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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 3, 2004 Anna D�Amato, left, succeeds Maggie Jordan as director of victims services at Community Works. D�Amato will oversee the Dunn House shelter, 25 staff members and an annual budget of $1.2 million. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven New director, same mission Community Works’ efforts to help victims of domestic violence get new leadership By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune A former Habitat for Humanity director says she’ll translate the philosophy of collaborative construction into services to help domestic violence victims rebuild their lives. "If you ask people to participate in improving their lives, they will," said Anna D’Amato, the new director of victims services for Community Works in Medford. D’Amato, 43, who started Friday, will oversee the portion of the social service agency that includes Jackson County’s domestic violence shelter — Dunn House — 25 staff members and an annual budget of about $1.2 million. She intends to strengthen the agency’s efforts to help victims help themselves, much as poor clients worked to build their own houses during her five years with the local Habitat for Humanity agency. "We worked alongside the people towards homeownership," said D’Amato, who left the agency in June to become a part-time outreach advocate for Dunn House. Advertisement Key to that effort is education, comprehensive support, community outreach and continued funding — all challenges tackled by outgoing director Maggie Jordan. For five years, Jordan, 65, has led the program that shelters between 300 and 500 women and children each year and serves hundreds more. She’s retiring now with plans to continue volunteer work on domestic violence at the state level. "This work is too important," Jordan said. During her tenure, Jordan helped expand domestic violence services to women in Shady Cove, Prospect and other parts of Jackson County. She said she also has worked hard to reach out to more than 2,500 people who call or contact the agency about domestic violence each year. Jordan handed over the directorship to D’Amato last week after a few weeks of training and orientation. There’s too much to learn in such a short time, but Jordan said D’Amato will adapt quickly. "She’s very competent and caring and she has all the qualities she needs to succeed," Jordan said. D’Amato’s tenure working with HIV patients in San Francisco and her management experience at Habitat for Humanity will serve her well, said Arnie Green, Community Works director. "She was just simply a unanimous choice," said Green. D’Amato was selected from a dozen applicants and two finalists for the post, which has an annual salary of between $45,000 and $60,000 a year. Jordan’s work will reverberate for some time to come, local experts agreed. Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston praised her influence. "She has been a strong voice in the community for victims services and women victims in the community," he said. Like others who work in this field, Jordan said she has been dismayed at the intransigence of domestic violence. "I don’t think we’re impacting the number of victims that actually occur," Jordan said. "There seems to be a belief in our society that women deserve to get bashed." But Huddleston said both Jordan and D’Amato can take pride in the work that transforms the lives of many people, even if it doesn’t reach everyone. "I sent Maggie an e-mail that said she can measure success, in part, by looking back on the victims and families she’s been able to help over the years." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers