Serving: East Windsor, Enfield, Somers, Stafford, Suffield, Windsor Locks

Fall 2018

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly,

The Network’s newsletter is now exclusively

available by email and on our website. Thank you

to everyone for helping us reduce paper waste.

www.thenetworkct.org

Representatives from The Network will be at the following events in October: October 6th “Fall for Enfield” Community Fest on the Enfield Town Green - we will have an information table set up 10:00am - 4:00pm October 7th Child Safety Day Sponsored by Integrity Martial Arts in the Scitico Plaza - we will have an information table set up 2:00pm-4:00pm October 10th Town of Enfield’s Wear Purple Day, stop by Asnuntuck Community College from 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. for a relaxing 10-minute chair massage for only $5.00. Proceeds will benefit The Network. Donations are also being collected for Julie’s safe house. Visit our website at www.thenetworkct.org for a complete list of items needed at Julie’s safe house. Enfield High School will also be collecting donations. All residents of Enfield are encouraged to wear purple on October 10th to raise awareness about domestic violence and to celebrate the survivors of intimate partner violence. October 12th thru the 26th “Silent Witnesses” will be on display at Asnuntuck Community College as a reminder of those who were murdered as a result of domestic violence.. October 14th thru the 20th “Shine Purple” to end domestic violence - Residents and businesses in Stafford Springs are encouraged to place a purple light in their window, storefront or front porch to shine a light to end domestic violence. October 18th Statewide Wear Purple Day. Looking for a way to support efforts to help raise awareness about domestic violence but not sure how. . .it’s as easy as wearing purple on October 18th, encouraging your friends, family and co-workers to do the same and letting people know why you are wearing purple when asked. October 18th & 24th Clothesline Project at Asnuntuck Community College. The Clothesline Project is a visual display of shirts with messages and illustrations that have been designed by women survivors of violence or by someone who loves a woman who has been killed. The purpose of the Project is to increase awareness of the impact of violence against women, to celebrate a woman's strength to survive and to provide another avenue for her to courageously break the silence that often surrounds her experience. Annalisa will have a table set up with supplies needed to design shirts on the 18th from 11:00am-1:00pm and on the 24th from 5:00pm-6:30pm.

Please join us at any or all of the above events and help us Break the Silence on domestic violence.

2018 Purple Event

“Life is a Dance”

The Purple Event, “Life is a Dance” will include a wine and beer tasting provided by

Joe’s Fine Wine & Spirits and an array of fine foods and desserts. In addition,

there will be silent and called auctions, as well as the popular Treasured Gem raffle

sponsored by Swede’s Jewelers. Pair Extraordinaire will provide light Jazz and

Latin Music.

If you would like to sponsor or attend the event, please call Chris Casey, Event

Coordinator, at 860.698.6267 or email cwsmcasey@gmail.com. Credit card

payments may be made on our website at www.thenetworkct.org. Proceeds from

the event help support programs and services for victims of domestic abuse. It is

sure to be a fun-filled evening and wonderful marketing opportunity for your

business.

Friday, November 2, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. Maneeley’s Banquet & Catering

65 Rye St. South Windsor, CT 06074

Fall 2018 Page 2

Please join us in welcoming our new COO, Karen Blanchard

Karen Blanchard joins the team at The Network as the new

COO. She is a lifelong resident of Holyoke, MA and is a

graduate of Springfield College, obtaining her Master’s Degree in

Human Services Administration. She has over 30 years of

non-profit experience, working with hungry, homeless, and

domestic violence victims in Holyoke. Her desire is to make a

difference here in the Enfield community by nourishing hope and

rebuilding the lives of those affected by abuse.

In her new role, Karen will be responsible for leading and

managing all services and programs of The Network, which will

include programming, organizing, operating, and staffing.

Fall 2018

2018 Golf Tournament

Thank you to all who participated in The Network’s 25th annual golf tournament held at Twin Hills Country Club on July 16th. With your support we were able to raise $22,000, which will help provide free services for victims and their families as they break free from the cycle of abuse. Thank you to the sponsors, volunteers, and 139 golfers who made our tournament a success. It was our largest field to date. We appreciate your continued support.

Mark your calendars for 2019

July 22, 2019

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25th

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Ways to give Our mission is made possible by the generosity of individuals, businesses and foundations. The following are ways you can help us continue to strive toward a violence free society:

● Send a check or make an online credit

card donation at www.thenetworkct.org.

● Inquire at your employment about a

matching gift program.

● Participate in our monthly wish list

program by dropping off new and unused

items for Julie’s Safe House.

● Sponsor or attend one or more of our

fundraising events.

● Name The Network in your will or

memorial donations.

● Drop off used clothing in the Charities

of Hope collection bin at Asnuntuck

Community College and we receive a

check.

● Shop for all your Amazon products

from Amazon Smile and they send us a

donation. Use the following link to select

The Network as your charity. https://

smile.amazon.com/ch/22-2670688

● Donate through your employment.

Many employers offer donor designation

programs. Select The Network as your

charity of choice.

● Drop off old cell phones and small

electronics in the Cellular Recycler box

outside of our main office and they send

us a check.

We’re here to help

Free and confidential services for individuals of domestic abuse and their families include:

15 bed emergency safe house ● Support Groups

Counseling for adults and children ● Community Youth Educator

Advocacy in Enfield and Rockville Courts ● 24/7 crisis hotline 860.763.4542

Rebuilding Your Self-Esteem After Abuse

5 ways you can start feeling good about yourself and the world again

By domesticshelters.org

After escaping an abusive partner, starting a new life can feel empowering. You’re on your own. You are in control. You’re safe.

But, these positive feelings may not appear right away, and this is normal. You may feel unsure, anxious or have a profound sense of loss for what you left behind. You may start questioning your decisions—“Am I strong enough to do this? Do I deserve good things to happen to me?” After all, for so long, your abuser tried to convince you otherwise.

Regaining your self-esteem after domestic violence takes time. It’s important you work on it daily, just as you would strengthen your body after being injured. Building up confidence in yourself is especially important if you have children who were also in the abusive situation with you. Kids are apt to imitate your actions, attitudes and emotions and, if you are modeling confidence and self-appreciation, they will be more likely to feel the same about themselves. Children who witness violence at home are more likely to have low self-esteem and high incidents of self-blame later in life.

Ways to Rebuild Self-Esteem

1. Take the Attitudes Toward Self online quiz at Fort Refuge, an abuse survivors forum, which asks: Are you holding yourself at overly high standards? Are you too hard on yourself when things don’t go as planned? Can you fail at one task and not let it affect your overall sense of self-worth? These are important questions to ask yourself as you begin to build back up your self-esteem.

2. Be patient with yourself. Think about how you’d treat a best friend who had just been through your same situation. You likely wouldn’t tell them to “get over it already.” Let yourself take as much time as you need to sort through your emotions, feel what you need to feel and slowly come back to a positive outlook on the future.

3. Spend time with people who build you up. Try to get out and connect with others as much as possible, be it with good friends over lunch or a support group for domestic violence survivors. Try to say “hi” to someone new each week, just to help you find your confidence again. Don’t seclude yourself in your house for too long at any time.

4. Find an exercise routine you enjoy. Research shows that regular exercise lowers rates of depression and anxiety because it helps to release endorphins, or those “feel good” chemicals in the brain. Be it a daily walk, yoga or Zumba class, or something ambitious like training for a 5K, you’ll notice a difference in your mood as soon as you start moving.

5. Give back. Helping others can make you feel like you have a sense of purpose in the world, and can take your mind off your own struggles. Making someone else smile can also be infectious. Find a local charity group and volunteer once a week. You have unique skills that can be invaluable to those in need. Need someone to talk to? Call our adult advocate, Rosanne at 860.763.7430 ext. 302 or our 24 hour hotline at 860.763.4542.

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We would like to extend a great big thank you to the following individuals and businesses who participated in the Back to School Program this year! Your generosity was overwhelming. With your help, we were able to provide 46

children with everything they needed to start the school year. The Back to School Program provides more than just school supplies, it helps with children’s self-esteem and confidence, which are essential tools for a successful school

year.

360 Federal Credit Union ● Pam Babut ● Claire Berriman ● Megan Christensen ● Ron & Bobbi Collyer ● Jeanette Flora ● Denice Fortin ● Joyce Frangiamore ● Lynette Gordon ● Sheena Hammack ● Holy Trinity Episcopal Church ● Donna

Luczai ● Doreen Luczai ● Jean Mahoney ● Martin Brower ● Deborah Matusko ● Debbi Murray ● One Source Financial Group ● Kelly Poudrette ● Georgianna Tippo

● United Methodist Church of Enfield ● Virtus Investment Partners ● Sheryl Vitkauskas ● West Suffield Congregational Church ● Michele Wojtas

Thank You

With the holidays quickly approaching, please

consider using Amazon Smile when shopping

online. When you select The Network as your

charity, Amazon Smile will donate a portion of

sales to our organization. Use the following link to

locate The Network’s charity page:

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/22-2670688

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We were able to provide 46 children

with back to school supplies thanks

to wonderful sponsors like Virtus

Investment Partners. We are so

grateful for the generosity that is

shown every year by our sponsors to

provide our clients children with

everything they need for a successful

school year.

Summertime for most of us means backyard

barbecues, fireworks and enjoying fun in the sun.

For Annalisa, the Community Youth Educator, it

means participating in Enfield’s Lunch Bunch.

Each week Annalisa spends time doing projects

with the children. Some of this summer’s projects

included “We Will Rock You” where kids could

either write a song about friendship or color a guitar

adding qualities they have that make them awesome

rock stars. The puzzle Annalisa is shown holding

was created by the children. Each child designed a

puzzle piece in a way that represented themselves.

The pieces were then put together to demonstrate

how everyone’s uniqueness fits together and was on

display for the season to admire by both the kids

and their parents.

It doesn’t seem possible that the holidays are just around

the corner. We are busy getting ready for our Holiday

Program. Our moms have been sending in their child/

children’s wish lists. Once this is done, we will assign the

children to sponsors. This program is a big success year

after year bringing joy to all; sponsors, children and moms.

The generosity of the sponsors continues to amaze us. For

more information or if you are interested in sponsoring a

child or a family, please contact Annalisa at 860.763.7430

ext. 305 or annalisa@thenetworkct.org.

Thank you to St. Peter’s

Episcopal Church’s

Mission Commission for

donating a hand truck.

We are very grateful.

Thank you!

Recent Cash and In-Kind Donations

Aetna Foundation * Kathleen Albano * Fern Alderman * America’s Best Local Charities * Kathy Anderson * Charities of Hope * Ron & Bobbi Collyer * Enfield Food Shelf * Teresa Faucette * Freshwater Veterinary Hospital * Eileen Hargreaves * Donna Jones-Searle * Kathryn Kiczuk * Catherine Krupa * Fred LaFountain * Bonnie Lareau * Donna Luczai * Deborah Matusko * Melinda Morgan * Jennifer Moriarty * Network for Good * Jeannie Newman * PayPal Charitable Giving Fund * Arnold & Patricia Piellucci * Ann Percival * Rosanne Plagenza * Carol Robinson * The Second Chance Reintegration Center at Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution * Smith Brothers Insurance * St. Peter’s Episcopal Church * Eva Wiggins * Windsor Locks Federal Credit Union * Gay Szumyk

If we neglected to mention your name or organization we apologize!

Thank you!

Recent Foundation and Grant Donations

J. Gladwin Cannon

Trust