Press statement by Laura Finley, Director of Social Change, Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. Fort Lauderdale, FL

Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. (WID) is the only nationally accredited, certified domestic violence center serving Broward County. The agency’s new Social Change Department (established in 2006) is challenged with educating our community about domestic violence and fostering prevention.

AmeriCorps, the national service program that provides opportunities for citizens to serve their communities, will be supporting this effort. Nationally, AmeriCorps Members serve with more than 3,000 nonprofits, public agencies and faith-based organizations. The twenty new AmeriCorps members who will join Women In Distress early this fall will expand the reach of the social change message and work in the following areas:

• Speaker’s Bureau domestic violence prevention and intervention messaging for community groups and workplaces;
• Youth domestic violence prevention presentations at schools,
college campuses and other nonprofit organizations
• Men and boys-focused domestic violence prevention messaging, especially with sports groups
• Faith-based domestic violence prevention activities and presentations for youth ministries and churches
• Neighborhood-based domestic violence prevention and intervention activities.

AmeriCorps Members range from recent college grads spending a year to enhance their skill set while improve their community to older more seasoned professionals ready for a career change doing something significant to give back.

In the 12 month commitment, AmeriCorps members enhance their abilities in collaboration, communication, leadership, etc. Members do receive a modest living allowance, health benefits, training and student loan deferment.

Applicants to become AmeriCorp Members are required to be at least 17 years old , a U.S. citizen, national or legal permanent alien, have a high school diploma (or be willing to work for one) and be able to commit to at least one year of service.

Laura Finley, the Director of Social Change says she is “looking forward to adding these new social change ambassadors and I expect they will spread the word about domestic violence to many important venues we have been struggling to reach with our limited staff.”

For more details, contact Nancy Leve, Director of Volunteer Services at Women In Distress, at 954.332.3445 or email nleve@womenindistress.org.