_____________________________

Luncheon To Aid Local Domestic Violence Shelter

New Journal and Guide Staff

   MSNBC’s Alex Witt will be the keynote speaker at the second annual Women Helping Women luncheon, which will be held May 15 at the Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club in Virginia Beach, to benefit Samaritan House.
Sponsored by Towne Bank, the sold-out event will also feature Joe Vella, director of Macy’s Domestic Violence Workplace Initiative. The luncheon will benefit Samaritan House, which each night shelters approximately 120 people from all over Hampton Roads and answers more than 7,000 crisis calls annually. 
   The Macy’s initiative was born out of a tragic incident 10 years ago when a Macy’s associate was killed by a boyfriend in the store’s parking lot. Since then, Macy’s has worked both internally and with other businesses to educate, and provide assistance and resources to victims of domestic violence.
   “Domestic violence has significant financial and social costs to employers,” said Crystal Hayling, president and CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation, which is one of several companies that have joined with Macy’s to end domestic violence.
   ”The workplace is a great place for victims to receive the help and support they need to get safe,” Hayling added. “Maintaining an income gives a victim a choice to leave a violent relationship.”
In addition to Macy’s and Blue Shield of California, other companies have joined the anti-domestic-violence effort.

Posted May 14, 2008

   Companies such as Liz Claiborne Inc., the state of Maryland, Verizon, and Harmand International. These companies also feature special events similar to the upcoming luncheon in Hampton Roads.

   Domestic violence costs about $727.8 million annually, records show. Indeed, one insurance company paid one woman’s grieving parents an $850,000 settlement after it failed to take steps to stop a former boyfriend from continuing to threaten one of their employees. Their daughter was eventually murdered by her former boyfriend. And her parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
    About a third of all American women report domestic violence, while about 1 million women and 371,000 men say they are the victims of stalkers, who often follow the victim to the workplace.
Samaritan House is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides programs for victims of domestic violence and homeless families, including support groups for adults and children, counseling, employment readiness and life-skills training.  
    The event is sponsored by Towne Bank, the largest bank headquartered in Hampton Roads. It has 17 area banking offices and assets of $2.65 billion since March 31.

Click Here to Subscribe to the New Journal and Guide.