Safe House for Women's banquet focuses on empowerment

An entire holiday devoted to celebrating romance can be difficult for someone recovering from an abusive relationship.

As part of its weeklong celebration to help survivors of domestic violence weather Valentine's Day, the Safe House for Women hosted a banquet Friday night at the Evangelical United Church of Christ, encouraging women who have suffered from abuse to embrace empowerment.

The idea for the "love yourself" theme began as a discussion in the hallway at Safe House, director Linda Garner said.

Angie Rice, who came up with the idea, said that as a survivor of violence herself, she understood the tendency to dwell on even an abusive relationship during the Valentine's holiday.

"You still grieve that part of it," Rice said.

Rice said her goal was to teach women to "become their own valentine."

Since a big part of self-empowerment for victims of domestic violence involves the struggle to become financially independent, guest speaker Kalyn Risker of Detroit spoke about her own struggles and experiences in moving out of an abusive relationship and finally starting her own not-for-profit organization.

Risker is the founder and executive director of Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment, or SAFE, as well as the economic justice coordinator for the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Double vision at work

When Risker began a new job after leaving her abusive partner, who struck her hard enough to shatter her eye socket, she took a pay cut in order to learn a new skill, she said.

When she began experiencing double vision from her injury at work, she was too scared to say anything to her supervisors, Risker said.

Risker started SAFE to raise awareness of some of the difficulties women go through when trying to rebuild their lives after escaping an abusive situation, she said.

"A lot of times, financial reasons are why you stay," Risker said.

She outlined the importance of keeping focus, staying motivated and setting goals, as well offered suggestions for creating a safety plan while looking for a new job to avoid being stalked by an abusive partner.

Risker also recommended taking three resumes when applying for jobs and constantly updating those resumes.

At the end of the banquet, each survivor was presented with a new purse, which symbolizes their financial freedom, and a Bath & Body Works bag full of spa goodies.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

388-3635

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