A community Baby Shower is being held to benefit survivors of domestic abuse and their children staying at the Safe Home operated by Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan.  The Baby Shower will be held 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday April 29, in the Lower level of the Cheboygan Public Library.

The idea for the Baby Shower was developed by Erica Rhome, Parent Liaison for Cheboygan County Great Start Parent Coalition who was looking for a way to help out the women who make use of the Safe Home.  Rhome started out by learning more about the needs at the shelter with Safe Home Coordinator, Jamie Winters.  “I mentioned our program likes to focus on young children, babies and their moms,” said Rhome.  “When I asked Jamie what the women at the Safe Home need, she told me baby supplies.  I thought what better way to get baby supplies then to hold a baby shower and invite the community to support the Women's Resource Center and the moms, babies and young children that come to the Safe Home?"

The Safe Home serves the five county area of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties.  Last year, 139 women and children stayed at the Safe Home seeking refuge from domestic abuse; 29 of those survivors came from Cheboygan County.  An additional 557 domestic abuse survivors that were not in-residence at the Safe Home sought counseling, support and advocacy, as well; 111 of those survivors were from Cheboygan County.

To learn more about the Community Baby Shower, contact Erica Rhome at (231) 818-1424.  For a complete list of Safe Home needs, visit the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan website at wrcnm.org and click on ‘Safe Home Needs’.

In October 2011, the Emmet County prosecutor’s office in collaboration with the prosecutor’s offices of Cheboygan and Charlevoix counties, and the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan received a two year federal grant from the Department of Justice, Violence Against Women office for $374,000.  The grant is designed to assist and enhance prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault cases in the three county area by paying for a shared special prosecutor to work on these types of cases.

Michigan Northern Lights is hosting an evening of music, on Thursday, December 13, for the benefit of two worthy organizations, The Friendship Housing Center and the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan.  From 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., stop in to the Methodist Church on First Street in Gaylord and enjoy cookies, a cup coffee and then help us raise money for these two worthy organizations.  Your donation is all that is required to enjoy this wonderful evening of entertainment.

Local musicians are stepping up to perform for the 2nd annual “Cookies for a Cause”.  The evening will showcase the talents of the Harmonie Meisters, Infan8 Praise, the quartet, Light Hearted, Jim Akans and Ethan Akans, as well as, The Nightshades, Grace and Rebecca Olsen on their flutes, and the Michigan Northern Lights.  

East Jordan middle school National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) students held a food drive during a recent dance to help support the Safe Home Harvest Food and Supply Drive.

The NJHS donation helps offset more than $25,000 in annual food and supply costs at the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan’s Safe Home, the emergency shelter for domestic and sexual abuse survivors and their children in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties which is operated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“Our NJHS is about community support,” said the group’s advisor, Cynthia Boss who challenges students to make their community better.   “Our students have been learning that the world is their world to nurture and take care of and that includes our very valuable resource, “people’,” Boss said.

Click here for a Safe Home Needs List or call (231) 347-1572 for more information.

Petoskey Middle School friends who attended Meg Wilson’s birthday party brought donations for the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) Safe Home, instead of traditional birthday gifts and plan to continue their efforts to help women and girls.  Pictured presenting the donation is (L to R) Brianna Kimbler, Kennedy Buck, Kendra Shaw, Jenny Tompkins, Meg Wilson, and Natalie Koeller with Chris Krajewski, WRCNM Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Program Director.  Missing from photo are Jessica Edwards and Shannon Cartwright.

If you think teen girls only talk about clothes, shopping and boys; these local girls will change your mind.  The close-knit friends who attend Petoskey Middle School discuss everything from books to the Holocaust to women's rights.  Recently they gathered at the Safe Home operated by the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) to donate cash and personal care items for survivors of domestic abuse.

The donation is the result of a no-gift birthday party for one of the friends in the group, Meg Wilson. The girls had all decided it would be a great idea to forego traditional birthday gifts for something more meaningful.  The idea got these energetic and articulate young women thinking about how they could make a further difference; one that might help women and girls dealing with gender inequality, sexism, and even domestic abuse, sexual assault and dating violence.

The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) received a large donation of pajamas, mittens and hats to benefit the women and their children who seek safety from domestic abuse at the agency’s Safe Home.  The donation was made by more than 400 Girl Scouts, troop leaders and parents who participated in this year’s Troop Mackinaw event.  During the weekend gathering, Girl Scouts explored and enjoyed the Mackinaw City area, attended the Lumberjack Festival and earned a community service patch for their donation to the WRCNM Safe Home.  The event was organized by Heather Tamlyn and Kelly Simmons of HK Events in Mackinaw City.  Pictured during the donation presentation are Troop Mackinaw attendees and three Lumberjack Festival representatives.  Chris Krajewski, WRCNM Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Program Director was in attendance to address the Girl Scouts and accept the donation.

For information on WRCNM programs and services, call their administrative office at 231-347-0067 or visit the agency’s website at wrcnm.org.

The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) has had the good fortune of working with many caring, talented and dedicated volunteers over the past 35 years.  During National Volunteer Appreciation Week, April 15-21, we recognize the important role they play in helping fulfill the agency’s mission of supporting women and families in northern Michigan.

This past year alone, volunteers provided more than 6,000 hours of service to our organization and their time was invested in a number of ways. Volunteers at the Safe Home help children with craft projects while their mothers attend counseling and support groups; other volunteers help answer the 24-hour crisis line and meet the day-to-day needs of these families.  Gold Mine Resale Shop volunteers assist shoppers, restock shelves and work the cash register.  Our Community Violence Prevention Team is composed almost entirely of volunteers who act in an advisory capacity to assure widespread adoption of proven violence prevention programs and help promote prevention awareness in our community.  Those who volunteer to serve on the agency’s board of directors help set policy and long-term goals to advance the agency’s mission.  We also rely on RSVP volunteers to help us prepare bulk mailings.

If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a few days early, you are in luck!  The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan will host their annual FUNdraiser with a St. Paddy’s day theme on Thursday, March 15 at cava in Bay Harbor. 

The event begins at 6 p.m. and will feature an array of creative hors d’oeuvres prepared by cava’s culinary team.  Attendees may participate in the silent and live auctions bidding on items such as MSU football tickets; roundtrip tickets to Beaver Island; an authentic  gourmet Italian dinner for six; an American Spoon Foods gift basket filled with their award-winning artisanal fruit preserves; 18 holes of golf for two including golf cart at Harbor Point Golf Club; two VIP guest passes aboard Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry; restaurant gift certificates to Whitecaps and Palette Bistro; an interior/exterior car detailing from Tri-Rivers Collision; and a sailing excursion for four aboard “Brilliant” an Ensign sailboat with WRC Executive Director Jan Mancinelli as your captain and WRC Finance Director Gail Kloss as your first mate.  Many more items will be up for bid during this festive FUNdraiser.

Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRC) Counselor/Advocate Brenda Smielewski is pictured with a large donation generated from a month-long donation drive spearheaded by the Kiwanis Club of Cheboygan.  Smielewski, who works at the non-profit agency’s Cheboygan office and Safe Home, was overwhelmed by the generosity of those who donated personal care items, household cleaning supplies, toys, non-perishable foods and other items using boxes Kiwanis Club members had placed at the Cheboygan Glen’s Market, K-mart and Citizen’s National Bank.  Last year the Safe Home provided a total of 3,041 nights of safe shelter to 135 survivors of domestic abuse and their children and had food and supply costs exceeding $25,000.  The WRC’s domestic abuse program also provides counseling, support groups, advocacy and a 24-hour crisis line for those in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties.  Last year, the WRC’s domestic abuse program served 131 individuals and 38 victims of sexual assault from Cheboygan County.  For more information about the WRC’s domestic abuse program and Safe Home, call (231) 347-1572 or toll free at (800) 275-1995.

The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) is holding their annual Harvest Food and Supply Drive in an effort to collect needed items for survivors of domestic abuse and their children staying at the Safe Home.

The Safe Home provides a safe, supportive and caring residence for families in Northern Michigan who often arrive at the emergency shelter without personal belongings.