A Success Story

Our Story…

“Womansplace is not just a building where you escape to away from an unsafe environment, it’s an opportunity to reclaim control over one’s own life.”

“It would be impossible to fully express the appreciation we fell for Womansplace. It has truly been a life changing experience as we are pursuing dreams that I never thought were possible!”

A Client’s Story…

Thirteen years ago, Sherry thought she had met her soul mate.

It quickly became quite the opposite; jealousy, self-pity attitude, isolation from friends, and threats to hurt himself and anger that escalated year after year. Sherry was bitten, pushed and kicked and her personal belongings were destroyed. She was not alone; her son was physically and emotionally abused. Even though she worked, every penny was taken from her to put towards “his” house and “his” needs. Financially, Sherry felt she was not able to get away and take care of both of them so she just continued to tolerate the abuse until a plea from her son gave her the courage and strength to find a way out.

“Mommy, get me out of here!” cried her son.

It was the day of her birthday, and a scheduled doctor appointment, that led her to a social worker at that particular clinic who suggested that she call Womansplace.

Two days later, Sherry witnessed her “soul mate” calling their son names, threatening to kill him, dragging him to his truck and pulling away with the son trying to escape from the back of the truck.

Frantic, and afraid for her son’s safety, she made that lifesaving call to our 24 hour crisis hotline where, on the other end of the line, was the calm voice of one of our trained counselor who listened and then offered options that would allow Sherry and her son the opportunity to begin again and would lead her to the beginning of the end of their abuse.

Staff Quote: “Sherry came to our emergency shelter seeking safety and housing for herself and her youngest son. What Sherry didn’t realize was that she would find strength within herself to achieve goals beyond what she first thought possible. She embraced the opportunity she had to improve her life and to break the cycle of violence. Staff witnessed first- hand the positive impact our program had on her and her son. Sherry reclaimed her determined passion for living life her way. Because of her motivation and fortitude, an opportunity to reside in our Transitional Housing Program became available to her. After settling into her new home and enrolling in college, Sherry decided she wanted to become a volunteer with Womansplace and help other victims find their path toward safety and self sufficiency. She quickly impressed staff with her abilities and work ethic and was offered employment with Womansplace. She is now an advocate for victims of domestic violence. It has been an honor to watch her empower herself in such an amazing way.” -Womansplace Domestic Violence Counselor