paige swope standing in front of shelter doorsBlog

A Clean Start

August 5, 2024By Blog, Stories
"I endured every form of abuse from a partner for several years." Paige Swope holds the Ms. Kentucky Festivals 2023 title, and her platform is awareness for intimate partner abuse. “I endured every form of abuse from a partner for several years,” she shares. “Women, and especially children, who are…
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Shelby’s Story

October 2, 2023By Blog, Stories
"Once you see that red flag, you can't change the color of it." He was in recovery and was already one year sober when I met him. We were doing great. Then he slipped up and that’s when I saw his worst demons. When he put his hands on me…
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Kristen McClureBlog

HollerGirl – Healing Harmonies

June 26, 2023By Blog, Stories
"Women need to be heard." The second annual HollerGirl festival happens later this summer. The female-forward weekend highlights Kentucky music, workshops, and art to promote healing. “I wanted to combine the idea of highlighting female musicians with raising awareness for domestic violence survivors,” explains Kristen McClure, festival founder. “I am…
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Battered Women’s Movement

May 15, 2023By 21 Years, Blog, Stories

Domestic violence was seldom a topic of public discourse before 1970. Only 50 years have passed since grassroots rallies, known then as the Battered Women’s Movement, began to raise awareness and call for change. Two decades would pass before the Violence Against Women Act established domestic violence as a federal…

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Remembering Lydia

March 16, 2023By Blog, Stories
"There is no normal anymore. You've got to find the new normal." Early last year Lydia Cassady, a devoted mother of two teenagers and a certified clinical medical assistant, was preparing to flee the abuse of her longtime partner and father of her children. He shot and killed her in…
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Teen Dating Violence Awareness – Part 1

February 15, 2023By Blog, Stories
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. TDVAM has me thinking about my past and my daughter’s future.   It wasn’t until I started working at GreenHouse17 that I really reflected on my first high school relationship. And even more so after having my daughter in September.   My first…
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