A Safe Place Recognizes Groups and Individuals at 25th Annual Meeting

Community volunteers and members of Lake County’s business community were honored for their support of battered women at the 25^th Annual Meeting of A Safe Place/ Lake County Crisis Center on Monday, October 18, 2004.

Bernard “Sandy’ Browe, Lincolnshire, was named Volunteer of the Year for his dedication and service to victims of domestic violence who seek court-ordered orders of protection through A Safe Place’s court advocacy program at the Lake County Courthouse.

Meritorious service awards were presented to Betty Kamy, a crisis line volunteer, and to Lou Joseph, who volunteers as a court advocate during weekend Bond Court hours.

Kamy has volunteered on the crisis line since and last year spent more than 200 hours volunteering for this critical service, most frequently the first contact a battered woman makes seeking help and safety.  Joseph, town, completed the required 40-hour training several years ago, then had to wait patiently for the opportunity to volunteer during weekend hours.

 Two Youth Awards were presented this year, one to teen volunteer Duane Dillard, Winthrop Harbor, who volunteered an afternoon each week at the shelter during the past school year, assisting A Safe Place’s shelter staff with various facility and administrative tasks.  Students from the National Honor Society of Zion Benton High School were recognized for their special Mother’s Day project, creating special gifts for both women at A Safe Place and their children during the spring observance of this holiday.

The Mother’s Trust Foundation of Lake Forest was recognized at the Outstanding Organization. Program staff at A Safe Place turn to the Foundation throughout the year with urgent requests for client needs are not covered by regular program funding. Examples of some of the needs the Foundation has helped battered women meet include covering transportation costs enabling a woman to relocate herself and her children out of harm’s way where they can begin a new and safer life, and the cost of obtaining replacement birth certificates, left behind in the family’s flight for safety, and needed to access other community resources.

Convergint Technologies, Inc., of Buffalo Grove, was awarded this year’s Business Award. Recognized as an example of businesses throughout the area who provided financial and in-kind support to assist A Safe Place throughout the year, Convergint employees volunteered their time tackling many facility needs, including resurfacing the parking lot, repainting the backyard fence and gazebo, and handling miscellaneous tasks within the primary shelter facility. 

The Corporate Employee Volunteer Award this year is Bright Horizons.  Employees of this business which is dedicated to providing high quality day care and education primary as an adjunct facility to area corporations for the children of their employees, designed and created a Bright Space within A Safe Place for the shelter’s children to play and learn. Employees from locations at  Amhurst Lake, Parkway North, Rosemont, Abbott, CDW at Play and BH Foundation for Children, participated in the project.  

 Lakeland Publishers received this year’s Communications Award for their ongoing coverage of issues concerning domestic violence and for their commitment to publishing free services that are offered to victims of domestic violence in their coverage area.