Letter from the Editor
Dear Friends:

Have you ever looked at something many times, maybe even for years, and then one day it suddenly has a different meaning? Take for example the words: District Meeting. At first glance you might see this merely as an adjective modifying a noun. However, if you look at it a bit differently, you can see it as a noun (District) and a verb (Meeting). Explaining the District Meeting as the gathering of clubs from the district, is just the tip of the iceberg. It is individual members meeting other individual members – face-to-face – that breaks the ice. As we share with one another, the ice continues to melt, exposing what we have in common. Add an additional drop to a glass of water, and you can no longer separate it from the other drops. Each is part of the whole.

October 10-12, 2003 I attended my second District Meeting. Although the one I went to last year was an informative and growing experience, this year brought a different meaning. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Soroptimists have sponsored the Workplace Campaign to End Domestic Violence since before I joined the club. I hadn’t really given the domestic violence issue a lot of thought, until the District Meeting.

The Keynote Speaker was Pamela Crone from Northwest Women’s Law Center (NWLC). The NWLC is dedicated to the advancement of the legal rights of women and girls. They serve women of WA, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, and Idaho. Pam says: “We litigate, we legislate and we educate.” You can read Pam’s entire speech at: http://www.soroptimistnwr.com/Admin/CF_Files/presentations.cfm. Then click on Pamela Crone, Northwest Women's Law Center":

Pam’s talk covered the issue of domestic violence. Acts of domestic violence include: physical battering, sexual abuse, and psychological battery. Pam spoke about understanding the barriers victims face in escaping the violence. She mentioned these five:

“ONE: a realistic fear that the batterer will become even more violent and she may be putting herself and children at even greater risk if she attempts to leave; TWO: her friends and family, her church, her cultural community may not support her leaving; THREE: the mix of good times and very bad that are the cycle of violence create a trap difficult to escape; FOUR: she may not know about or even have access to safety and support; and finally FIVE: her economic dependence on the batterer. Even if she has a job, her partner likely controls all of their financial affairs. She may have no money of her own.”

There are many myths about domestic violence. The one that struck me most was: Domestic violence only occurs in poor, urban areas. Domestic violence doesn’t occur in my middle class white suburban neighborhood. I couldn’t possibly work with someone who is the victim of DV.

This myth made me pause and think. Domestic violence does not have borders. In some cases, where there is physical abuse, domestic violence is obvious. In other cases, where there is psychological abuse, it is subtle.

Domestic violence almost sounds like war. How do we prepare for battle? What can we do about domestic violence? Soroptimists teach the Three A’s – Awareness, Advocacy and Action. Making ourselves aware of what’s happening around us is one step. Educating ourselves is important. We can also contact our legislators letting them know that we care about domestic violence issues.

When I was preparing this article, I visited the "MEMBERS ONLY" part of the NWR website and learned that the 2004-2008 Quadrennial Project is “Project Independence Women Survivors of War.” This is a project where we can make a difference.

The best resource for our members to learn about the project is this website- http://www.womenforwomen.org/projectindependence/

We have a unique opportunity to support this project AND provide special gifts for family and friends. Just go to http://www.womenforwomen.org/bazaar.html to purchase slippers, bracelets and cards handmade by women in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Rwanda. Purchasing on line from the Women International Virtual Bazaar counts as Soroptimist donations.

I am grateful to be a Soroptimist and to be around women who give the world meaning. I wish you all a blessed holiday season.

Light and Love,
Kathy Purcell                
Editor  

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