By Janie McGann
Villager Contributor
A New Direction (AND) will be hosting a fundraiser at Cork & Kerry, 10614 S. Western Ave. on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 3-7 p.m. to raise money to help victims of domestic violence. AND is an organization based out of Beverly/Morgan Park that provides critical services to those affected by domestic violence including counseling, safety planning, and legal advocacy. They also conduct community outreach to educate others on the pervasiveness of domestic violence and how they can know the signs to support themselves or those around them.
AND is a program of WINGS, an organization that offers a variety of different services for individuals or families experiencing domestic violence. The two organizations joined in 2022. AND was originally founded in 2011 in direct response to the needs of the victims of domestic violence in our community.
Ericka Swanson, administrative and development manager at AND, says that many people do not realize just how common domestic violence is and how many people it can affect.
“There’s a lot of people in the community who think it doesn’t affect them, but it does,” Swanson said. “It’s a pervasive issue that affects everyone in the community. Whether it’s touched your life or not, you’re involved with people throughout your everyday life that are suffering from this.”
One in three women are affected by domestic violence. Swanson says there are many reasons why a victim might not share what they are going through. Their silence could be due to safety, financial or religious reasons. Or, they just might not know they are experiencing it because it does not look like domestic violence in the typical sense. AND seeks to educate the community so that we can all be aware of what signs to look for and how to move forward.
“Our goal when people come to see us is to educate them so that they understand what’s happening to them and understand it’s not their fault,” Swanson said. “We’re with them so that they can empower themselves. They do most of the work. We’re just there to help them access what they’re able to do for themselves.”
Their upcoming fundraiser will help them raise money to maintain their programs and continue helping clients. The fundraiser will feature food, drinks and raffles, as well as a special performance from Second Hand News, a Chicago-based Fleetwood Mac tribute band. To buy your tickets or donate to AND, visit wingsprogram.com/a-new-direction-and.
