Laurel House celebrates 40 years
When I chaired the Montgomery County Commission for Women and Families years ago, I first learned about Laurel House, the women’s shelter in Norristown. One of the days when I was answering the MCCWF phones, a woman called who was very concerned about the safety of her daughter and granddaughter. I was able to calm her and give her the Laurel House hot line number: 1-800-642-3150.
You may have heard Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence Jr., in a press conference about the COVID-19 pandemic refer to two homicides which were a result of domestic violence. One of the victims was female, while the other was male.
When people are locked in together, domestic violence incidents tend to multiply. And Beth Sturman, the executive director of Laurel House, is very much aware of the dangers which the locked-down requirements place on vulnerable populations — especially for women and children.
Sturman has been at Laurel House since 2005, and currently she is figuring out ways to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the vital agency which saves lives every day. The observance of the special occasion will be a virtual one.
Laurel House is not taking new people into the shelter during this pandemic. According to Sturman, they have another location where people can stay separated. She and her staff have developed a whole process for no-contact drop-off and pick up of supplies and food and grocery gift cards.
Annually they serve about 200 women and kids; in addition to the shelter, seven transitional housing units are available for victims after they leave the shelter. The average stay is 60 to 90 days. The shelter has 9 bedrooms and 27 beds and can help up to 30 people at a time. Most come in with their children.
There are also five different locations around the county for counseling, as well as an emergency response team that goes out with police and medical response teams. They work closely with mental health providers and have four licensed clinicians on staff.
Laurel House has come up with a clever challenge for those of us who are sequestered at home: Take a bite of a lemon. Hold it in your mouth, but don’t say anything. Remember, you have no voice. What do you feel? How long can you last? Then, Break the Silence.
For every second you felt the discomfort of holding in the lemon, consider donating that amount to Laurel House. Example: 5 seconds equals $5, 10 seconds equals $10 and 40 seconds would be $40 (in honor of Laurel House’s 40th anniversary this year).
Film yourself (and anyone else in your house!) completing the challenge, and then challenge someone new to help spread awareness and raise money for a good cause! Copy and paste this information into the description of your video. Be sure to tag us @laurelhousepa and use the hashtags #LH40Years #BreakTheSilence #BTSLemonChallenge #BTSChallenge #SilencedByLemons
As for the virtual celebration, Sturman and her staff are creating some videos from one of the founding mothers, Suzanne Fields, with quotes from people who are grateful after using Laurel House services. May 28 is the anniversary of when the doors first opened on the shelter
Sturman commented in an email to supporters and volunteers, “We know that we have come a long way since our Founding Mothers first created a hotline and shelter. We have worked with law enforcement and medical personnel to create a Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART), which offers immediate crisis response to victims and their children. We have worked with elected officials and the courts to assist in the advancement of legal rights for victims and their families. We have worked with teachers and administrators to bring preventative education into the schools in order to help break the cycle of violence. We are grateful for all of the progress that has been made, and we know that there is still more work to be done to achieve our vision of ending domestic violence in every life, home, and community.”
And be sure to take the Lemon Challenge!