BRASS, Inc. holds its annual, Freedom From Violence Live Auction

Volume 4, Issue 1
Spring, 2007
Published by: The Barren River Area
Safe Space, Inc.
Inside this issue:
BRASS, Inc. holds its annual, Freedom From
Violence Live Auction and Dessert Fair.
Bluegrass Biker Babes
holds the 1st Annual,
“Blast For BRASS Poker
Run”
1&2
BRASS, Inc.’s education
program earns an
award at KDVA’s 8th
annual conference.
2
From the Director’s
Keys: Housing First and
Domestic Violence– An
Empowerment Model
3
bidders. After
crophone and urging them to
giving the
do their best auctioneer imitacrowd about an
tions. Everyone had some
hour to examlaughs, many went home with
ine the items
some great deals, and anyone
up for auction
that the partook in the unique
and sample
and delectable desserts, defisome of the
nitely made their sweet tooth
delicious dessmile.
serts, WBKO’s
BRASS, Inc. would like to
Tamara Evans
thank all those who attended,
took the stage
Ken Byrd, Tamara Evans,
to announce
donors, sponsors, and venthat bidding
dors for making Freedom
The live auction heats up as competing bidders gather
would soon
From Violence 2007 a huge
around guest auctioneer, Ken Byrd (right).
begin. The
success.
microphone was then given
Freedom From Violence 2007
to guest auctioneer, Ken
Byrd. Mr. Byrd, of Ken Byrd
By Ryan Braber
Realty and Auction, Inc.,
took little time to captivate
BRASS, Inc. held its annual
the audience’s attention
Freedom From Violence fundand whet the appetites of
raiser on August 2nd. This
potential buyers. As the
year’s event kicked off at
auction progressed, the
Bowling Green’s Knights of
crowd gathered around Mr.
Columbus on Searcy Way.
Byrd’s magnetic style of
Soon after the doors were
auctioneering. He even
opened, the banquet hall was
incorporated members of
filled with vendors, supportEveryone gets a laugh as Tamara Evans
the audience into the aucdoes her “Ken Byrd” impression.
ers, and a large number of
tion by giving them the mi-
Special thanks to
4
supporters of this year’s
Freedom From Violence
Auction & Dessert Fair
Staff Spotlight: Fontayne 5
Bryant, a dedicated
Children’s Advocate.
Barren River Asset
Building Coalition
prepares for 2nd tax
season.
5
BRASS thanks active
faith communities
6
Special Points of Interest:
•
UNTIL THE VIOLENCE
STOPS—KENTUCKY gets
underway in Lexington
on August 18.(See pg. 2)
•
Bluegrass Biker Babes kicks off the 1st Annual
“Blast for BRASS Poker Run.”
TEEN SCENE earns
acclaim at KDVA’s 8th
Annual conference in
Lexington.(See page 2)
•
BRASS, Inc.’s PEACE
Program is breaking new
ground in the world of
Domestic Violence and
Housing Advocacy.
(See pg. 3)
Bluegrass Biker Babes President Kim
Hughes (2nd from left) with the BBB
officers Saundra Elmore, Rita Beach,
and Candy Walker.
The Start of Something Good
Information Provided By Rita
Beach
On April 21, over 100 motorcycles gathered at RC Components in Bowling Green for the
1st Annual “Blast For BRASS
Poker Run”. The day began
with a blessing from the Christian Motorcycle Association
(CMA). The engines were
then started and the mile long
convoy began their journey.
The procession was escorted
through Warren County by the
Bowling Green Police Department Motorcycle Patrol and
the D.A.R.E. corvette. The ride
continued into Allen County,
stopping to draw cards at
Ranger Bob’s. After the riders
got their first break, everyone
saddled up to begin the next
leg of the trip. The next pitstop was in Barren County at
Mike’s Cycle World(...continued pg.2)
Page 2
The Justice Line
TEEN SCENE earns a $5,000 award from the Verizon
Foundation at KDVA’s 8th Annual conference in Lexington.
Youth Education Program
Recognized for Excellence
“It felt good to be
recognized. I strive to
make the Teen Scene
as non-judgmental
and appealing to
young people as
possible.”
Ryan Braber
Congratulations to the
following BRASS, Inc.
employees for completing
the necessary
requirements to receive:
Lee Alcott-Registered Art
Therapist Board Certification
John Bruington-KY Certified
Domestic Violence Advocate
Justin Crocker-KY Certified
Domestic Violence Advocate
Karla Trujillo-KY Certified
Domestic Violence Advocate
Norah Wright-KY Licensed
Professional Counselor
Last November, at the Griffin
Gate Marriot Hotel, BRASS,
Inc. received a $5000 award
from the Verizon Wireless
Foundation. The check was
presented to Lee Alcott and
Ryan Braber during The Kentucky Domestic Violence Association’s 8th Annual Ending
Sexual Assault and Domestic
Violence Conference in Lexington. The grant was given
to BRASS, Inc. for having the
most innovative youth education program with the Teen
Scene.
The Teen Scene addresses
tough issues that
most teens are
faced with on a
daily basis and
informs youth
about the help
that is available
to them. Topics
from past issues
include dating
violence, date
rape, emotional
abuse, cyberstalking, sexual
harassment,
bullying, protective orders,
and more. It is provided at no
cost, to local schools and
youth groups. In conjunction
with the Teen Scene, BRASS,
Inc. gives presentations on
dating violence and domestic
abuse at area middle and
high schools. Last year,
BRASS, Inc. gave over 20
presentations at schools
throughout the region, and
over 10,000 copies of the
Teen Scene were distributed.
“It felt good to be recognized,”
said Mr. Braber. He continued, “I strive to the make the
Teen Scene as nonjudgmental and appealing to
young people as possible. It
gives them information they
don’t necessarily get in their
school’s curriculum. I think
these issues should be addressed more in middle and
high schools. I hope our publication can help educate
young people and remove
TEEN SCENE editor, Ryan Braber and
Lee Alcott accepting $5000 check from
the Verizon Foundation.
some of the social barriers
that teens face when dealing
with the negative issues in
their personal lives. The Teen
Scene gets many sensitive
topics out in the open. It includes information about
avoiding dating violence. It
also has contact information
for the agencies that can help
if they are victimized. Every
issue contains our 24 hour
crisis number and other vital
information for
any victim who
is seeking help
and support. We
hope this will
prompt more
victims to get
help and end
their violent
relationships.”
BRASS, Inc.
thanks the Verizon Foundation
for recognizing
the importance
of educating today’s youth on
dating violence, domestic
abuse and sexual assault.
Their contribution helps
BRASS continue to provide
educational services to our
communities. To receive copies of the Teen Scene, contact
BRASS, Inc. at 781-9334.
queens, received a $350 gift
card from Auburn Leather.
The worst hand was also rewarded with an $80 gift card
to Serenity Hill Bed and
Breakfast.
Overall, the ride was a huge
success. BRASS would like to
thank the Bluegrass Biker
Babes and the riding community for a fun day and the start
of a wonderful tradition.
BRASS also wants to thank all
of the family members and
local business supporters that
donated their time, goods,
and services to help a great
cause.
Blast for BRASS...
(continued from pg. 1)
then to American Legion
Park. Once everyone arrived
at the park safe and sound,
High Tide and the Allen
County Band rocked the park
with their lively southern renditions. Lunch was prepared
and served by Jeff Pedigo of
Pedigo’s Restaurant. While
riders and supporters enjoyed
their lunches, the poker
hands were tallied. The winner, with a hand of four
Page 3
The Justice Line
Housing First and Domestic
Violence: An Empowerment
Model
By Lee Alcott
“Domestic Violence
Advocates have long
realized that securing
and keeping housing
is one of the greatest
barriers faced by
women who leave
their abusers. Women
often must choose
between the abuse
and homelessness, or
repeated
homelessness. PEACE
Housing provides
layers of support for
each participant”
Lee Alcott
ager to locate potential leasing units based on the needs
of each individual. A housing
location may be chosen because it is close to a child’s
school, mother’s employment
or higher education site.
Transportation and childcare
issues are always taken into
consideration when choosing
a potential housing unit for
our client. Permanent leasing
is a housing component that
strives to stabilize families
and reduce the occurrence of
homelessness. PEACE Housing provides the necessary
leasing dollars so that home-
June 30th culminated the first
year of an exciting new venture
for the Barren
River Area Safe Space, Inc. In
July of 2006, we began to
implement the PEACE Housing Project, a scattered site
permanent leasing project
with a focus on “Housing
First” philosophy. This program has not only expanded safe and affordable housing options for
homeless families, but
has infused thousands of
federal dollars into the
Bowling Green/Warren
County economy. As of
today, we are the only
domestic violence shelter
in Kentucky implementing
this “Housing First”
model. What does all this
mean? To help you better
PEACE Housing provides the necessary leasing
understand, I’ll briefly
dollars so that homeless families may begin to
explain three main princi- build assets while living in safe housing.
pals of the program. Let’s
less families may begin to
start with the program’s title,
build assets while living in
PEACE Housing. Peace is a
word that connotes calm,
safe housing.
Thirdly, we have the term
harmony and healing. PEACE
“Housing First.” According to
also is an acronym for Permathe National Alliance to End
nency, Empowerment and
Homelessness, Housing First
Change Equals Housing. A
is defined as, “ an approach
permanent leasing project,
that centers on providing
PEACE is designed to meet
homeless people with housing
the needs of homeless vicquickly and then providing
tims of domestic violence who
services as needed.” The
often face housing discriminaAlliance further explains
tion, chronic homelessness,
“What differentiates a Housand limited affordable housing First approach from other
ing options. PEACE provides
strategies is that there is an
an empowerment model to
immediate and primary focus
eliminate barriers and facilion helping individuals and
tate self-sufficiency through
families quickly access and
advocacy and intensive sersustain permanent housing.”
vices.
For our purposes, we add
The second principal is Scat“permanent and safe houstered Site Permanent Leasing. Scattered sites allow
ing.”
No one enters this housing
BRASS, Inc.’s Housing Man-
first program that is in immediate danger. Safety planning
is a key ingredient of the project, and is formalized at the
time of assessment. This
approach enables us to help
homeless families access
safe and stable housing
quickly after they have entered the shelter. Because
vouchers are issued through
BRASS, Inc., the lengthy wait
times associated with subsidized and Section 8 housing
do not exist. The length of
their shelter stay is reduced
and a sense of safety and
stability is maximized for both
mother and child. Housing
First is a service enhanced
strategy to help families
become self-sufficient,
build assets and maintain
permanent housing.
Domestic Violence Advocates have long realized
that securing and keeping
housing is one of the greatest barriers faced by
women who leave their
abusers. Women often
must choose between the
abuse and homelessness,
or repeated homelessness.
PEACE Housing provides
layers of support services for
each participant. Support
services focus on financial
literacy, job readiness and
placement, asset building,
transportation assistance,
legal assistance, childcare
assistance, referrals, and 24
hour accessibility to an Advocate through our crisis lines.
It has been an exciting year,
infused with risk, challenge,
and creativity, as we continue
to develop new strategies to
empower battered women
and to reduce incidents of
homelessness. This pioneering effort highlights our
agency’s commitment to remove barriers to safety often
faced by victims and survivors
of domestic violence and to
enhance the quality of life in
our communities.
Page 4
The Justice Line
Donors
440 Main Restaurant
Ace Hardware
Advance Auto Parts
All Season Gas Grills & Fireside
Aqualand Pool Spa & Patio
Ashley Furniture
Auto Zone
Bandy Bedding
Barnes & Noble
Barren River State Resort Park
Baymont Inn
Beech Bend Park
Bev’s Studio & Gallery
Bloom
The Blossom Shop
The Book Gallery
Carol England
Carpenter Co.
Cayce Mill Supply Co.
Chuck’s Wine & Spirits
The Cincinnati Reds
Cousin Don’s
Curves
Diane Rice
Dillard’s
Dollar General
Drury Hotels
Duke’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
Eagle Industries
Express Tan
Farmer’s Hardware
Ford’s Furniture
Four Seasons Antiques
Four Winds Wholesale
The Gallery
General Jackson Showboat
Greer’s Florist
Grinstead’s Furnishings
GM-Women In Manufacturing
Greg Williams
Harris Supply, Inc.
Home Depot
The Leather Place
Lee Alcott
The Lion & The Lamb Antiques
Louisville Slugger Field
Macy’s
Manufacturer’s Warehouse
Mary Dale Reynolds
McGown TV Sales
MacKenzie’s
Morgantown Prescription
M.T.D. Leitchfield
My Heart’s Desire
National Corvette Museum
Nora Wright
Oak ‘N Ivy, Inc.
The Olde Mill Restaurant
Olde Stone
Pam Hurt
Parent-Teacher Store
Peeble’s
Radio Shack
Red Barn Antiques
Red Lobster
Regina Webb Salon and Spa
Riley White Drug Store
Rite Aid
Romanza Johnson
Salon Panache
SAM 100.7
Schott Gardens
Shenanigan’s
Simply Furniture
Smokey Bones
Southern Outdoor Furniture
Southern States
Steamboat Salvage
Suitable for Framing
Superior Detailing
Stems & Thee Florists
Target
Total Fitness Connection
Tractor Supply Co.
Trent Bedding
United Furniture
Valor Oil Co.
Vaught’s Furniture
Wal-Mart
WBKO-TV
Special Thanks to SAM 100.7 FM’s
Tony Rose, Kohl’s A-Team
Volunteers, and our
Guest Auctioneer,
Event Sponsors
Auburn Leather
Breen & Morgan Attorneys at Law, P.S.C
Center of Insurance, Inc.
Connect Kentucky
Crouch Family Chiropractic
Cross Country Homemakers
DDI Engineering
Dr. Lowell Ware, OD
Emerson Electric Company
English Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP
GM Women in Manufacturing
Harman Becker
Harned, Bachert & Denton, LLP
Hilliard Lyons
Hugo & Jean Becker
Jim Johnson Pontiac, Nissan, Hyundai
Logan Aluminum, Inc.
Logan Memorial Hospital
Networking Women, Inc.
Pool & Spa Depot Bowling Green
Round Pond Presbyterian Women
Terry & Holly Gregory
US Bank
Woodlee Appraisal Service
Dessert Vendors
Anka’s Secret
Bagels & Bites
The Bistro
Brickyard Café
The Cellar
Country Oven Bakery
Elegant Occasions
Judy Woosley
Mandolin
Mug Shotz
Starbuck’s
Verdi Restaurant
BRASS, Inc. is a participating
member agency
Page 5
The Justice Line
Staff Spotlight: Ms. Fontayne Bryant.
The Staff Spotlight Shines on
a Dedicated Child Advocate.
By Ryan Braber
MS. FONTAYNE’S RECENT
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
N
ominated for
the Kentucky
Child Now!
Destiny Award.
P
resented with a
certificate of appreciation from the
State of Kentucky
for her dedication to Kentucky’s children and youth.
*Barren River Area Asset
Building Coalition
Community Partners-2006
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AARP
The Alive Center
Service One Credit Union
Barren River District Health
Department
Bowling Green Community
Education
Barren River Area Safe
Space, Inc.
Community Action of
Southern Kentucky
Family Enrichment Center
HANDS, Inc.
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Housing and Community
Development
Internal Revenue Service
International Center
Mayor’s Dollar Wise
Campaign
National City Bank
Park City Daily News
Salvation Army
United Way
US Bank
Veterans Upward Bound
Fontayne Bryant was born
and raised in Warren county
but moved to Frankfort, Kentucky after completing high
school. While in Frankfort,
she continued her education
at Kentucky State University.
She graduated from KSU with
a Bachelor’s Degree in Early
Childhood & Family Relations.
After graduation, she worked
for her alma mater as a Home
Economics Counselor. After
four successful years, she
obtained the position of Childhood Development Specialist
for the State of Kentucky in
conjunction with Kentucky
State University. She continued her work with children in
the Frankfort area for another
six years before returning to
Bowling Green. When Ms.
Fontayne returned home, she
utilized her qualifications to
gain employment as an Inde-
Fontayne Bryant helped 150 children
overcome abuse last year alone.
pendent Early Childhood Development Consultant (CDA
Rep.) with the Early Childhood
Professional Recognition
(CDA) out of Washington, DC.
As a CDA Rep., she travels all
over the state to evaluate
child care givers who don’t
have formal training (a college
degree) and reports her findings to the CDA in Washington. She continues to work
for the CDA while working fulltime as a Child Advocate for
BRASS, Inc.
Ms. Fontayne was hired by
BRASS, Inc. in 2002. Her job
at BRASS, Inc. encompasses
a wide variety of responsibilities related to children's’ services and parenting programs
for both shelter and outreach
clients. She plans and implements BRASS, Inc.’s children’s program as well as all
activities for parents and children living at the shelter. She
handles child care referrals
and school enrollment and
provides legal advocacy to
children who are involved in
the judiciary system. Ms.
Fontayne also provides individual and group crisis intervention to children of domestic violence victims.
She says that seeing an improvement in the lives of families that she works with is the
best part of her job. The hardest thing for her is wondering
if the children’s needs are
met after they leave the program. In the future, she plans
to get a masters degree in
counseling and continue to
work with children in crisis.
The Barren River Asset Building Coalition is offering free tax
preparation services again this year.
BRABC is Preparing for Another Successful Tax Season
By Ryan Braber
Everyone wants something
for free; especially around
tax season. The Barren River
Asset Building Coalition is
going to be offering free tax
preparation services to
low/moderate income taxpayers for its second year.
Of the five coalition sites that
opened last season, four of
them were located in Bowling Green. The other site was
set up in Glasgow. This year,
two new sites will be available, located in Allen and
Simpson counties.
Each site is staffed by
trained community volunteers and offers the same
quality control and confidentiality of most pay sites. Efiling also ensures that tax-
payers get their refunds as
fast as possible. They also
offer an incentive program to
those who utilized the service. A $25 WAL-MART gift
card is given to taxpayers
who refer a friend to the site.
To qualify for the free tax
service, you have to make
under $40,000 (individually
or jointly). Owning your own
home also disqualifies you
from services. Those are the
only two requirements that
taxpayers must meet to qualify for the free service.
One of the main goals of the
coalition is to help low to
moderate income taxpayers
file their individual tax returns
without paying an outrageous
fee. Another main focus
point is making sure that
people take advantage of the
Earned Income Tax Credit
(EITC), Child Tax Credit, and
all other relevant tax credits.
These credits are often overlooked and can make huge
difference in a taxpayer’s
refund check. The Earned
Income Tax Credit can sometimes add thousands of
dollars to a refund check.
In addition to getting back
more money, taxpayers are
given packets filled with information about other financial opportunities they may
be unaware of.
Overall, the initiative was a
resounding success last
year, filing over 1,100 tax
returns. The total sum of last
year’s tax refunds was
$1,768,091. The Barren
River Asset Building Coalition
also racked up a total of over
$300,000 Earned Income
Tax Credit claimed.
Call 1-800-928-1183 for
more information.
The Justice Line
BARREN RIVER AREA SAFE SPACE, INC.
P.O. BOX 1941
BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101
Tel: (270)781-9334
CRISIS LINE:800-928-1183
If you like this publication, you
should check out our other
publication, “TEEN SCENE”. It
is an educational resource for
schools, parents, and teens. It’s
available for FREE to interested
parties. If you would like copies
of “TEEN SCENE” or “
THE JUSTICE LINE”, contact
BRASS, Inc. at 781-9334.
BRASS, Inc. Board of Directors,
2007
BRASS, Inc. would like to recognize
our board members for their efforts
to make our community better
Nancy Ware, President
Carol Ann Gilbert, President-elect
Andy Lange, Treasure
Connie Jeffries, Secretary
Clark Arnold
Joy Denton
Randee Durham
Tamara Evans
Sandra Kinser
Stacie Lee
Lesli Mitchell
Randy Schocke
Richard Storey
William Twyman
THE JUSTICE LINE
Writer, Editor & Graphic Designer:
Ryan Braber
Barren River Baptist Church
Christ Episcopal Church
Cottage Chapel 7th Day Adventist Church
Eastwood Baptist Church
Glasgow Presbyterian Women
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Living Hope Baptist Church
Northside Free Will Baptist Church
Round Pond Presbyterian Women
State Street United Methodist Church
Trinity Free Will Baptist Church
Willing Hearts and Hands