groups receiving a donation include Imagine the Possibilities, HUGS Council, Love, Inc., Southern Iowa Fair, 4-H, and several little league organizations throughout Mahaska County.  

Fundraising Activities Support Advocacy Services

The Crisis Intervention Services Purple Ribbon Auction held April 1st at Bos Landen in Pella was a huge success.  Over $4000 was raised during the silent and live auction and over 60 people attended the event.  Congressman Leonard Boswell attended the event and was a guest auctioneer.  Auction items ranged from restaurant gift certificates, Chicago Cubs tickets, NASCAR tickets, and much more.  A complete list of auction items and event sponsors is still on our website at www.cismc.org. 

Our 6th Annual Charity Golf Tournament was held Saturday, June 3rd at Harvest Point in Oskaloosa.  It was a beautiful day and 18 teams signed up to golf.  There was a hole prize awarded on each hole with one big prize of a gift certificate for a round of golf for four at the Amana Colonies Golf Course. Neil De Ronde was the lucky winner by being the closest to the pin on the tee shot.  The 2007 date for the Harvest Point golf tournament will be the 3rd Saturday in June.

Future fundraising events include a Charity Golf Tournament at Bos Landen in Pella and a Fashion Show.  Anyone interested in volunteering for Crisis Intervention Services Fundraising Committee or volunteering in any other way, please contact us at 641-673-0336 or 641-621-1707.  Fundraising activities are critical for supporting services to victims of violent crimes in Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska and Marion counties.

Central Students Reach Out and Speak Out

During the month of April, students and staff from Central College participated in several events to learn about and promote awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault.  The events were sponsored by Central College and Crisis Intervention Services. “This is Crisis Intervention Services first year working with Central to provide sexual assault and domestic violence awareness, and we were warmly received by the students and faculty,” said Catherine Perkins, CIS Outreach Advocate and Central Alum. “We would also like to thank Central for helping us with these events, especially Bonnie Dahlke, Marge Zondervan, Michelle Kellar, Caitlin Johnson, Erin Molenaar, Kristin Hacker, Kelli Beckel, and Kristi Bassett for their extra efforts in making this week successful.” The following events took place on Central’s campus:

Take Back the Night Rally and Candlelight Vigil:  Students were given the opportunity to speak out against violence and remember those who have fallen victim to domestic violence and sexual assault.

Clothesline Project: This art project was created by victims of violence and was displayed in Maytag Student Center.

North Country viewing and discussion: Students watched the true story of one woman’s fight against sexual harassment and violence, and were then given the opportunity to discuss how they can stand up against violence. One student said, “Standing up can start by telling someone you’re uncomfortable with and/or don’t appreciate a harassing comment they may have made.”

T-Shirt Rally: Over 100 students participated in dying “Reach Out & Speak Out” shirts to wear at the end of the week to spread awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault.

How to Help Friends: Hazel Hull of IowaCASA spoke to students about sexual assault and how they can help others who have been assaulted.

Self-Defense: Aaron Phillips from the Mahaska County YMCA came to teach students basic self-defense techniques that could be used for their protection.

Silent Witness Display: Silhouette display depicting stories of women from Iowa who have been murdered in intimate partner homicide situations. “I would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to CIS for sharing the silhouettes with Central College. The stories were very powerful and it is my hope that now more people have an understanding of the severity of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as the heartache that is felt by the family members/friends who are witnesses of such horrific acts. Again, thank you for engaging with us and sharing your expertise during “Reach Out, Speak Out” week,” said Michelle Kellar, Director of Counseling at Central College.

Crisis Intervention Services looks forward to returning to Central’s campus next year and to continue working with them in the future.

Don't forget to read the Press Releases

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