HEBRON, Ky. – Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) will celebrate the opening of its new Regional Services Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Thursday.
The open house will be from 5-7 p.m. and the ribbon-cutting will be at 5:30 p.m. The new center is located at 3580 Hargrave Dr., just off KY 237/North Bend Road in Hebron.
The new Regional Services Center opens at a time of greater demand for the services that the agency provides, said Martha Malloy, interim executive director.
"Families are under stress now more than ever with job losses, pay cuts and economic instability," said Malloy. "These hard times can fuel fears and anxieties that undermine families and can lead to domestic violence. Yet, at the same time that our services are in greater demand, our revenue sources are dwindling."
Responding to the need, Women's Crisis Center launched "The Leadership for Change Campaign" last year. The goal of the $2.5 million campaign is to meet the service demands of a growing regional population with construction of the new Regional Services Center in Boone County and renovation of WCC's service center at 835 Madison Ave., in Covington.
The agency has raised $2 million toward its goal. If WCC can raise the final $500,000, it will be awarded a nationally prestigious Kresge Foundation challenge grant of $260,000.
"The challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation is a great opportunity for the community, and we are earnestly seeking to meet that challenge," Malloy said. "The women and children who seek shelter with our agency deserve our best endeavor."
A $1 million gift from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. / U.S. Bank Foundation helped to launch "The Leadership for Change Campaign."
In recognition, the Regional Services Center now bears the foundation's name. Longtime WCC supporters Caroline and Charles Goering serve as honorary chairs of the campaign. Mary and Paul Hemmer Jr., hosted the campaign kickoff, and Paul Hemmer Companies built the new Regional Services Center.
The new center is an 8,200-square-foot, two-story facility that houses WCC counseling staff, prevention education staff, advocates, volunteers and administrative staff. It has rooms for training and education and provides a safe environment for clients, staff and volunteers.
Women's Crisis Center provides the only two domestic violence shelters for victims and their children in 13 Northern Kentucky counties.
It operates six walk-in crisis centers and two 24-hour crisis hotlines. It provides programs and services in crisis intervention, counseling, hospital and court advocacy, community education and prevention programming, and a unique program to protect pets in domestic violence situations.
Women’s Crisis Center is a vital community-based, non-profit organization that provides services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and human trafficking. It serves 13 counties: Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen, Bracken, Fleming, Lewis, Mason and Robertson).
Established in 1976 as the Rape Crisis Center of Northern Kentucky, Women's Crisis Center is now in its fourth decade. It served more than 80,000 last year. The new Regional Services Center will enable the agency to strengthen its mission to lead the community in the social change needed to end domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse.
To learn more about giving to "The Leadership for Change Campaign," contact Martha Malloy, interim executive director at (859) 655-2644.
