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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1985)
Boftered women given asylum Shelter aids abused families By KAREN MCINTOSH Reporter A young woman with four small :hildren walked up the driveway to ward the back door of the house. ‘We went to McDonald’s,” the ivonian says. “We played there for a while then we went to the grocery store.” She walked inside the receiving room, followed by the children, and signed her name in the green note- |book. The five entered Phoebe’s Home in Bryan. No, Phoebe does not own the house. The name comes from the Bible, Romans 16:1-2, where the reader is asked to “help her (Phoebe) in what ever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and myself as well.” Phoebe’s Home is an emergency shelter for battered women and ' P®their children. Kathy Strieker, staff member at the shelter, says the women have been physically, emotionally or sex ually abused by their husbands, boyfriends, siblings or children. We had one bo-year-old woman who had been beaten up by her sons," Strieker says. Other incidents include women being locked in closets, beaten with set aii atB‘ lire® I. broom handles and electrical cords and held by the ankles and dropped to the floor. One woman reported she was locked in her bedroom for seven days while her husband beat her, mentally tortured her and sexually abused her. During that time her three chil dren were not allowed to see her ex cept to kiss her goodnight. 1 he home allows women and their children to stay for up to seven days, Strieker says, but that time may be extended if necessary. Another staff member, Patton Echols, says that whether the women stay for several days or 24 hours, the majority of them do eventually re turn to their husbands. If they choose to stay, the women receive counseling from the home’s director, Sherry Blaterwick, and a counseling psychologist. “ Ehe counseling is great,” one cli ent says. “I come out a stronger per son.” The woman adds that the counsel ors do not try to turn the women against their husbands. \et, Strieker says, “We do try to tell them that if a man hits you once, he is bound to hit you again.” Strieker also says the four staff members advise the women who come to the home and who want to angt Echols says, “We help them to get employment, housing and food stamps.” Although the work sometimes is depressing, Strieker says, it is re warding when you see someone who gets out of the situation and is able to carry on with her life. Other staff members also say they feel rewarded when there is a suc cessful case. “I get very excited to see it w'or- king,’ Echols says. “We keep contact with some. 1 hey will even come back and show us a new baby.” Battered women can find Phoebe’s Home through the police, hospitals and the sheriffs depart ment. “ Ehe support we get from the po lice and local sherif f is phenomenal,” Echols says. I he women are assured they will be protected from their husbands while in the home. As a precaution, double locks are on all the doors, Echols says. Strieker adds, “The husbands usually don’t come because the po lice drive by every half-hour.” Besides receiving help from police and the home itself, the residents support and advise each other. “We sit around in there (the living- room) and share stories,” a client says, “ft’s good to know that I’m not the only one this happens to.” ■ Since most of the women work, they help each other care for the children. Strieker says, “The residents work out baby-sitting schedules among themselves.” 1 he women also cook their own meals and often clean as an effective therapy, Strieker says. “We had one woman who cleaned this whole house, even the walls,” she says. 1 win City Mission Inc. provides much of the money, food and cloth ing used by the women. The mission is not the home’s only source of supplies. "We would not function without the support of the local churches,” Echols says. She adds that a majority of die money the home receives comes from private donations. Ehe private donations and contri butions from the mission help to make the home a comfortable place to live. A line in the house rules reads, “there is always room to be your self.” Yet the clients say they feel at home because of the people who work there. 1 here are very special people he re,’’ one woman savs. , ci it, vvuiiiail iclyS. Self-image key to good relationships Rv wA nf wir By WADE WILSON Reporter The key to a person’s relationship Ivith others is his relationship with fimself, Warren Culwell said Wednesday in a lecture sponsored Ify Campus Crusade for Christ at fexas A&M. Culwell said life is made up of relationships: relationships with self, Jvith people and with Goa. I “Self-image determines your abil ity to learn, determines your ability lo to develop relationships and to love and be loved,” the University of “Texas graduate said. Self-image is how a person per ceives himself, Culwell said, and is as in* 101 neccessarily based on what is ac tually there. “The self-image is developed very _j life, as a Tittle child,” he said. ijsoJL Most people get their self-image (he sV* heir parents, and how their parents related with each other, Cul well said. Self-image is further shaped by society, media and friends, Culwell said. \ ery early on, Americans put physical beauty at the top of their list on how to judge others, lie said. “Media is telling you that ugly is out,” Culwell said. People also are judged by then- monetary worth. “Advertising image is not trying to build up self-image,” Culwell said, “but to destroy it so you have to go buy their product. Looks, beauty, performance and worth are what media shows as determining self- worth.” He said society dictates the stan dards to which many people aspire, and therein lies the problem. “You can never measure up to the standards society puts on you,” Cul- well said. Society always is changing, as are its standards. Culwell said t his makes it impossible to measure up to socie ty’s goals. Culwell listed several things that helped him overcome his problems. “Simply being a Christian did not help,” Culwell said. Positive thinking helped a little, he said, but its effects wore off. The first thing a person should do. Culwell said, is to accept himself. People feel inferior in relationships because they can’t ac cept themselves, Culwell said. If a person does not accept him self, he can t trust what anybody else thinks about him, he said. A person can't build a relationship if he doesn’t trust what the other person thinks, CuhvejH said. God accepts everybody are, he said. er accepting himself, a pi learn to value himself, Ci erson ulwell as they 11 God can totally accept you the way you are,” Culwell said, “surely you should be able to also.” 7 Aftei must le said. “Look at the value God has placed on you — higher than the value any- bodv else has placed on y'ou,” Cul well said. Culwell said God desired to have a relationship with each person, so much that he sent his son to die on the cross. If God has placed such a high va lue on the individual, Culwell said, then the individual should place that much value on himself. Upon accepting and valuing him- sell, Culwell said, the individual should relax and simply be himself. A! accept and value your self, Culwell said, “it frees you to be yourself.” Recent injury to wrist, knee or ankle? Severe enough pain to remain on study up to 10 days and 5 visits? Recent injury with pain to any muscle or joint? One-dose (4 hours) in-house study. neceni injury with in flammation (swelling, pain, heat, tender ness)? Study of 5 day dura tion with only 2 visits required. Volunteers interested in participating in investigative drug studies will be paid for their time and cooperation. G&S Studies, inc. 846-5933 GALLERY ISSAN 10% Student Discount Discount is on all parts & labor on Nissan Products only. We will also offer 10% dis count on labor only on all non-Nissan products. Student I.D. must be presented at time workorder is written up. We now have rental units available for service customers 1214 Tx. 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