Gainesville —
Wrapping up a month of domestic violence awareness activities, Abigail’s Arms staff and supporters note that work continues at the site of the county’s first emergency shelter facility.
The facility in development, which is set to measure 9,000 square feet and house 44 women and children at full capacity, will have a staff of seven full-time employees and more than 30 volunteers, with staff available 24 hours a day, every day. Grounds will include client parking, a children’s playground, staff offices, a computer lab, a family room and full client access to the kitchen and dining facilities.
Raising money to build the $950,000 shelter has been in the works since the organization formed its capital campaign committee in 2009.
Highlights of the campaign include:
April 2009 — capital campaign begins. A committee is formed to help raise money for the Abigail’s Arms Cooke County Family Crisis Center.
Summer 2009 — Republican Women of Cooke County Bricknic.
April 2010 — Jess and Bernice Cason formally deed a plot of land as the site of the county’s first family shelter.
June 2010 — Arms of Action Month for Cooke County church congregations.
“Every Woman is Beautiful” — Jan Cain and Kimberly Kuykendall at Muenster State Bank Gainesville Banking Center. Bernice Cason, Cathy Unger and Betty Kay Schlesinger at First State Bank and American Bank of Texas. “Every Woman is Beautiful” sponsors donated a portion of their Mary Kay cosmetics sales to the shelter project.
Fall, 2010 — Faith Lutheran Oktoberfest.
Lenten Luncheon series — Hosted by the Ministerial Alliance of Cooke County, these events included programs which focused on various aspects of domestic violence. Speakers included members of law enforcement and a batterer who talked about his role in a domestic violence situation.
BAAMP Camp 2010 — BAAMP stands for Because Abigail’s Arms Means Protection. Youngsters enjoyed outdoor activities in a rural setting. The camp is operated by the Gainesville Kiwanis Club and takes place at Lone Oak Ranch and Retreat.
Online auction 2010 — AACCFCC
Holiday online auction — Gainesville Soroptimist Club helped organize an auction to raise funds for shelter construction.
Holiday Homecoming Celebration 2010 — a concert performed by Mary Fay Jackson and Friends with proceeds going to the Abigail’s Arms shelter project.
Coin boxes — donation boxes were placed at various locations in the county.
March 2011 — the We Care 2011 Capital Campaign Committee is formed. The committee is now called We Care 2012. Committee member Lucy Sutton said after the committee was formed, the organization began making “huge strides in our fundraising through fits and pledges both long and short term.”
August, 2011 — Kim Cook began her tenure as Abigail’s Arms executive director. She replaced Aaron Davis who headed up the agency formerly known as Cooke County Friends of the Family. Friends of the Family and Abigail’s Arms merged in July 2008.
Nov. 2011 — Performer Janine Turner spoke to a group of Abigail’s Arms supporters during a fundraiser at the Lodge at Lake Kiowa.
Dec. 9, 2011 — groundbreaking began at the site of the new shelter.
June, 2012 — Cooke County Commissioners Court signed a proclamation naming June “Domestic Violence Awareness” month in Cooke County.
The month also marked the first “Paint the County Purple” event.
“This was our first year to ‘paint the county purple,’ Sutton said, adding the color campaign served a dual purpose: To remind the public the shelter project is underway and to raise awareness among those who weren’t aware of the effort.
June was also the month the agency published a series of domestic violence testimonials in the Gainesville Daily Register.
Sutton said the stories were from people of all walks of life and included personal narratives from domestic violence survivors.
The often-harrowing stories focused on the need to help individuals and families leave their abusive homes.
In addition, the Cooke County Carnival at Keneteso Park was held in June in Gainesville.
Twenty-three churches, five local organizations and seven bands participated in the event which raised $7,884 for the shelter effort.
Local News
Related Photos
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Board members lined up shovels prior to the groundbreaking last year at the Abigail's Arms shelter facility now under construction at East U.S. Highway 82 and Aspen Road in Gainesville. Photo courtesy of Brenda Kitchen
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