News
State Council Awards SafeSpace
State
Council Awards SafeSpace
SafeSpace ED Kara DeLeonardis (L) and Program
Coordinator Hannah Hauser
Montpelier – October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and few organizations have worked harder than SafeSpace to spread that awareness. Toward the end of the month, their efforts – not just in October, but throughout the year – were recognized by the state's Domestic Violence Council with a "Community Leadership Award" at a gathering in Montpelier.
SafeSpace was one of three honorees. The weekly newspaper Seven Days and the council's former co-chair Judge Barbara Zander also received recognition in the form of framed certificates.
The three honorees were chosen from among five nominations for the recognition.
According to Council Director Robyn Maguire, Council member Kim Anderson said, in presenting the certificate, that SafeSpace's presence is crucial to making the Council and other service providers "aware of how to deal with cultural literacy" involving the lgbt community.
"When the rubber meets the road, there is not enough recognition of the occurrence of violence in same-sex couples. It's not an easy job," Maguire said in an interview.
Despite the involvement of "lesbians who have started and done this work," in what are now mainstream domestic violence resource, prevention, and service agencies, Maguire continued, "same-sex domestic violence doesn’t fit the paradigm of many service providers."
She credited SafeSpace with "looking at the hard questions and holding up a mirror" to the community and to other domestic violence agencies.
"It is necessary for SafeSpace to exist. If the queer community doesn't do the work for themselves, nobody else will do it," Maguire said. "Without SafeSpace, how would the [domestic violence] service organizations receive the education they need? SafeSpace has really been a driving force."
The Vermont Council on Domestic Violence, which presented the awards, is distinct from the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. "The Network is a coalition of the 16 direct-service programs throughout the state," according to Bethany Pombar, the Network's outreach manager. The Network is a member of the Council. The Council is the umbrella organization for county domestic and sexual violence task forces, which bring together representatives of various service agencies, including police, hospitals, and the like.