A Night Out

“A smile is the beginning of peace.”
                           -Mother Teresa

For most of us, when we lay our head down at night, we can sleep with the knowledge that we are safe in our beds. Our children can sleep peacefully and have sweet dreams. A Night Out was an idea born of the recognition that this isn’t true for everyone. Women who are victims of domestic violence can not know that feeling of well-being because they live with fear. Even during times of relative quiet, they wait for the next explosive event that may put their very existence at risk.


There is a stigma attached to being a victim of this kind of abuse, especially when it leads to a stay in a shelter.  It often means isolation from the everyday world as these women must focus on their safety first and plan for a future without the means to put a plan in place.

It is our mission and heartfelt goal to lessen the stigma and bring even a small measure of hope to the women of Chicago living with this overwhelming struggle for survival, while at the same time they must try to protect the innocence of their children.
 
As we officially kick off our A Night Out blog, we hope you will continue to follow and hopefully, support our ongoing effort to bring a respite, however small to the women living this struggle. In addition to bringing you the latest news of our events and fundraising efforts, we will also look at some of the issues and research that helps explain how women in this predicament can break the cycle and make a better life for themselves and their children.


Please follow us as we continue to gear up for our first event in April 2013. We really hope and believe a night at Second City or a bowling party or a Spa Night will remind the women we’re hoping to reach that there is life on the other side of strife and upheaval. A smile truly is the beginning of peace. A simple, yet profound truth.