Caledonia Argus

HCWR to be honored at April 9 gala

Posted: 3/11/03

Houston County Womenís Resources will be honored April 9 with an Ann Bancroft Award given in recognition of the organizationís support of girls and women.

Since 1984, Houston County Womenís Resources (HCWR) has created and developed, against great odds, a comprehensive, integrated array of services for women and children in a small rural county in Southeastern Minnesota. Among its services are those that provide for women and children who are homeless and victims of domestic violence.

Houston is also one of the poorest, least populous (19,718) and most conservative counties in the state, which makes HCWR so remarkable. The agencyís success came in spite of widespread denial of violence against women and opposition to new program initiatives. HCWR knew that the need to provide transitional housing and facilities for the homeless and abused was huge, and by 2001, the agency had grown to include a range of domestic violence, sexual assault, and childrenís services to 165 women and 140 children.

As services were developed, it became clear that domestic violence resulted in women and children becoming homeless, so transitional housing for these abused women and their families became a priority. Early on, safe homes were provided, then, in 1998, the agency dedicated and opened a transitional housing facility, named June Kjome Place, for survivors of domestic violence. By 2001, 35 women and 91 children had lived in the transitional housing and a similar number are currently receiving services in community homes.

Today, HCWR is a safe place in the community for a diversity of women to come for a wide range of services. The agencyís focus on crisis intervention, advocacy and a 24-hour crisis line has expanded over the years to include programs for children and teens, parenting classes, safe visitation programs, summer camp experiences for children, and training and education programs in the schools and communities. June Kjome Place not only houses abuse victims for two years, but also has cooperative childcare, play space, gardening and parenting, conflict resolution and chemical dependency support groups, and on-site services such as transition and budget planning.

The agency has five full-time employees who are interested in the political process and important related issues. Women who have come to HCWR for crisis help have earned GEDs, found employment, paid off traffic fines, had driversí licenses reinstated, or have obtained driversí licenses for the first time. A client loan program enables women to obtain small loans up to $2,000, co-signed by HCWR, to buy a car or tools to support their employment success, and to establish credit.

Today HCWR has relationships with churches, businesses, public and private community groups, and school programs with children and teachers. It works with various agencies and coalitions for battered women, homeless women and victims of sexual assault. The agency and its efforts have also received the hard-won support of the sheriffís department. This year, candidates for the state legislature, board of county commissioners and the sheriffís office attended a dinner that included a candidates forumñ a true mark of the importance of this organization in the community.

Houston County Womenís Resourcesí simple mission is to create a nonviolent world, which affirms the rights and dignity of all individuals.

ìWe celebrate diversity among all persons and recognize equality,î said Linda Riddle, HCWRís director. ìWe seek a world in which women and children are empowered to make choices and experience personal freedom, and where all people have the understanding and skills to live nonviolently. Everyone has the right to live in a safe, peaceful world.î

The Ann Bancroft Awards, which celebrate and encourage the achievements of girls and women, exemplify the spirit of explorer and educator Ann Bancroft, whose leadership and personal and historic achievements have inspired many people to take on new challenges. Bancroft organized and led the first all-woman expedition to Antarctica, becoming the first woman to reach both Poles across the ice. In 2001, Bancroft and Norwegian Liv Arnesen became the first women in history to cross Antarcticaís landmass.

The lead sponsors for the Ann Bancroft Awards are Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., RBC Dain Rauscher, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Imation, Roth Graham/Thomas Design Group, Audio Visual Headquarters, Medtronic, Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly LLP, Womenís Foundation of Minnesota, Sir Speedy of Fridley, HealthPartners, KARE-TV, The Business Journal and Time Warner Cable.

The gala will be held at the Minneapolis Hilton and Towers and will include dinner, entertainment and a live auction. Proceeds from the event will further the efforts of the Ann Bancroft Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support girls and women in realizing their highest dreams and potential. The Foundation endeavors to live this mission by recognizing individual achievement and by promoting initiatives, which inspire courage, risk-taking, integrity and individuality in girls and women. Ticket information for the event can be obtained by visiting http://www.annbancroftfoundation.org or by calling (763) 541-9363.

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