For 30 years, group has proven to be lifesaver for abuse victims
Debra Lemieux doesn't remember how she got the number. All she knows is that during a violent episode with her abusive husband of 13 years, she found herself on the phone with the Help for Abused Women and their Children hot line, talking with a volunteer named Darlene.
"I will never forget her name; she was a lifeline for me," said Lemieux, 54, of the 1989 call.
"I believe that night he was intent on killing me. I had never told my friends or family about the abuse. It was the first time I reached out to anyone."
And, she said, "Everything fell into place. My life changed due to that phone call."
Lemieux, a Salem mother of two, divorced her husband, went to school to become a paralegal, began volunteering at HAWC, and remarried.
She shares her story at a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the agency at the Ipswich Country Club on Saturday.
Also being honored are HAWC co-founders Dale Orlando of Lynn, her sister Brooks Solewater of Newburyport, and others. Keynote speaker is Diane Patrick, the wife of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
"What we want to do with the anniversary is look back and look ahead," said Candace Waldron, executive director since 2000.
The idea for HAWC emerged in 1978. "My sister and I grew up in a domestic violence household," said Orlando. "My primary motivation was to do something about that. The best revenge is to not be silent."
And, she said, "Nothing else was happening. There wasn't even a law where a women could get a restraining order."
Orlando, a grant writer, and a group of about 10 women decided to apply for a federal Law Enforcement Assistance grant for a domestic violence program.
First, they had to demonstrate need. At the time, few people were asking women about domestic violence or collecting statistics. So the group had to call police departments and hospitals to get anecdotal evidence.
Their grant was one of six in the country funded by Law Enforcement Assistance. With matching funds, HAWC was born.
The office was in donated space at a church and there were two employees, including Solewater. Services included a shelter and hot line.
Two years later, the federal funding was abruptly cut, said Waldron. HAWC was forced to close its shelter, turning to "safe homes" in the community to temporarily house victims.
In 1981, Anne Maley joined HAWC as executive director and made a commitment to establish a new shelter. After significant fund-raising, HAWC bought a building in 1985 to serve that purpose.
The agency continued to grow after Margo Casey became executive director in 1992.
"In those days, our offices were as hidden as the battered women, and we couldn't find each other," said Casey, now president of North Shore United Way. "We began a trend to get out into the community, in hospitals and community centers, so women could find us."
HAWC established offices in Lynn and Gloucester. It partnered with police departments and different agencies, and began prevention and educational programs in the schools.
And in 1992, it started Walk for HAWC, which has become the agency's biggest fund-raiser. The first year, the event attracted 300 walkers and raised $1,900. Last spring, there were 1,000 participants and donations totaled $198,000.
"That shows where the community is in terms of support and recognizing the issue," said Casey, HAWC's executive director until 1999.
But among victims, she said, "The isolation and denial are still as rampant as many years ago. More people know about domestic violence and recognize it, but when you are the person caught in it, it can be difficult to get out."
Under Waldron, the agency has teamed with programs to offer job training and rental assistance to women and families leaving the shelter.
It's established an innovative parent and child trauma recovery program and teams to deal with high-risk cases.
And, HAWC is reaching out to increasingly diverse populations. It has Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian-speaking staff members. It has access to a service that within 60 seconds can provide interpreters in 180 different languages to the hot line, for a conference call with a victim.
HAWC staff are trained to recognize domestic abuse in same-sex relationships. And, they are exploring ways to communicate healthy dating information to teens via social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
A big push for HAWC in the near future will be finding a larger and handicapped-accessible shelter to replace the site it's used since 1985. Waldron said the tough economy and housing crisis are resulting in longer shelter stays and more difficulty transitioning to other housing.
Reflecting on HAWC's 30 years, Orlando said the founders worked hard to provide "the right foundation" so the agency could "continue as long as the need is there."
And, she said, "I'm just so proud of everyone. Since the inception, people have continually stepped up to the plate, particularly when there is not much monetary motivation."
Lemieux agreed: "Through all this time, HAWC has always been there."
HAWC'S 30th Anniversary Celebration, Oct. 18, 6 p.m. Tickets $150. Call 978-744-8552 or visit www.helpabusedwomen.org. HAWC 24-hour hot line, 1-800-547-1649. 