By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And the Mesquite Chamber of Commerce is planning an event that aims to get at the root of that serious problem at the most local level.
The Chamber is holding its first annual “Hope Starts Here” fundraiser event to benefit the establishment of the SafeNest Mesquite Shelter. The luncheon will be held on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 11:30 am to 1 pm at the Casablanca Resort. The event is open to the public at $25 per ticket. The registration deadline is Oct. 21.
The cause of domestic violence is a poignant one for Chamber President and CEO Carol Kolson. Before coming to Mesquite, Kolson did extensive volunteer work for domestic violence shelters and related agencies in her previous home state of Washington. She organized fundraising events and even taught basic financial literacy classes to women who needed that kind of training.
In an interview with The Progress last week, Kolson said that the problem of domestic violence is much more pervasive in American society than most people might think. “If you go to an event just like this one, in any crowded room, there are going to be a lot more domestic violence survivors there than what you might think,” she said. “You’d be surprised how many!”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, nearly 44 percent of women and 33 percent of men in Nevada experience domestic violence of some kind in their lifetimes. In 2019 alone, Nevada law enforcement responded to at least 8,462 domestic violence misdemeanor incidents.
Kolson insists that this is an important issue, even in the local areas. “When I found out that SafeNest was going to be taking over the shelter here, I thought it was really great!” she said. “I wanted to see if our (Chamber) membership could do something to support them and help to get it off the ground. We have such a supportive business community here so I thought that a luncheon would be the best way to start to do this.”
Kolson pointed out that there is a lot more to running a domestic violence shelter than most people might think. In addition to the costs of housing and food, there are also costs of social services and healthcare that the subjects might need. Sometimes there are also children involved who must be provided for. Legal services are also often needed for protective orders and other matters.
“It is just very expensive to run a shelter,” Kolson said. “Even down to things like personal items: pajamas, toothbrushes, toothpaste, all of that basic stuff that you just don’t think about. It all adds up.”
Kolson prefers not to call domestic violence sufferers “victims.” Instead she prefers the word “survivors.” She feels like this term is much more hopeful. And hope is what those survivors are perhaps needing the most.
“That is why we decided to call this event ‘Hope Starts Here’,” she said. “I want survivors to know that there is hope. They can continue on and they can have a good life with a successful career, raising their children in a non-violent home. Life can still be good out there.”
Kolson emphasized that all of the proceeds raised in the “Hope Starts Here” event will be restricted funds, meaning that they are required to go directly to SafeNest for use only in the Mesquite shelter.
In addition to a wonderful luncheon, the event will feature other fundraising opportunities, Kolson said. There will be a big raffle with plenty of prizes; and also a 50/50 drawing for a share of a cash prize.
“We have some wonderful prizes in the raffle,” Kolson said. “For example, we have some beautiful quilts that ladies at the United Methodist Church have hand-quilted and they will be offered as raffle prizes.”
“We also have a donated Raiders football, donated by a former player that was in one of the Super Bowls,” Kolson added. “And there are a lot more really nice things.”
For businesses there are several different sponsorship opportunities for the event as well. A $1000 donation qualifies for a Platinum level sponsorship, Gold level sponsorships are at $500 and Silver sponsorships are available at $200.
For more information about how to become a sponsor, or to register to attend the event, call the Chamber office at 702-346-2902.
