A Very Touching Book…for
little people and for big people…
by Jan Hindman
-- Reviewed by Christina Grier
It is refreshing to find a book about touching that does not teach shame
or guilt about sexuality. A Very Touching Book is a positive
approach to sexual abuse prevention. It works because it teaches us
to use positive communication and humor to discuss sexual issues with
children. The book describes three types of touching: good touching,
bad touching and secret touching. A Very Touching Book is written
for adults and children who are reading the book together. It encourages
active participation by readers (adult and children) and is written
to entertain and educate children. It is beautifully and creatively
illustrated to make readers laugh. The author uses silly examples to
make a point that even young children will understand. A Very Touching
Book’s use of humor is its most effective tool. If you are
an adult who cares about a child, this book will intrigue and please
you. It is a healthy, positive approach to sexual abuse prevention.
As stated in the Introduction, we live in a society that detests the
idea of children being sexual. Therefore, we send them very negative
messages about sexuality. In an attempt to keep them innocent, we sometimes
teach them silly words about genitalia, which backfires as it results
in making children fearful of normal sexual curiosity. We also model
and teach shame and embarrassment as we show “Purple Faces”
in response to their questions about sexual curiosity. Furthermore,
as the author states, “We rarely give children any positive information
that might create a sense of self-protection [from child sexual abuse]”(Hindman,
Jan, A Very Touching Book, 1).
The author contends that this negative approach to child sexuality and
sexual abuse prevention actually helps sex offenders abuse our children.
Because we have created an atmosphere of embarrassment and discomfort
around sexual issues, the abuser uses that negative atmosphere to his/her
advantage. For example, “Recognizing that children feel shameful
and uncomfortable about sexuality, sex offenders correctly conclude
that communication with adults will be resisted and avoided by children”
(Hindman, 1). This is why we need to use a positive approach to sexual
abuse prevention and open up lines of communication with our children.
The author uses humor to open communication. When silly words and thoughts
are acknowledged and accepted, but temporarily discarded for the purpose
of education, the fear and embarrassment diminish. For example, in an
attempt to describe the importance of keeping certain parts of our bodies
private and special, the author asks the reader to think about what
would happen if we had Christmas – with the big meals, presents
and lots of family – everyday. It would lose its “special”
feeling.
This book is the first I’ve read that doesn’t use a negative
or fearful term for sexual abuse. A Very Touching Book refers to sexual
abuse as “secret touching.” Children learn the difference
between good touching (hugs, holding hands, etc), bad touching (hitting
or hurting touches) and secret touching (touching someone’s special
or private parts and making it a secret). This is a good distinction
because victims of sexual abuse may not know a touch is abuse if the
touching feels good sometimes. When touching feels good the abuser has
another opportunity to convince a child that the touching isn’t
wrong. With the term “secret touching,” even if it feels
good, it signals children to talk about the secret aspect of the touching
with an adult that they trust.
The secrecy factor also allows children to be comfortable with all the
appropriate ways that grown-ups touch children in private areas. Children
learn to evaluate a situation by whether or not they can tell someone,
instead of where it is on their body. Affection and activities with
adults can be encouraged and enjoyed, since children have a way (the
secrecy factor) to protect themselves. The idea of secret touching encourages
children to think about touching and, more importantly, to TALK about
touching and unwanted sexual contact. After all, open communication
between children and adults allows the opportunity for sexual abuse
to be detected and prevented.
We need to give our children the ability to use their voices, especially
around issues of sexual abuse. Please consider sharing this book with
a child you care about. A Very Touching Book is honest and fun and clear
about how adults and children can communicate about touching. Through
communication children learn the powerful role of protecting their sexual,
physical and emotional bodies.
CONTENTS
Responding to the Overlap Between Domestic
Violence and Child Abuse
--By Sarah Nash
Historically domestic violence and child abuse have been viewed as two
separate issues requiring separate community and legal responses. Child
protection agencies responded to child abuse and domestic violence agencies
and law enforcement responded to domestic violence. Current research
indicates that often domestic violence and child abuse exist within
the same families. This does not mean that domestic violence and child
abuse are one and the same. Not all children who witness domestic violence
have been abused and not all mothers of abused children have been battered.
There is, however, a high statistical overlap between domestic violence
and child abuse. A national survey of over 6000 American families found
50% of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently
assaulted their children (Straus and Gelles, 1990). In a review of the
research (Magen, et al 1995) several studies again highlighted a high
co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse. Using primarily
reports of battered women, these researchers found from 54% (Gayford,
1975) to 56% (Giles-Sims, 1985) to 70% (Bowker, Arbitell & McFerron)
of men who battered women also abused their children.
In response to these statistics, there has been a nationwide call for
child protective agencies and domestic violence programs to coordinate
their efforts to respond more effectively when domestic violence and
child abuse co-occur. One way that Vermont has responded is through
the development of an internal domestic violence unit within Social
and Rehabilitative Services (SRS), Vermont’s child protection
and juvenile justice agency. The Unit consists of a coordinator and
three specialists who provide case consultation, technical assistance,
education and training to SRS social workers, domestic violence advocates
and other community providers. Each specialist is based in a local district
SRS office and provides services to three additional regions. The SRS
Domestic Violence Unit is a component of the Rural Domestic Violence
and Child Abuse Project, a federally funded initiative that examines
the connections between domestic violence and child abuse.
The SRS Domestic Violence Unit is guided by the philosophical belief
that when women who are battered have access to safety, support and
resources, and batterers are held accountable, mothers will be best
able to protect their children from abuse. Responses to battered women
with abused children need to be specific to the individual safety needs
of that family. Battered mothers have a diversity of experiences and
safety concerns. A response that increases safety in one instance may
not increase safety in another instance. Determining the safest option
for herself and her children presents the battered woman with a number
of dilemmas. Many of the actions, which can potentially increase safety,
also have the potential to decrease safety. For example, leaving an
abusive relationship can mean that a battered woman and her children
experience less violence; however it can also mean that the batterer
increases his level of abuse in an attempt to maintain control. Therefore,
it is important to develop a range of options for protecting battered
women and abused children.
The SRS Domestic Violence Unit is in its fifth year of service. This
past year is the first year that a specialist has been based in the
Middlebury office. For more information about the program you can either
contact Sarah Nash, Domestic Violence Specialist for Middlebury, Burlington,
Rutland and Bennington at 802-388-5395 or Jill Richard, Unit Coordinator
at 802-241-1206.
CONTENTS
C.V.O.E.O. Head
Start Program
-- by Jan Carter
Head Start is a federally funded early childhood program that provides
free services to preschool children and their families. The Champlain
Valley (C.V.O.E.O.) Head Start program serves families in Addison, Chittenden,
Franklin, and Grand Isle counties. Eligibility is based on the child’s
age (3 to 5 years) and the family’s income must be 100% of the
poverty level. Families who receive a childcare subsidy, SSI or have
a preschool foster child are also eligible for Head Start.
Head Start parents are partners in all aspects of their child’s
program. They are actively involved in writing the child development
plan (goals and fun activities) and help determine classroom curriculum.
Parents are welcome and encouraged to volunteer in the classrooms and
other activities, to serve on committees and to attend parent workshops
(Parent Eds) and special events.
In Addison County there are four Home Visitors that each carry a caseload
of ten families. They visit each family for 1 - 2 hours every week and
offer 2 playgroups each month.
The Marbleworks Combo classroom runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
from 8 am to noon, with 2 teachers and 15 children. Each of these 15
families receives one home visit per month in addition to their classroom
experience. The Mary Johnson Children’s Center and the Bristol
Family Center each provide full-day, full-year childcare to 15 Head
Start children. This year, Head Start is serving 85 children and families
in Addison County.
Domestic violence (DV) and its effect on children is an issue that Head
Start addresses in several ways. Each year, Head Start staff receive
training from Amy Torchia of the VT Network Against Domestic Violence
and Sexual Assault and Sarah Nash, the DV Specialist at SRS, in supporting
families experiencing domestic violence. Teachers and domestic violence
agencies are listed in every family’s resource packet. Classroom
teachers attend DV workshops in order to be more effective in recognizing
and supporting children who have witnessed domestic violence. Head Start
also offers a yearly parents’ workshop on Keeping Children Safe
– Dealing With Issues of Child Abuse & Child Sexual Abuse
and Domestic Violence (presented by Cheryl Huntley, mental health consultant
at CSAC).
C.V.O.E.O. Head Start is now recruiting families for the fall (2002).
For applications or information, call 388-9881 (Addison County Office)
or 1-800-854-9648 (Administrative Office in Burlington).
CONTENTS
The Need for
Supervised Visitation and Access
--by Christina Grier
Even if you know nothing about domestic violence or supervised visitation,
you know that when two people share a child, they are often indefinitely
linked. When separation or divorce occurs, the two parties usually continue
to have contact about or because of the children. It doesn’t matter
if there is shared or sole custody (more recently called parental rights
and responsibilities [pr&r]), non-custodial parents usually have
some kind of contact with their children and inevitably, with the other
parent. This is especially true for non-custodial parents who abuse
their partners/ex-partners, hence the need for supervised visitation
and access for families.
Domestic violence is about power and control. One person intentionally
uses emotional, physical, sexual, financial and/or psychological abuse
to gain and maintain power and control over another person. If a victim
is able to leave the abusive partner, the abuser realizes he has lost
control; therefore, one way to continue to abuse the victim is, unfortunately,
through the children.
We live in a culture that values children having contact with both parents
after the relationship ends. Furthermore, we live in a state that requires
that children have “the opportunity for maximum continuing physical
and emotional contact with both parents, unless direct physical harm
or significant emotional harm to the child or a parent is likely to
result from such contact” (15 VSA Section 650). Maximum physical
and emotional contact for the non-custodial parent is usually in the
best interest of everyone unless domestic violence has occurred. When
one parent has abused, threatened and/or intimidated the other parent,
visitation and access should be limited and monitored.
A parent’s history of domestic violence and a pending or current
Relief from Abuse Order (protection order) is a reason to prevent or
limit contact because having access to children is an opportunity for
the batterer to continue to control and abuse the parent and/or children.
We know that at least 50% - 75% of male batterers abuse their children
(American Psychological Association, 1996). Furthermore, in a 1990 California
study involving data from over 100,000 battered women from 37 shelters,
researchers found that during court-ordered visitation, 24% of the batterers
continued to verbally and emotionally abuse the victim and in 10% of
these cases, the batterers continued their physical violence (Liss,
M.B. & Stahly, G.B, 1993).
Given the dangerous nature of custody and visitation cases in which
domestic violence has occurred, it is crucial that courts make a distinction
between these types of cases and other cases. Courts should recognize
the significant level of danger that the victim and children are being
exposed to during exchanges of and visits with children. Because of
the increased risk to victims, the National Council of Juvenile and
Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) recommends: “Where one party to a
custody dispute is protected by a restraining or protective order entered
against the other party, there [should be] a rebuttable presumption
that any award of visitation should require participation in a supervised
visitation center program or be supervised by a third party who is accountable
to the court (Juvenile & Family Court Journal, 1992).”
Unfortunately, if you ever read the police logs, you know that domestic
violence (“family fights” as stated in the police logs)
is no stranger to Addison County. It is imperative that the courts utilize
the local supervised visitation center. The Supervised Visitation Program
(SVP) provides a safe, child-friendly environment for children to visit
with their non-custodial parents. The visits occur in the secure confines
of the courthouse during court hours and two additional weekday evenings
for the convenience of the families. The Supervised Visitation Program
has been in existence for more than three years and there are no charges
or fees for services. Unfortunately, the SVP receives few court referrals.
Considering the NCJFCJ’s recommendations for participation in
a supervised visitation center for domestic violence cases, it is a
matter for serious concern that some local courts are not mandating
or rarely referring to this center.
In order to ensure that victims of domestic violence and their children
are safe during exchanges or visits, supervised visitation and access
needs to be utilized in Addison County. It is crucial that these exchanges
and visits occur in a safe, secure location with trained staff to minimize
the risk to abused women and their children.
CONTENTS
Hands
--by
Amy Siegel
As the MSW student placed at WomenSafe for the past nine months, I have
had an opportunity to do an educational program for young children around
domestic violence. The main goal of “Hands Are For Helping, Not
For Hurting” is to show children that there are alternatives to
physical violence. This is accomplished through classroom visits that
engage children in a dialogue regarding how they can use their hands
and their words to help, rather than to hurt.
The goals of this program are:
1) Children knowing that all feelings are okay--even mad, angry, sad
or confused ones.
2) Children identifying positive things they can do when they have these
emotions.
3) Children pledging that their hands won’t commit violence against
another.
Barb Goff and I were able to meet with ten elementary school classes
and two daycare facilities within Addison County. We read to the children
and also engaged them in art projects. At the end of each session, the
children were asked to pledge that they would not use their words or
their hands to hurt themselves or others. They were presented with signed
certificates to take home. The responses of both children and teachers
were amazing. It has been a pleasure to be part of the process.
CONTENTS
Domestic Violence
Program for Teens
--by Kristin Fontaine
“When you hear the phrase ‘domestic violence’, what
do you think of,” I ask the ten teenagers I am working with at
a local high school. Some of them look around anxious for others to
answer so they don’t have to. Some look at their feet. . . maybe
my topic is coming a little close to home. After a few awkward moments
of silence a young woman speaks up and says, “Hitting and punching
but not always. Emotional abuse too.” Other students speak up
now that the silence has been broken and we fill an entire page of my
flip chart with their answers. They have all had some exposure to domestic
violence in some way or another and once they get talking, they have
lots to share. We spend the next 45 minutes talking about this issue
and the students are amazingly frank. We explore the myths and the difficult
topic of why women stay in a relationship with an abusive man. They
struggle with this and I try to relay to them how dangerous it is for
someone to leave and how complicated it is when you add feelings, children,
family and finances into the picture.
My time with the students comes quickly to an end. I am always surprised
when the 45 minutes fly by in a flurry of discussion and questions.
At the end of the class, one young woman comes over to me as I am packing
up my materials. “My boyfriend is abusive,” she says quietly,
not wanting her classmates to overhear, “and what you say is true,
it’s hard to leave.” I wait to see how much she wants to
share. This may be the first time she’s told anyone and I don’t
want to rush her. After a few minutes, I hand her our card with the
24-hotline number and encourage her to call if she wants to talk more.
Many people know WomenSafe as an agency that provides services to survivors
of domestic and sexual violence and their children. What many people
might not realize is our second focus on education around these issues.
Providing services without taking a more proactive approach by providing
education would be irresponsible and less effective. We understand that
in order to change our society and end domestic and sexual violence,
we need to create an open dialogue with all members of our community,
especially young people. Planning and presenting workshops to middle
and high school students have been a good part of my position as the
Domestic Violence Program Coordinator and an aspect of my job that I
have grown to love. Each time I lead a workshop with a group of students,
I leave with hope because they always offer so much insight and information
into the complicated questions that I raise for them. They do not shy
away from such difficult topics and usually have so much to say that
we run out of time.
Each year the staff at WomenSafe try to increase our workshops to young
people through outreach. Our presentations cover a wide variety of topics
including healthy relationships, teen dating violence, sexual violence,
harassment and bullying, sexual harassment, gender roles and stereotypes.
This year we have presented at Middlebury, Mt. Abraham, the Parent-Child
Center, the Walden School, Northlands Job Corps, VAL and Hannaford Career
Center. Our goal is to reach students in each of these schools next
year and increase our outreach to include the other high and middle
schools as well. If you would like more information about our educational
programs, please call 388-9180.
CONTENTS
Middlebury College
Students and Groups Join Together to Support WomenSafe
J-Term was a busy place on Middlebury College campus. Finals week found
two ambitious women busy in the kitchen. Brainard Commons' students
Elizabeth James and Alison Alkire created what they called “Saturday
Night Munchies.” They spent the week baking and going door-to-door
selling their goodies to raise money to donate to WomenSafe. The hard
work and dedication of Elizabeth and Alison contributed a total of $704.35
to WomenSafe! Thank you both for your time, effort and support!
February brought the ever-popular Vagina Monologues to our
community. Because of the overwhelming turnout last year, Katie Mae
Simpson and crew produced two performances this year. Both were a huge
success. Attendance was phenomenal and the cast and crew did an incredible
job. The proceeds donated to WomenSafe this year totaled $2,894.89.
Thank you to Katie Mae Simpson, the producer/organizer who dealt with
all aspects of the international V-Day campaign and all who participated
in Vagina Monologues!
Students from Amy Elman’s class on domestic violence held a multi-media
art show for the benefit of WomenSafe. They raised $1,400 to support
our work.
Thank you all for working with us and for your continued support. We
all need to work together to end violence against women in our community.
Your dedication to ending domestic and sexual violence is evident and
appreciated!
CONTENTS
Hellos and
Goodbyes
Thank you Ilene Levitt! Ilene has resigned from our Board after seven
years of membership, lots of work and support for WomenSafe. Ilene will
be missed not only for her participation and ideas, but also for her
sense of humor and the support she continually offered to staff and
the agency.
Welcome Donna Blaise! Donna has recently joined our Board bringing her
accounting expertise gained over many years of working with IBM. We
are excited to have Donna aboard (no pun intended!) and look forward
to working with her.
Farewell to Amy Siegel. She has spent the past nine months at WomenSafe
doing her field placement and has just completed her MSW degree at UVM.
Amy is moving on with her goal of becoming a school social worker. Best
wishes to Amy in all that she does.
CONTENTS
Counseling Service
of Addison County, Inc.
Youth and Family Services
The Youth and Family Services program at the Counseling Service of Addison
County offers a broad range of prevention and treatment services for
children and families. These services are individualized to meet the
needs of children and their families and are accessed by calling 388-6751
and speaking with the Youth and Family Intake Coordinator.
Services range from individual, family and group counseling to intensive,
home-based interventions and adventure-based treatment for emotionally
and behaviorally challenged children. Access, a crisis response/crisis
outreach team is available specifically for children, and a 24-hour
Emergency Team is available to handle youth emergencies on non-Access
hours.
Psychiatric consultation services are available to provide a range of
psychiatric consultative and treatment services to children and families.
These services include psychiatric assessment and diagnosis, family
evaluation and consultation, direct school consultation and psychotherapeutic
treatment. Where appropriate, specific medication treatment may be integrated
with the overall treatment plan.
CONTENTS
Thanks
to Sexual Violence Awareness Month Supporters
Thank you to everyone who contributed funding, space and/or services
to make the events of Sexual Violence Awareness Month a success.
Many community members participated in various events, which provided
an opportunity for education, awareness and discussion involving the
issue of sexual violence. We would like to acknowledge the kindness
of the following organizations, businesses and individuals for their
participation and continued support:
Addison County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Vermont Center for
Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Abuse, Vermont Center for Crime Victim
Services, Feminist Action at Middlebury, Institute for Diversity, Health
and Wellness, Music Department, Cook Commons, and Xenia (all part of
Middlebury College), Officer Vegar Boe, Trooper Ruth Whitney and Officer
Ann Bandy, Ilsley Library, Bixby Memorial Library, Lawrence Library,
Vergennes Congregational Church, Inn on the Green, Middlebury Bagel
and Deli, and Mister Up’s.
CONTENTS
Gay Priests: The
Catholic Church’s Red Herring
-- by Alexandra Walker
As American bishops continue discussions begun in April in Rome about
the problem of sexual abuse, God grant them the strength to reject suggestions
by the Vatican and others, that a sexually permissive American moral
climate, and homosexuality in particular, is at the root of the current
crisis.
Some of those summoned to the Vatican made welcome and long overdue
statements about the importance of swift responses to accusations of
abuse. These strong positions are undermined when others among their
ranks continue to fret to the media about the prevalence of gay priests.
Besides reflecting the stereotype that gay men have out-of-control sex
drives, this analysis reflects two common misconceptions about the nature
of sexual abuse—that men who abuse boys are homosexual and that
sexual abuse is driven simply by lust. Despite the short-hand label
the media are using to refer to this crisis—"Catholic Church
sex scandal"—this scandal is about far more than sex, and
the Church will shortchange its parishioners if the solutions it develops
focus simplistically on issues of lust and homosexuality.
In handling the current crisis, the Roman Catholic Church must apply
a more sophisticated analysis of the nature of sexual abuse than did
Cardinal Humberto Medeiros in the case of Rev. Paul R. Shanley. In a
letter from 1979, Medeiros assured the Vatican that he was responding
appropriately to Shanley's statements about homosexuality and the value
of sex between men and boys. Medeiros writes of a "serious pastoral
problem which confronts the Church in the United States at this time."
Was Medeiros speaking of priests who use their position to betray the
trust, faith, and intimacy of their parishioners by sexually abusing
them? No, he was speaking of homosexuality in the priesthood and proceeds
to describe the measures he is taking to root out "overt or latent
homosexuals."
If you can’t diagnose the problem, you certainly can't solve it,
and in focusing attention on celibacy or the presence of gay priests
within its ranks, the Catholic Church and its critics across the political
spectrum are not getting any closer to protecting children from sexual
abuse. Just as screening for homosexuality won't prevent the Catholic
Church from ordaining men who are sex offenders, nor will lifting the
ban of celibacy (whatever its other merits may be).
For starters, most known sex offenders, even if they engage in same-sex
acts, are heterosexual. As for the concern that priests would not abuse
parishioners if sex were permissible, the research on the behavior of
sex offenders shows otherwise. Rather than acting purely on sexual impulses,
men (and women) who sexually abuse children are often seeking to assert
dominance. Only a minority of adults who abuse children are considered
by experts to meet the clinical definition of pedophile—people
who are sexually attracted to children. And unfortunately, marriage
does not necessarily have any prophylactic effect on their behavior.
Many sexual abusers are married or are in adult sexual relationships.
Further, religious leaders from faiths that permit marriage have also
been accused of abuse. The same day that ex-priest John Geoghan was
sentenced in Boston, Howard Nevison, the cantor at Temple Emanu-El in
New York City, one of the nation's most prominent synagogues, was arrested
on charges of molesting his nephew.
The causes of sex offending behavior are extremely complex, but we do
know one thing: abusers seek positions where they can gain unfettered
access to children and engender the trust of the child's parents. This
is why abusers are often found among teachers, coaches, and scout leaders.
This is why the abuser’s popularity with parents and the community
is no indication of his or her innocence. On the contrary, abusers cultivate
this image to shield them and silence their victims.
So why the epidemic of abuse cases in the Catholic Church if not the
fault of sex-starved gay priests? Because the Church tolerated the abuse
implicitly. Rather than protect its young parishioners, the Church chose
to eschew individual and institutional accountability. Instead of holding
offenders responsible for the abuse, the Church reacted to reports of
abuse in many cases by transferring the alleged offender to another
parish.
Preventing child sexual abuse requires changing the social norms that
allow it to continue unchecked. Throughout history and in all cultures,
a small percentage of adults have used their positions of authority
and trust to exploit children sexually. In my mother’s baby boomer
generation, families responded to uncles who “just couldn’t
keep their hands to themselves” by looking the other way, denying
the pain such contact might be causing children, or trying to keep children
away from the uncle (rather than confronting him). Fortunately, over
the past 30 years these norms have begun to shift and legal and therapeutic
responses have been developed to control the abuser and support the
victim.
Regrettably, the Roman Catholic Church has chosen to focus its attentions
on regulating the adult consensual relationships of its members rather
than minister to victims of its priests. With allegations of abuse by
priests multiplying daily, there is a window of opportunity to reform
the Church's response to these and future cases. What a shame if the
debate initiated by these events continues to be dominated by overtones
of homophobia and ignorance.
Alexandra Walker is a freelance writer living in Washington, DC. She
has worked on sexual assault policy issues at the local, state and national
level for nearly a decade. She was also a 1988 volunteer at WomenSafe!
--Reprinted with permission from Alex Walker 2002
CONTENTS
Annual Volunteer
Training
Save the date!
Interested in becoming a volunteer at WomenSafe? Our annual training
is coming up in the fall, so mark these dates on your calendar:
Training Schedule for WomenSafe 2002
September 16 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Monday)
17 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Tuesday)
18 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Wednesday)
21 9:00-4:00 p.m. (Saturday)
25 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Wednesday)
30 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Monday)
October 1 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Tuesday)
2 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Wednesday)
5 9:00-1:00 p.m. (Saturday)
Please fill out the enclosed application and return to Barb at WomenSafe
if you are interested in volunteering.
Support
Neat Repeats!
Help
us support Neat Repeats as they support us.
Stop in and check out the awesome bargains! Give your wardrobe a new
look. Give someone else a chance to enjoy the clothes taking up space
in your closet—donate them to Neat Repeats and designate WomenSafe
as the agency that will profit from the resale of those items. Neat
Repeats, Bakery Lane, Middlebury, VT 388-4488
