MOUNT VERNON — A dinner and celebration benefit for New Directions will be held Thursday, March 24, at 6 p.m. in the Knox County Career Center Dining Room. The evening’s theme is “Ensuring an Open Door to Safety and Healthy Relationships.” Dinner choices include chicken marsala, seasoned beef tenderloin or vegetarian pasta.
The keynote speaker for this benefit is Aaron Allard. The longtime resident of Knox and Morrow counties is a survivor of domestic violence: In 1992, at Moundbuilder’s Apartments in Mount Vernon, his father attacked and killed his mother and younger sister, injuring Allard in the act. Allard is a student at Cornell Law School. Upon graduation, he hopes to return to Ohio to practice law, as well as volunteer with local domestic violence organizations.
New Directions provided safety and supportive services for nearly 200 families in 2010. New Directions is committed to social change that eliminates violence in all relationships and promotes safe, equal, just, respectful, healthy and loving relationships. The services they provide include peer support services, safe housing for survivors of physical and sexual assault, and prevention education. They provide hotline and rape crisis intervention, court advocacy, peer advocacy, and operate the Delta Project focused on primary prevention of intimate partner violence.
Seats for this benefit can be reserved by calling 740-397-4357 by March 11. A minimum $100 contribution is requested. New Directions is a 501(C)(3) organization.
If unable to attend this benefit dinner but would like to support these critical services in our community, donations can be made online at http://newdirectionsshelter.org/.
Published on March 1, 2011
