Dove, Inc.

As her eyes looked to the floor she said in tears, " I don’t know if I am in the right place. I have no bruises; he does not hurt me." But as she talked, her partner daily called her bitch, whore, and stupid, threatening she would never see her children again if she left. She was experiencing daily verbal and emotional abuse which lowered her self-worth, leaving her paralyzed in fear of doing anything until someone referred her to Dove. After she told her story, she looked at me with tears streaming down her face saying "Do I qualify for an order of protection even though he does not hit me?" Sadly, we hear and see this scenario often. When victims do reach out for help, they are not sure if they qualify for services or an order of protection because they are not being hit. The answer is yes, a victim of domestic violence does qualify for an order of protection for emotional abuse even though there is no physical abuse. There also must be relationships es...

As I work to finalize all those little details that go into the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program’s (RSVP) Appreciation luncheon I am filled with pride and so very grateful I get to be the Director of such an excellent program. So many volunteers perform service to so many different and worthy causes that at times it can be difficult to keep up with them. Over 380 volunteers were actively serving community needs and worked more than 63,000 hours. 10% of those hours performed were by volunteers who are no strangers to service, our local Veterans. Every day I see what the power of compassion, dedication, and true grit can accomplish. Did I mention that the average age of our volunteers is 76? The wisdom and experience that RSVP volunteers share with our community members are simply amazing. RSVP volunteers do it all; we have volunteers who help deliver Meals on Wheels, distribute goods at food pantries, and help prepare and serve meals in the soup kitchens, so no one has to go ...

Why are there so many different names for grandparents? Grandpa, papa, paw, gramps is just a few names we lavish on the grandfathers in our families while grandmas get names like me maw, Nana, or Ninny. Whatever you may call your grandparents you can be sure of one thing, when you call they come! Names for them are often something that has been passed down from one generation after another.   Many of us honor our grandparents, but for children to be able to invite their grandparents to school for a day is very special to them. They love to be able to share with their friends their very own grandpa or grandma. Children get to participate in special lessons or special assembly programs during grandparent’s day at school. Sometimes this is the only time grandparents are asked to share the day with their precious grandchildren.   This year Grandparents' Day is September 10, 2017, and I challenge anyone with a grandparent to make their day special. Grandparents Day is the pe...