CANTON — The mission of the three “Founding Mothers” of the Domestic Violence Project was remembered this week, as the shelter rededicated some of its newly renovated spaces in their honor, with the help of Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores.
Earlier this year, Lowe’s awarded a grant to DVPI to help convert two storage rooms into more usable space for residents living at the agency’s emergency shelter at 720 19th St. NE.
Launching in 2022, Lowe’s Hometowns is a five-year, $100 million commitment from Lowe’s to rebuild and revitalize community spaces across the country. This year’s winners were selected from 94 communities across 41 states and Washington, D.C
Their project is the only one selected in Ohio, said Julie Dunant, executive director of the Domestic Violence Project.
“We really needed a space for survivors; a healing space for people to be able to sit and talk,” she said.
The Domestic Violence Project was started in 1978 by Helen Sirius, Nancy Boylan and the late Gertrude Kennedywho wanted to do something to help abused women and children.
The shelter was opened in 2003.
One room has been converted into the Founding Mothers’ Shop, which includes a laundry space and organizing spaces for donated clothing and other personal care items.
Dunant noted that most survivors leave their situation quickly, with very little clothing or personal items.
The second space was converted into a new community support room to accommodate peer support groups.
The remodeling was done by Mountain Contracting of Louisville.
The mayor of the canton was Thomas Bernabe, and the mayor of the North Canton was Stefan B. Wilder, who submitted to the agency a mayoral ad, Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula, Canton Councilman-at-Large William Smukler, Canton Police Chief John Gabbard, and Stark County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Simic are among those. Who attended the event.
U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, whose 13th District includes Canton, offered the shelter a citation from Congress.
“When people ask why I enjoy doing what I do, it’s so I can see the work come full circle,” she said. “If it weren’t for the work you do, many troubled families would have nowhere to go.”
Before becoming Chairman of its Board of Directors, Randy Smukler worked on the Domestic Violence Project for nearly 30 years.
Last year, DVPI housed 356 men, women and children in two emergency shelters and assisted more than 1,500 survivors through its legal, medical, outreach and aftercare programmes. All services and resources are provided at no cost to survivors and their families.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, approximately 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States every 60 seconds, amounting to 10 million victims annually.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports that one in three women and one in four men in the United States have experienced some form of domestic violence in their lifetime.
“There is still a huge need,” Smukler said. “People don’t want to share their situations, so it’s hard to convince people to come and get help, but we have all walks of life — men and women,” she said. “We take in 18-year-olds because they have nowhere else to go.”
For more information about the Domestic Violence Project, visit dvpi.org or call 330-453-7233. Visit Lowes.com/hometowns or follow #LowesHometowns for more information about the program.
Contact Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
If you or someone you know needs help, call:
Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter at 330-823-7223
Domestic Violence Project at 330-453-7233
The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).
This article originally appeared on the Repository website: Domestic Violence Project Updates via Lowe’s Cities grant
