Albany Herald’s Woman of the Year proceeds go to help fund Liberty House programs

ALBANY — Two of the realities that nonprofits like Albany’s Liberty House, a state-certified domestic violence shelter, face are among the things that make their work so hard: small staffs and even smaller budgets.

That’s why Liberty House Executive Director Diane Rogers says the nonprofit’s relationships with supporters like The Albany Herald are so important.

“That connection we have with the Herald’s Woman of Year event and others like it are very important to us,” Rogers said after receiving a check from Herald Retail Advertising Director Heather Harrison. “The donations allow us to help individuals who are in crisis and help us fund our programs and the services we provide to victims of domestic violence.

“Plus, I think it’s important that we celebrate the strong women of our community who do so much to make our community better.”

The money donated to Liberty House came from proceeds of the Herald’s second Women of the Year celebration.

“The event was a huge success,” Harrison said. “We had over 3,200 nominations and 34,000 votes. The community really rallied together again for this event. There was literally standing room only as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the women in our community.

“We are honored to host this event and to be able to donate a portion of the proceeds to our partners at Liberty House. The work they do is vital to helping families and victims of domestic violence.”

Rogers said 75% of Liberty House’s budget comes from state and federal funds provided by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The other 25% come “locally, from grants and donors.”

“It’s a lot of work to provide the services we provide at Liberty House, but we have a very generous community,” she said. “I believe there are others who could and would help, but they’re not really aware of what we do.”

What Liberty House does, in part, is:

♦ Provide emergency shelter for domestic violence victims, including alternate housing (like hotel stays) if there is not enough room at Liberty House’s shelter;

♦ Offer a 24-hour crisis line whose services include directing victims to shelters, allowing them to “just vent,” or helping them come up with a safety plan;

♦ Provide outreach services to domestic violence victims in 16 outlying counties as well as Albany and Dougherty County;

♦ Offer advocacy, including helping women file protective orders;

♦ Go to court with victims to help them navigate their way through the court system;

♦ Provide victims’ needs, such as hygiene products, clothing, food, diapers, formula;

♦ Offer transportation assistance;

♦ Help victims find permanent housing;

♦ And provide help with any other needs victims might have.

Rogers noted that Liberty House has a number of events planned for October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Dates for each event have not yet been finalized, but among them will be:

♦ Liberty House’s annual gala on Oct. 15: “We hold this event at Chehaw, and it’s our biggest fundraiser,” Rogers said. “There are silent and live auctions, dining and dancing. … It’s a huge event for us.”

♦ Domestic Violence Month proclamation;

♦ A vigil honoring individuals who lost their lives in domestic violence incidents: “There are around 100 or more people in Georgia who lose their lives to domestic violence each year,” Rogers noted;

♦ Purple Day on Oct. 20, a nationwide event: “Albany Police Department officers are going to wear purple ribbons and have a ribbon on their cars that day,” Rogers said. “We’re going to challenge businesses in the community to do the same in an effort to start conversations about domestic violence that we need to have in our community.”

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