Fall 2013
Coalition Chronicle
Editors:
Maureen McDonald
Karin Ashton
Amy Stevens
Published by the
New Hampshire Coalition
Against Domestic &
Sexual Violence
PO Box 353
Concord, NH 03302
(603) 224-8893
www.nhcadsv.org
Board of Directors
2013
Robin Christopherson,
Chair
Kathy Keller, Treasurer
Suzanne Harvey,
Secretary
Dawn Reams
Elizabeth Garon, Esq.
Jennifer Turco Beaudet,
Esq.
Suzette Indelicato
Linda Magoon
Lyn Schollett Named Executive Director
T
he New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence is pleased to welcome Lyn
Schollett as the new Executive Director. Lyn’s record of advocacy and dedication to combating
domestic and sexual violence is impressive. As the General Counsel for the Illinois Coalition Against
Sexual Assault (ICASA) for 16 years, she helped ICASA draft, secure passage of, and implement the
first standalone protective order for rape victims in the nation. Schollett drafted, lobbied and testified before the Illinois General Assembly on numerous landmark legislative initiatives ranging from
creating a civil cause of action for gender-based violence to ensuring that health care providers
convicted of a sex offense lose their license to practice.
Her experience as a leader extends beyond the substance of anti-rape work to building the relationships necessary to achieve the goal of the mission. Schollett provided technical assistance to ICASA’s
32 member programs, strengthening their capacity to directly serve victims. She staffed ICASA’s
Public Affairs Committee, a multidisciplinary collective of advocates, prosecutors, law enforcement,
private attorneys and other allies. Schollett plans to bring to the Coalition her capacity to identify
and partner with an array of allies who will serve victims in their quest for healing and justice.
Please join us in welcoming Lyn to the Coalition and New Hampshire!
Message from the Executive Director
I
am thrilled to be joining NHCADSV, and to
become part of a dynamic staff with deep
expertise in anti-violence work.
The threads of my professional work as a lawyer
and my personal commitment to feminism and
social justice were woven together in my most
recent position, in which I served over 16 years
as the General Counsel at the Illinois Coalition
Against Sexual Assault. The opportunity to be on
the forefront of service provision and public pol-
Lyn Schollett
icy on behalf of survivors is a unique and highly
gratifying one. I’m excited to bring this experience to a coalition known for its groundbreaking
programs and well-established relationships with
stakeholders and allies. And I’m thoroughly
enjoying trading corn and bean fields for woods
and lakes in beautiful New Hampshire!
The delight of doing mission-based work is the
great clarity it gives us each day when we go to
work. NHCADSV’s vision of safety for every
person is breathtakingly clear. Everyone in the
state should be able to go to school, to work,
and live in their own home without the threat of
violence. Children and adults should never
have to worry about their own safety.
I’m honored to be entrusted with moving this
vision forward, in concert with the board,
staff and member programs of NHCADSV.
Through effective prevention work, proactive public policy and victim-centered
services, we can prevent and respond to
sexual assault and domestic violence in
our communities. Please call, or email or
drop by the office; I’m eager to meet the
whole team of people working to make
New Hampshire safe.
New Additions to the Coalition
I
n addition to our new Executive Director Lyn Schollett, the
Coalition is pleased to announce the following new additions:
Linda Magoon is the newest member of
the Board of Directors. As a Compliance
Supervisor with the New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services,
Linda works to protect our state’s natural
resources and wildlife. Linda is a current
volunteer Guardian ad Litem with Court
Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of
NH and a former Concord police officer.
She understands the importance of
domestic and sexual violence services
and prevention and is working to ensure justice and safety for
survivors and their families. Linda is currently pursuing her
master’s degree in nonprofit management from New England
College and also serves as Treasurer on the New Hampshire
Association of Natural Resource Scientists.
Shanna Beckwith was hired as the Program Director in June.
Prior to the Coalition, Shanna worked at Monadnock Center
for Violence Prevention (MCVP) as the Direct Services
Coordinator. She left MCVP in 2009 to attend law school and
was admitted into the NH Bar in 2012. Over the last 6 months,
she worked on a fellowship for New Hampshire Legal
Assistance in Claremont as an attorney, focusing primarily on
civil family law cases involving domestic and sexual violence
and stalking. She is thrilled to be able to continue her career
against assault and abuse at the Coalition.
The Community Relations Department
welcomed two new members this summer.
On May 17th Community
Relations Director Maureen
McDonald and her husband
Sean welcomed Fiona Kate.
On July 27th Community Relations Coordinator Karin Ashton
and her husband Dave welcomed Ella Josephine.
The Coalition office is thrilled that we continue to have more
babies to hold!
Thank You Giving Circle Members!
I
n 2011, the Coalition created the Fund for Grace to honor former executive director Grace
Mattern’s life-long commitment to building communities free of violence and abuse. Since
its inception, the Fund for Grace has raised nearly $60,000 to support the Coalition’s public
awareness and prevention activities and its outreach to victims.
In an effort to sustain this critical work, the Coalition established the Fund for Grace Giving Circle,
a multi-year giving society. Members of this giving circle comprise a group of dedicated donors who
believe that every person deserves to live a life of safety, dignity and respect.
“I believe strongly in supporting the Giving Circle because it is focused on prevention. What better way to
help end violence and abuse than to stop it before it starts? I know that my membership helps strengthen
a network of advocates and educators working towards that goal every day.”
-Andrea Goldberg, Concord NH resident
Giving Circle members have made a commitment to pledge a minimum of $250 a year for two years. We thank all of
our current members for their generosity. If you are interested in joining the Giving Circle please contact Maureen
McDonald, email [email protected], or call 603-224-8893 x311.
2 • The Coalition Chronicle
Grants and Awards
Endowment fo Health
W
The Coalition was awarded $72,313 to provide traumainformed services to children exposed to violence in their
homes and the non-offending parent. The grant will support a
Trauma Specialist to work with the state’s 14 crisis centers, providing advocate training and mentoring to better respond to the
needs of children exposed to violence. Further, research will be
done on developing and maintaining support groups that
include activities the families can do together to enhance
attachment and resiliency.
e are grateful for our corporate and foundation support
this year including gifts from the Verizon Foundation, the
Endowment for Health, and the Coach Foundation.
New England Coalition Directors throw
out the first pitch at Fenway Park
Verizon Wireless arranged pre-game ceremony to
award grants to six states
On September 18 at a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park,
representatives from the Verizon Foundation presented leaders
th
The Trauma Specialist will run workshops about the importance
of attachment, resiliency, and concrete developmentally appropriate activities and talking points to use when discussing
domestic violence with children. In addition, member programs will partner with the Trauma Specialist to provide workshops for community partners about the effects of trauma on
children and their parents.
Coach Foundation Grant
The Coalition was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the
Coach Foundation. The Coalition was nominated for the award
by Sarah Tinkham, a former Coalition intern and criminal justice graduate. Her internship left a lasting impression, so when
her employer Coach asked employees to nominate worthy
nonprofits for Coach Foundation grants, the Coalition immediately came to mind.
from the region’s six statewide domestic violence coalitions
with $335,000 in grants to benefit local non-profit organizations that provide programs and support for domestic violence
prevention. As part of the ceremony Executive Director Lyn
Schollett joined her colleagues from New England in throwing
out the first pitch at the Red Sox game.
The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual
Violence was awarded $10,000 from the Verizon Foundation to
support the ongoing work to provide trauma informed training
and technical assistance to advocates across the state.
“My experience with the Coalition and the Crisis Center of
Central NH (CCCNH) has been truly inspiring. My time spent
at the Coalition allowed me to learn more about the legislative
process and the role the public can take in assisting victims,”
said Sarah. Today she continues her good works by volunteering with CCCNH as an advocate and assisting with human trafficking trainings.
We are honored by this gift which will help us support our
programs and initiatives and further our mission.
Pamela Keefe Receives the Jennifer Pierce-Weeks Award of Excellence
C
ongratulations to Pamela Keefe, who is the fifth recipient of the Jennifer Pierce-Weeks
Award of Excellence. This award recognizes one nurse each year for their dedication, commitment, and compassionate care in the role of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).
Pamela has been a SANE nurse at Southern NH Medical Center (SNHMC) since 2009. As well
as providing exceptional care to adult and child victims, Pamela has taken on a leadership role
within the SNHMC SANE program by developing protocols, providing a hospital orientation to
new sexual assault advocates from local crisis centers, expanding training opportunities and
being available day or night to serve as a back-up to her SANE colleagues on complex cases.
Pamela’s work is not only invaluable at SNHMC, but she is also a key member of her local
Sexual Assault Resource Team.
Fall 2013 •
3
Fall Programs
T
he programs team of the Coalition has pulled together several training opportunities for our member program advocates and other victim service providers.
November Sexual Assault Nurse
Examiner training (SANE)
AmeriCorp Victim Assistance
Program (AVAP):
Registration is open for the state of New Hampshire
Comprehensive SANE Training (adult) which will take place
November 4, 5, 6 & 10, 11, 12, 2013. A Sexual Assault Nurse
Examiner (SANE) is a Registered Nurse who has been specially
trained to provide comprehensive, uninterrupted care to sexual assault survivors, including conducting the forensic collection
of evidence. For more information on The SANE Program
please contact Katie Barthelmes at (603) 224-8893 ext. 306 or
email: [email protected].
The AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program is
beginning its 19th year of service. AVAP is a
multi-agency collaboration housed by the Coalition
that ensures direct services are available to victims of domestic
and sexual violence and stalking throughout New Hampshire.
AVAP provides members with an experience that instills a commitment to civic engagement and responsibility. Twenty seven
advocates recently completed two weeks of training which was
followed by training at their sites.
Advocate Training
Trauma Specialist Linda Douglas continues her work in teaching advocates about working from a trauma informed approach.
She is currently working with nine new advocates in the
Children Exposed to Domestic Violence curriculum. This will
bring us to over 70 advocates trained over the past two years
on the curriculum who now have the skills and knowledge to
support non-offending parents in building a stronger attachment and help their children exposed to domestic violence.
At the end of October Linda will be providing a two day program to DCYF through the Center for Professional Excellence
on a Trauma Informed Approach to Navigating the Mental
Health system.
AVAP Members taking the Oath of Service.
Jay Peak Ski Trip Raises $5,000
I
n 2006, former board member Eulalie Paris planned a onetime ski trip to Jay Peak for her family and friends. The success
of the trip sparked an idea to use the trip as a way to raise funds
for the Coalition. By making the trip an annual family-friendly
‘ski, stay and play event’, this trip has generated proceeds to
benefit the Coalition every year. Seven years later the Jay Peak
Ski Trip is bigger and better than ever, this year raising $5,000
to benefit the Coalition!
Our appreciation to Jay Peak, Eulalie and everyone who has
participated over the years cannot be understated. Special
thanks go to this year’s event committee: Eulalie Paris, Krysta
Barraford, Patricia Rakiey and Nicole Jolly. Entertainment
throughout the weekend was provided by Comedian Eric
Lemelin, along with a variety of comedians from New York City.
We hope that everyone who attended
this year’s trip had a
wonderful time.
4 • The Coalition Chronicle
U.S. Senator Shaheen and
Congresswoman Kuster Focus on
Sexual Assault in the Military
T
wo members of New Hampshire’s delegation have recently
spent time drawing attention to the issue of sexual assault in
the military.
Coalition Board Chairwoman Robin Christopherson joined
Senator Shaheen on July 22nd during a roundtable discussion at
UNH which included personnel from the NH National Guard
and the Dover Police. The focus was on Shaheen’s plan to utilize the best practices of law centers like the National Criminal
Justice Training Center at UNH. Shaheen has also been working
on a measure detailing more in-depth screenings for Sexual
Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) officers.
On August 13th, Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster met with
experts from the NH National Guard, the White River Junction
VA Medical Center and the NH State Office of Veterans
Services to discuss sexual assault in the military. Representatives
from the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire and the New
Military, Cont. on page 5
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Check out these great events happening this fall!
Durham
Laconia
The Clothesline Project at UNH
October 3rd – 12:40pm - 2:00pm
UNH - MUB Room 302
All members of the UNH community are invited to attend a t-shirt making
workshop. No registration required. SHARPP provides all materials. We will
also have a t-shirt display for your viewing.
Banking on Ending Domestic Violence
October 4th
New Beginnings is partnering with local banks to help raise awareness of
domestic violence. Local banks including Meredith Village Savings Bank and
Bank of New Hampshire will participate in a “Jeans Day” fundraiser on behalf
of New Beginnings. In addition, banks will display posters and offer purple
ribbons to help make customers aware of domestic violence and Domestic
Violence Awareness Month. For more information, please call: 528-6511.
Everyone is Gay
October 9th – 7:00pm
UNH- Strafford Room
In honor of National Coming Out Week, please join us for this MUB sponsored Coming Out Week Lecture!
Being Fierce & Fabulous 2013 Expo
October 10th – 11:00am - 2:00pm
UNH - Strafford Room
Explore your community. Make connections. Be inspired. Get involved. Learn
about and visit with various women’s organizations and locally-owned women’s businesses from around the state.
Film Series: Makers, Women Who Make America
October 23rd – 6:00pm - 8:00pm
UNH - MUB Theatre II
See how women have helped shape America over the last 50 years through
one of the most sweeping social revolutions in US history, in pursuit of their
rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity, and
personal autonomy.
Keene
Wear Purple Day!
October 15th
Join other community members across the Monadnock Region in wearing
purple to show support for survivors of domestic violence. For more information contact Kasey at 352-3844 or email [email protected].
Free Screening “Every F---ing Day of My Life”
October 21st
Peterborough Community Theatre – 6 School Street, Peterborough
This documentary follows the final days of freedom for Wendy Maldonado,
an Oregon mother of four who pleaded guilty, along with her oldest son
Randy for murdering her husband Aaron in May 2005. The film outlines
Wendy’s fateful decision to protect her family from abuse at all costs, even
her own freedom. For more information please visit MCVPrevention.org or
contact Kasey at 352-3844 or email [email protected].
Domestic Violence 101
October 22nd – 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Laconia Police Department
New Beginnings will be presenting to police department volunteers and community members on domestic violence and the essential role of advocacy
throughout the system response. For more information, please call: 528-6511.
Manchester
The Susan B Anthony Award Dinner
October 22nd – 5:00pm
The event will feature keynote speaker Leslie Morgan Steiner, author of
“Crazy Love”.
Tickets are $65 and are available either online at www.ywcanh.org or at the
YWCA office, 72 Concord Street in Manchester.
Missy’s Hope 5K
October 19 – 9:00am
Proceeds from the event will benefit the YWCA Domestic Violence
Emergency Fund and The Missy’s Hope Fund, which helps child witnesses to
domestic violence. For more information or to register, please visit www.missyshope5K.com.
Plymouth
Clothesline Project Display and Candlelight Vigil
October 10th – 10:00am
Plymouth Town Common
Display of t-shirts by victims, survivors, their friends and loved ones;
Candlelight Vigil will be held at 7:00pm to remember NH residents who lost
their lives due to domestic violence. For more information visit www.voicesagainstviolence.net.
Military, Cont. from page 4
Go paperless!
Hampshire Sexual Assault Resource Team (SART) Initiative also
took part in the roundtable. In June, Kuster worked to pass
legislation to protect whistleblowers in the military. Kuster is a
member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the
bipartisan Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus.
Help conserve paper, fuel and our overhead costs. Get
the next edition of our Coalition Chronicle newsletter
online instead of in the mail by dropping us an e-mail at
[email protected].
Fall 2013 •
5
Around the Statehouse
State Domestic Violence Funding
Partially Restored
During the 2013 NH Legislative
Session, the Coalition successfully
advocated for a partial restoration of
funding that was cut in the last budget cycle.
HB 264, relative to simple assault
HB 264 proposed to decriminalize an assault by contact.
Under this bill, if an abuser kicks, shoves, slaps, grabs, or spits
in the face of another - and doesn’t cause a visible injury to the
victim, they would only be charged with a violation level
offense. The penalty for these acts would be $100 OR just 10
hours community service.
The Domestic Violence Prevention
Program (DVPP) was created by the
New Hampshire Legislature in 1981. The DVPP provides
funding for emergency shelters, services for children who
have been exposed to violence, 24 hour hotlines, and for
domestic violence advocates to accompany victims to courts
and hospitals. The Coalition receives $38 of the $45 marriage
license fee to provide services to victims of domestic violence.
HB 502, relative to protection of persons from domestic
violence
HB 502 would have prohibited a law enforcement officer from
arresting an abuser unless (1) the officer witnesses the abuse or
(2) the victim goes to the court to file a criminal complaint
against their abuser.
Last budget cycle the Legislature cut this fund by a total of
almost $300,000. As a result, crisis centers have had to reduce
or eliminate important services such as: support groups, court
and hospital accompaniment, assistance with food, travel, and
childcare and dating violence and bullying prevention programs in our schools.
We are happy to report that the budget that passed the
Legislature this year included a partial restoration of funding for
victims. We are sincerely grateful to the House and Senate
members who voted for this additional funding to assist one of
NH’s most vulnerable populations. The final budget represents
a $120,000 increase over the biennium in additional funding
for domestic violence services.
Troubling Domestic Violence Bills Defeated
There were several bills introduced during the last session that,
if passed, would have weakened our domestic violence laws.
HB 209, relative to the relinquishment of firearms as a
condition of bail
HB 209 would have allowed an individual charged with crimes
such as stalking, second degree assault (including strangulation), criminal threatening, harassment, forcible restraint, or
human trafficking -- so long as the crime did not involve a gun
-- to carry a gun while out on bail.
HB 503, Relative to arrests for domestic violence
HB 503 would have prohibited a law enforcement officer
from arresting an abuser unless the victim files (or has previously filed) a criminal complaint. In this case, even if the
officer has witnessed the abuse they cannot make an arrest
without a warrant.
HB 512, Relative to the power of a peace officer to make
an arrest without a warrant
This bill proposed to prohibit a law enforcement officer from
arresting an abuser without a warrant in any case unless they
witnessed the abuse occurring.
On September 18th Coalition Public Policy Director Amanda
Grady Sexton organized a continuing education program for
the House of Representatives on New Hampshire’s Domestic
Violence Laws. The Coalition would like to thank the following
presenters for participating: Robin Christopherson and Kasey
Laflam from the Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention,
Retired Henniker Chief of Police Timothy Russell, Scott
Hampton from Ending the Violence, Betsy Paine from the NH
Courts System, and Lynda Ruel from the New Hampshire
Attorney General’s office, and Assistant Commissioner of Safety
Earl Sweeney.
Want to get something other than junk mail
in your inbox? Sign up for our e-newsletter!
Get bi-monthly updates on what’s happening at
the Coalition.
To subscribe, send an email to [email protected]
or call 603-224-8893 x 311.
We will never sell or give away your email address.
6 • The Coalition Chronicle
NHCADSV Public Policy Director
Amanda Grady: 603-224-8893 x326/[email protected]
Thank You!
T
he Coalition held its 35th anniversary on Thursday April 4th, 2013 at the Bedford
Village Inn. Over 150 advocates and supporters attended the fundraising auction
and reception celebrating over three and a half decades of advocacy. We are pleased
to say that the event was a great success and nearly $30,000 was raised on behalf of
the Coalition. Thank you to all the generous businesses, volunteers and community
members who supported this event. That includes:
Our Sponsors:
Program Booklet
Advertisers:
Altos Marketing
Centrix Bank
CLD Consulting Engineers
E&S Insurance
New Hampshire Women’s Bar
Association
People’s United Bank
In-Kind Donors:
Speedy Printing
Bedford Youth Performing Company
Bedford Village Inn
Silent Auction Donors:
June Adinah
Angela’s Pasta & Cheese
Shop
Arnie’s Place
Around Concord Magazine
Attitash Mountain Resort
Bead It
Tom Bell
Bernard Benn
Benton’s Shoe Co.
Boyan Pottery
Bridge and Byron Printers
Bunnies Beads
Capitol Center For The Arts
CertaPro Painters
Company C
Concord Agway
Concord Auto Spa
Concord Camera Store
Concord Country Club
Concord Food Co-op
Conway Scenic Railroad
Costco
Anne Coughlin
David Coursin
Cowabunga’s
The Covered Bridge Frame
Shop and Gallery
D McLeod Inc
Dartmouth College
Linda A. Douglas
Jane Eldridge
Elegant Ewe
Fabulous Looks Boutique
Florentine Films
Norman Forand
Gibson’s Book Store
Amy Goldstein
Gondwana Divine Clothing
Co.
Deborah Green
Margaret Hagan
Elaine Hamel, Girls at
Work, Inc.
Donna Harkins
Hermanos Cocino
Mexicana
Intuitive Touch
Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum
Kathy Keller
Dustan Knight
Krazy Kids Play & Party
Center
LaBelle Winery
Gigi Laberge
Kim Lacasse
Lotions ‘n Potions
Main Street Bookends
Margarita’s Mexican
Restaurant
Massage By Trisha Fortier
McLean Communications
Manchester Monarchs
Grace Mattern
Mary McGowan McGowan
Fine Art?
Meadow Pond Photography
Laura Milliken
Annette W. Mitchell
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Northeast Delta Dental
Office of the Governor
O Steaks and Seafood
Orion Seafood International
Pats Peak
Posh Hair Studio
Purple Finch Cafe
Queen City Cupcakes
Red Sox Foundation
Salon K
Sharing Yoga
Skydive New England
Snapdragon Inn
Southwest Airlines
Story Land
Terry Sturke
The Body Shop
The Capitol Craftsman and
Romance Jewelers
The Centennial Hotel
The Common Man
Plymouth
The Institute Of
Contemporary Art/Boston
The Music Hall
The Preservation Society
TJX
UNH Athletics
UNH Law School
Verizon Wireless Arena
Victoria Tane Studios
Walker Silver Works
White Mountain Gourmet
Coffee
WMUR
Yankee Publishing
Zulu Nyala
Special thanks to the Hopeline Program
of the Verizon Wireless Foundation for
their financial support of the Coalition’s
programs and services.
Fall 2013 •
7
You are cordially invited to the Hall of Fame Luncheon
featuring new Executive Director Lyn Schollett
Friday, November 15th, 2013
11:30am - 2:00pm
LaBelle Winery
345 Route 101 Amherst NH
Please join us to celebrate those who work to end domestic and sexual violence
and to honor their induction into our Hall of Fame: ~ Earl Sweeney - Assistant Commissioner,
the New Hampshire Department of Safety
~ State Senator Lou D’Allesandro
~ The Prevention Innovations Team at
the University of New Hampshire
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online by going
to www.nhcadsv.org or by calling 603-224-8893. Please RSVP by November 11, 2013.
Sponsored by: