Board members, Alan Weintraub, Shelley Skrypnyk, and Gina Gabel want to say a big thank you to Bliss Spa in the W Hotel for hosting our Spa Night last night. We brought our ladies in for dinner, manicures and facials and it was truly a special evening. At first, a couple of our guests were subdued and unsure of what to expect but once we got upstairs to the beautiful and serene salon, they were ready to enjoy themselves.  As the evening went on, they loosened up even more and took silly pictures of themselves being pampered and engaged in conversation, not just with each other but with us volunteers as well. It's getting hard not to repeat myself in recounting our events but I have to say, once again, how heartwarming it is to give these women a night out to escape from the trials of daily life. These women left knowing that there are people out there who care enough to do this for them.

California Teacher Fired for Being a Victim of Domestic Abuse

While the outcome of this story may lead to a lawsuit, it is wrenching to consider the two sides of this issue.  A California teacher was fired from her job after three confrontations with her abusive ex-husband on the grounds of the school where she teaches. It isn't hard to see where the school stands on this issue. There have been too many workplace incidents of violence for school administrators not to be thinking of the safety of the occupants of their school. Being sympathetic to the teacher doesn't mean that the school is wrong.

Please weigh in on where you stand on this issue..

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/06/13/2148721/school-fires-teacher-domestic-abuse/?mobile=nc

Frightening Statistics from the World Health Organization

Dr. Margaret Chan, the head of the World Health Organization called the report that a third of all women have been victims of sexual assault by a current or former partner."a global health problem of epidemic proportions". The report contained many additional frightening statistics, including the fact that 40 percent of all women killed are murdered by an intimate partner. 
The report issues a recommendation that all healthcare workers begin screening for signs of domestic abuse. So many women are afraid to let anyone know of their suffering. Whether this could truly bring their suffering out of the shadows is still in question as additional support is needed for women to escape their abusers.

http://news.yahoo.com/study-third-women-suffer-domestic-violence-205228597.html 

A Night of Laughter with The kates

Here is our founder, Marla Mogul, with The Kates, a Chicago female comedy troupe, who performed for us last night. We took fifteen ladies from a local shelter out for a fabulous dinner at Francesca's on W. Bryn Mawr Ave.,followed by a hilarious performance by five very funny women: our master of ceremonies, Amy Sumpter and Alexandra Tsarpalas, Ever Mainard, Kristin Clifford, and Dana Morris. One of the ladies told one of our volunteers that it had been a dream of hers to see a live comedy show and she never thought she would.
Those of us who give our time to A Night Out, Inc. are continually reminded how fortunate we are to not live with fear and uncertainty about our basic survival. To provide a night of laughter and female companionship, without worry is the reason we exist.

Thought for the Day

“It’s hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.” ~Sally Kempton

A Night Out exists to give women who are victims of domestic violence a reminder that there is life beyond the strife and turmoil they're living with. Just an evening for themselves can show them that things can be better and laughter truly is the best medicine.

A Special Thanks

We'd like to thank all our volunteers who came to our sensitivity training 

session last weekend. We feel its important for all volunteers to be

prepared when they work with our women, as they may be in various stages

of recovery from the trauma of domestic abuse.

This was our second training session and we were heartened to see how many people took time out from their weekend to lend a hand to our cause.

If you're interested in being a volunteer, please contact us at cissy@anightout.org for further information.

Former MLB Player Milton Bradley Convicted of Domestic Abuse

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Milton Bradley was convicted of domestic battery on Monday and could face up to 7 1/2 years in prison. He has a long history of temper outbursts on and off the field. He's been a free agent since 2011 after playing for eight teams, which suggests teams washed their hands of him. This is worth mentioning on our site because so many of our ladies do not have the resources to leave with children and not face dire economic consequences and fear for their safety.  Mrs. Bradley is divorcing her husband and will, no doubt come away comfortable financially. While it doesn't ease the pain of breaking up your family or helping to send the father of your children to prison, it does highlight that domestic violence happens everywhere. It is a crime that cannot, and increasingly is not, tolerated, regardless of one's money or position.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/9339514/former-los-angeles-dodger-milton-bradley-convicted-abusing-wife

We are so looking forward to our next event, featuring The kates, a group of Chicago female comedians. The hilarious kates provide an intimate night of comedy different from anything you'll see at a typical Chicago club or late night bar. From darkly amusing musical number, the awkward art of clowning, absurd solo performances, and uproarious stand up comedy, the kates continue to crack up new audiences and ensure that loyal fans come back for more.


http://www.thekates.org/

Star Trek's Patrick Stewart on Domestic Violence

Please take the time to watch this heart-tugging speech actor Patrick Stewart  gave last month at Comicpalooza 2013. He so eloquently expresses the powerlessness and hopelessness he felt as a child living with an abusive father.  He goes on to explain that the work he does now is to honor his mother and what she went through.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqFaiVNuy1k&feature=player_embedded