EOB Bowls for "The Umbrella"

    The explosion of bowling balls rolling down the Valley Bowl lanes in Derby, CT sounded like a series of cannons being fired during a Fourth of July celebration.  Strike after strike the Emmett O'Brien Key club members kept focused on their goal to raise awareness and funds for The Umbrella--a domestic violence program for Birmingham Group Health Services in Ansonia, CT.

This is the third year the EOB Key Club members have participated in this worthy Valley event now in its twentieth year.  Donations of as little as one to five dollars provide much needed support to victims of domestic violence.  Due to the generosity of the EOB community, this year the Emmett students raised twice as much money as last year.

The Umbrella domestic violence program provides emergency shelter, counseling, advocacy, and other critical services for battered women and children across the Valley.  EOB's Social Worker Ms. Gesmonde commented, "It's heartening to know that these students would take time out on a Saturday morning to help others."

The Umbrella strives to educate the public through services and workshops for schools, civic religious, and public service organizations and corporations.  Every year The Umbrella helps over 2,500 women and children.

Emmett students learned that they could make a lasting difference in the fight against domestic violence.  They were made aware of the tangible costs to crime victims annually.  These are estimated to be $105 billion in medical expenses, lost earnings, and public program costs related to victim assistance.

According the The Umbrella group, evey 9 seconds a woman is battered in the United States.  Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 reports knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.  Children who are raised in homes where domestic violence takes place are 15 times more likely to be abused themselves and are more likely than children living in violence-free homes to repeat the domestic violence cycle in their teenage and adult years.

Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women.  In 2001, women acconted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence.  Each year, over 324,000 pregnant women are victims of intimate partner violence in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2002).

Women of all cultures, races, occupations, income levels, and ages are battered by their husbands, lovers and/or partners.  Nationally, 50 percent of all homeless women and children are on the streets because of violence in the home.