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HEALING HEARTS IN IN ELLIS COUNTY Nationally, one in four women will experience domestic violence; in Texas, one in three women will experience domestic violence. In Ellis County, in 2010, more than 600 cases of domestic violence were reported. Healing Hearts of Ellis County is doing its best to decrease those numbers. “The mission is to end the occurrence of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing emergency housing and crisis intervention to domestic violence survivors and their families, and to provide prevention education throughout Ellis, Dallas and surrounding counties,” Healing Hearts Center’s mission statement reads. Last year, Alecia Peters, president and founder of Healing Hearts Center, moved to Glenn Heights and looked for a place to volunteer, specifically a sexual assault center in Ellis County. She had previously volunteered with a domestic abuse center near her home in Dallas. “When I found out that one did not exist, I thought, ‘That’s a great need. That’s something that I really want to get started and start working on,’” Alecia said. “I began researching and found out that the statistics were very high for domestic
ALECIA PETERS FOUNDER OF HEALING HEARTS CENTER
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LIVING-MAGAZINE.COM
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012
violence, especially in Waxahachie and Ennis. And so we decided to start having services and start opening one up and start developing a center right here.” Ultimately, Healing Hearts Center’s vision is to be, “…the hand that compassionately empowers and affectionately guides hurting individuals and encourage them to live enriched, purposeful lives in safety and security, serenity, expectancy and experience restoration and wholeness within their spirit, soul and body.” One hurting individual that Healing Hearts Center helped was a woman with five children who contacted the center on the day before Christmas Eve in 2010. She had just left a domestic violence situation and didn’t have any money to get her kids presents that year. The staff at Healing Hearts Center were able to collect donations from local retailers in Waxahachie and Ennis and give her children a Christmas. “The looks on their faces were priceless,” Alecia said. “It was very emotional. We were really touched by it because they’d been really poverty-stricken, and they didn’t have the means. She was leaving a domestic violence situation because she’d rather live in poverty than tolerate that type of abuse and violence. That was a joy for us to be able to give back and be a blessing for her and her family.” The center has been collaborating with local police departments and has received support from all of Ellis County. But in order for Healing Hearts Center to continue to help other victims, they need financial support, volunteers and donations, including old cell phones, which can be given to victims to call 9-1-1 in an emer-
gency situation. Right now they also have temporary offices set up in Waxahachie and Ennis but are seeking permanent office space in both cities.
“WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT WE’RE HERE FOR THEM,” ALECIA SAID. “THEY’LL RECEIVE SUPPORT, ENCOURAGEMENT AND RESOURCE REFERRALS, AND WE’LL GIVE THEM OPTIONS. NO ONE HAS TO STAY IN A SITUATION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IF THEY CHOOSE TO LEAVE.” In January, Healing Hearts Center will begin a support group for adult survivors of domestic violence. On March 31, they will host their first gala, with the theme of “Facing the Giants, Breaking the Silence.” Guest speakers at the gala will be Susan Still and her son, Dane, who have been featured on “Oprah” and other national outlets. Susan survived more than 20 years of domestic violence from her exhusband and now promotes awareness by sharing her empowering story. Tickets are available by calling 972.388.4777 or sending an e-mail to healingheartscenter@yahoo.com. For more information about Healing Hearts Center, please visit www.healinghearts-center.org. If you or someone you know are in a domestic abuse situation and need help, please call their crisis hotline number at 1.800.828.7893.