(above, l-r) YWCA Board President, Delaine Bailey, Honorees Dana and Ryan Felmet, and YWCA CEO Janice C. Lilien.
YWCA Union County Honors Eight Allies for Committed Efforts
The YWCA Union County honored eight individuals and organizations for their committed effort on behalf of domestic violence survivors during their Annual Meeting held at the Clark Public Library on April 25, 2019.
Each honoree received a certificate and resolution in their name for their partnership in empowering survivors of domestic violence throughout the county. The honorees were Theresa Cosmas; Sgt. Mahasin El-Amin; Ryan & Dana Felmet; First Presbyterian Church of Cranford; Garden State Bank: A division of New York Community Bank; Annette Ferrigno, Kids For Kids: A Mindfulness Movement; Gail Veltre, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway – Barnabas Health; and Lauren Thorne.
The YWCA’s mission is eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Locally, the YWCA Union County is on a mission to empower survivors of domestic violence to become safe and free from abuse through comprehensive, client-centered services, and through education, collaboration and advocacy that builds safe, informed and supportive communities.
Domestic violence crosses all barriers of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender and socioeconomic status and it is a crime that impacts our entire community. It is estimated that 1 in every 4 women will be affected by domestic violence in her life- more than breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer combined. The monetary cost of domestic violence in the United States in dollars has been estimated to exceed 9.3 billion a year in medical and mental health services, loss of productivity, and loss of paid earnings. An average of 3 women per day in the United States are killed as a result of domestic violence.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the 24-Hour Hotline at 908-355-HELP (4357). For more information about YWCA Union County’s services or how you can get involved, visit ywcaunioncounty.org.
Submitted by Shannon Myre
