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NEST helps women caught in abuse Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Below: Instructors Gerry Sea, left, and Jackie Lien lead RCC's new project in which participants can discuss and learn to deal with abusive relationships. An RCC collaboration will provide a way to explore relationships and recover emotional power to rebuild By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune It was only after Barbara Sawyer grabbed the gun her husband was pointing at her that she finally found the courage to leave an abusive relationship. The bullet grazed her hand, but Sawyer, like many victims of domestic violence, says the hurt went deeper than a physical wound. "The bruises heal over time, but the emotional scars stay with you," said the Eagle Point woman. Help for domestic abuse victims Several area programs offer help for people who are victims of domestic abuse: The new NEST Program at RCC is a continuing course that offers an anonymous forum for people who want to know more about domestic abuse, even if they are not ready to leave abusive relationships. For credit or no credit, the course starts in February. Call 245-7538. Bright Futures is a two-term RCC program that gives victims of domestic violence the tools needed to find emotional and financial independence. The program starts in January. Funds are available for child care and transportation. Call 245-7538. The Dunn House offers a shelter for women and children victims of domestic abuse in Jackson County. Call 799-HELP For dangerous and life-threatening situations, call 911. Sawyer, who left her 11-year marriage, is one of a number of women whose wings were clipped by years of abuse and who now welcome a new Rogue Community College program. The NEST (Next Educational Steps in Transition) Project, funded by an $8,000 grant and $2,500 from philanthropic organizations, will give women an anonymous place to explore relationships. A collaboration of RCC's Bright Futures, Moving On and Women's Crisis Support Team in Josephine County and the Dunn House in Jackson County, the continuing program begins in February with three-hour classes once a week. Since many of the women who would take the course don't want their husbands to know, the school will offer anonymity. "Essentially, we are building a nest through a series of workshops for women who want to leave an abusive relationship and who want to rebuild their lives," said Gerry Sea of Bright Futures. Those who register for the course can take it for free for general information or can elect to take it for one credit for each month that they are enrolled. Organizers expect 20 students might attend the classes, which will be held at RCC's downtown Medford campus. Crystina Brazie, program manager for the Dunn House, which shelters abused women, said the program will offer another anonymous outlet for women. "There is no other support in Medford," she said. "It will give us another chance to reach women who are struggling to get out of domestic abuse situations," said Brazie. The NEST program will give women who might not be ready to leave their relationships a chance to discuss issues surrounding abuse. Jill, who asked that her real name not be used, struggles with her conviction that she must leave her husband. "I was not aware I was in an abusive relationship," said the Medford woman. "When everybody thinks he's wonderful, you ask yourself, "What's wrong with me?' " Jill said her husband recently came home, kissed her on the head and told her he had spent her last $100 gambling. While this might not seem particularly heinous, it is symptomatic of the kind of economic hostage-taking in which many of the women find themselves, said Brazie. "There is a lot of social pressure for women to stay together in a relationship," she said. And problems like Jill's often are passed from one generation to the next. Tearfully, she recounted how her daughter also has found herself in an abusive relationship and has so far not wanted to seek counseling. The NEST program will discuss these sorts of issues, but it will offer a college setting that could lead to a new career and independence. Women could choose to go to Dunn House to escape domestic abuse, or enroll in the Bright Futures program at RCC. And for women still struggling with getting out of their relationships, it will provide the first step in breaking free. "You can be anonymous without fear or retribution from outside forces," said Jill. "It opens up a whole new world for domestic or physical abuse victims." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.