Author Archives: Chelsey Keesy

Stalking is illegal and survivors have rights.

For Survivors

Stalking often co-occurs with intimate partner violence and can be an indicator of other forms of violence. 

All stalkers can be dangerous. Intimate partner stalkers, compared to acquaintance and stranger stalkers, are more likely to threaten and physically assault the victim and their friends and family. 

Did you know stalking can include these behaviors? 

• Repeated phone calls, texts, or communication on your social media 
• Sending unwanted gifts to your home or work 
• Threatening you or your loved ones 
• Following you or watching you from a distance 
• Digital harassment, such as tracking your location through an app or showing up at a place you’ve checked into online 

Learn more about the crime and ways to plan for your safety: 

• Call our 24-hour Crisis Hotline to speak with an advocate: 800-544-2022. 
• Follow SPARC – Stalking Prevention, Awareness & Resource Center. 
• Use SHARP (Stalking and Harassment Assessment and Risk Profile) to get a narrative of a situation and safety strategies. 

For the Community 

How can you take action? 

• Share information on social media. Follow SPARC and share their infographics and other posts to inform your friends and family. 
• Learn how to support someone experiencing stalking by reading this document. 

“I was inspired by the beauty of it all.”

You’ll find Damselfly Gallery on Main Street in historic downtown Midway. Paintings, pottery, jewelry, and woodworks by Kentucky artists fill the eclectic gallery.

Rob Mills purchased the shop from the Thoreson family a few years ago. His mother, Karol, moved from Pennsylvania to help out a couple times a week. She loves getting to meet so many new people.

Karol found out about Handmade by Survivors products from an article in Kentucky Homes & Gardens. She came to take a tour of our shelter and farm to learn more about becoming a retail sales partner. “I was inspired by the beauty of it all,” says Karol.

She’s proud to support the mission and spread the word in the community, always sharing a brochure and information if people are not familiar with our organization. Karol loves anything with lavender, so her favorite products are the Fresh Start candle and Remembrance soap.

Damselfly Gallery is open seven days a week.

This is one article from our fall issue of Bloom. Click here to read the full issue! 

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleons

with spicy mint chimichurri

Like in any home, the kitchen at shelter tends to be a gathering spot for adults and children. Survivors often prepare meals alongside staff, many times sharing recipes from their family traditions. Regular groups and workshops explore connections to food. Topics range from budgeting to self-image.

Bushels of carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and herbs from the farm make for many delicious autumn meals. Chef Theo, an advocate with a focus on food and nutrition at the shelter, makes sure the harvest is put to good use. Healthy eating especially matters while healing the physical and emotional wounds of abuse. This dish is a favorite of residents and staff, and we hope you’ll like it, too.

Ingredients

• 6 large beets
• 11 oz goat cheese
• 4 tsp chives (minced)
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary (minced)
• 2 tsp fresh thyme (minced)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp honey

Napoleons

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cover beets in olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil.
• Bake 1 hour until a fork is easily inserted into beets.
• Peel the beets and cut into ¼” slabs, then use a cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut into circles.
• Mix herbs, honey, and goat cheese until combined.
• Put dollops of goat cheese between the slices of beets.
• Press beets down and using a flat edge of a knife, scrape off the excess goat cheese.

Chimichurri garnish

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 c packed fresh parsley
• 1 c packed fresh mint
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ Tbsp kosher salt
• ½ Tbsp sambal
• 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp honey

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Drizzle on plates around the napoleons.

Take a stand against intimate partner abuse during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and every month. 

Your voice is powerful. Believe your voice and actions can make a difference. Be loud. Every action — big or small — creates a community that supports survivors.

What would happen if every person in your neighborhood took a stand against intimate partner abuse? What if every Kentucky resident supported survivors? 

Imagine if each and every one of us believed that our voice and actions matter and… 

• Attended events to support survivors and prevent violence in our community. 
• Spoke up when friends and family use victim-blaming language. 
• Reached out to someone in need to provide support and resources. 
• Thought about how we’d respond if we witness intimate partner abuse.
• Honored the unique barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ survivors and survivors of color.
• Purchased Handmade by Survivors products to support survivor healing and self-sufficiency.
• And honestly reflected on our own behavior. 

Your voice is powerful. Your ideas, words, and actions make a difference. 

Candy Lightner’s voice changed drunk driving laws. Lilly Ledbetter’s voice protected women in the workplace. Ryan White’s voice changed our understanding of HIV/AIDS. Todd Beamer’s voice coordinated passengers to thwart an airstrike on the Pentagon.

And your voice can help end intimate partner abuse in families and our community.

Words are powerful. Choosing your words carefully and using accountable language when discussing intimate partner abuse is something everyone can do. 

Fight injustice by speaking up and speaking out. 

Intent is everything. We have so many teachable moments in our everyday lives that we don’t seize. Whether you are at work or with friends and family, if you hear something disrespectful or degrading – speak out! Don’t do nothing. 

Open a dialogue – let someone see how language affects perspective and how the wrong language can be dangerous. Remind friends, family, coworkers, or anyone else you come across that positive language can change things for the better. 

If you hear someone using abusive or controlling language, say “I don’t appreciate that,” and explain why it is unacceptable. 

We’ve probably all heard friends and family say things like this before —  

“It takes two to tango.” 

“They’re having a lovers’ quarrel.” 

“What did she do to provoke it?”  

These sentiments blame the survivor and you can speak out when you hear someone using this victim-blaming language. Chances are they don’t know they’re doing it. You can say something like “Did you know the words we choose sometimes blame victims?”  Then explain how. 

Talking about the power and control associated with intimate partner abuse is always a good place to start. Your discussion might address how physical, emotional, and financial violence make it very difficult for someone to leave.  

Educate yourself on the power and control wheel of abuse. And always fight injustice by speaking up for survivors.