Deanna’s Invisible Scars

Deanna had a nice home in a good neighborhood. Her husband Bill was a manager in a large firm. Their daughters were smart and active. But the family had a dark secret. Deanna and the children lived with a constant undercurrent of destruction through Bill’s daily verbal and emotional battering.

Bill’s anger was volatile and unpredictable—he insulted Deanna and the girls about the way they dressed, the way they acted and the way they talked. He planned their daily activities and gave them lectures that lasted for hours. The girls struggled to keep their grades up, or they would be punished. Even though he had never hit them, Deanna and the children were miserable. “Why does dad act like that?” the girls would ask. “Why does he hate us?”

The children’s suffering motivated Deanna to call our Safe Haven’s 24-hour domestic abuse crisis line. Without giving names, she quizzed the staff about Bill’s behavior. They helped her realize that verbal and emotional abuse was just as destructive as physical abuse. Deanna began to understand the reality of their situation.

Two weeks later, Bill’s anger boiled over. It was another false accusation about an affair. Bill grabbed the knife Deanna was using and positioned the point an inch from her throat. His eyes were on fire. Deanna knew it was time to escape. Monday morning, after Bill left the house for work, Deanna gathered money, papers and clothing. She and the kids met an officer at the police station. The officer led her to our concealed Safe Haven shelter where the family could be safe.

Today, two years later, Bill is still angry. He refused to voluntarily attend our Choosing Nonviolence men’s group. But Deanna and her girls are safe. They have the support of our Safe Haven staff and all its services whenever they are needed.

2009 Candlelight Vigil

A Candlelight Vigil for victims and survivors of domestic abuse was held September 28 at Sumtur Amphitheater in Papillion. In the beginning of the program, Raptor Recovery Nebraska released a Red-Tailed Hawk. The program rescues wounded raptors (birds of prey) and provides a safe place for their recovery until they are able to be released back into the wild. The release symbolized the journey of a domestic violence victim to becoming a domestic violence survivor. The vigil was sponsored by CASDA of Sarpy, comprised of Heartland Family Service and nearly twenty additional Sarpy organizations.

Safe Haven Golf Event

• This year’s golf event raised $50,000 for victims of domestic abuse.
• The event co-chairs were Jim and Rochelle Mullen.

The 16th annual Heartland Family Service Safe Haven Golf Event was held June 29 at Ironwood Golf & Country Club. The event was hosted by the Heartland Family Service Friends Guild and was sponsored by Arby’s Panda, Inc.; Kiewit Building Group, Inc.; Superior Honda and Acura of Omaha. Kevin Regan shot a hole-in-one at hole two and won a GPS navigation package and $245. He generously donated his cash prize back to Heartland Family Service. This annual golf event raises funds for the our Safe Haven shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

Our Good Works

• Youth Links teens clean Omaha parks
• Second Family Works program for Iowa families
• New women’s treatment group

The teens at Youth Links have been cleaning up city parks this summer for their community service. Park officials are thrilled to have the free help, and visitors to the parks have gone out of their way to thank the youth for keeping the parks clean and safe for their families.

Our Family Works program in Omaha—a residential treatment program for pregnant women—has made it possible for fifteen babies to be born drug-free. The program is so successful at keeping families together that we were able to obtain funding to open a second Family Works in Council Bluffs for southwest Iowa mothers and their children.

Research has demonstrated that women are more successful when their addictions treatment is gender-repsonsive (children, previous trauma, etc.). Our new 16-week Helping Women Recover program is an evidence-based approach that includes free child care and wrap-around services.

Strike A Chord 5

• Raised $50,000 for southwest Iowa children and families.
• Council Bluffs residents Doug & Deb Goodman served as host couple.
• There’s No Place Like Home was the theme of the fifth annual fundraiser.

This event was held Friday, July 31, at Harrah’s Convention Center, and included Las Vegas dueling pianists Jimmy Calanni and Randy Keith. A highlight was the celebrity art auction featuring wooden birdhouses created by local real estate agents. Another popular feature included keepsake photos of guests with costumed staff members potraying Dorothy, Glinda, the Wicked Witch and the Wizard of Oz. An enticing variety of regional favorite food and drinks from across America was served.

This year’s event MC was Dave Wingert, KGOR 99.9 FM Radio’s sparkling morning host. Dave provided unique commentary throughout the evening as the “Wizard of Ceremonies.” Dave Wingert and Camille Metoyer Moten performed the songs “Popular” and “For Good” from the Broadway musical Wicked.

This year the event was sponsored by a record number of Council Bluffs businesses including Ameristar Casino Hotel, Harrah’s Casino & Hotel and Horseshoe Casino, J. Development Company, Pearce Financial Services, Peoples National Bank, The Wal-Mart Foundation and TS Bank – Treynor State Bank.

Solomon Center Makeover

Student volunteers add color and fun

In July, youth from three different church groups in rural Nebraska joined together to paint the Solomon Girls Center. They not only painted stimulating colors of purple and yellow on the walls, but also added chalkboard paint to a couple of the walls, just for fun. The youth showed the girls how to paint the above-ground gardens in Solomon’s backyard. Together, they made the garden more colorful and connected to Solomon’s art curriculum. “This is a project that the girls desperately wanted but that we didn’t have the manpower to do,” said Tammy Green, North Office Program Director. “We appreciate volunteer groups like this who assist us with these projects.”