Jill Braun, right, accept-
ed the Voices for Change
Award at the Celebration
of Peace held at Reform
Congregation Oheb
The mission of Berks Women in Crisis is To provide supporTive serviCes for viCTims and
Sholom in Wyomissing on
Wednesday, December 16.
women e l i m i n aT e d o m e s T i C a n d s e x u a l v i o l e n C e i n B e r k s C o u n T y
Susan Fromm, left,
speak
accepted the Vision for
Peace Award at the
Celebration of Peace
earlier this month.
BWIC GIVES VOICES FOR CHANGE AND VISION FOR PEACE AWARDS
Berks Women in Crisis held the annual Celebration of Peace fundraising event on December 16 from 6-8
PM at Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom in Wyomissing. Honored at the event was Jill Braun, with the
agency’s Voices for Change Award, and Susan Fromm, with the Vision for Peace.
The Voices for Change Award is presented annually to an individual whose work helps to advance the mis-
sion of the agency, “to provide supportive services to victims and eliminate domestic and sexual violence in
Berks County.” BWIC Prevention Education Director Christine Gilfillan presented the award to Jill Braun
for her work as a volunteer with CAMPpeaceworks, a program of BWIC’s prevention education department,
PeaceWorks. Jill has served as a facilitator at CAMPpeaceworks for the past three years, and was instrumental
in helping to launch the project with support from the Episcopal Churches of Berks County. She is a licensed
psychologist, working primarily with adolescents, young adults and women, including survivors of childhood
trauma and sexual abuse, at Spring Psychological Associates in Sinking Spring.
Susan Fromm was the recipient of this year’s Vision For Peace Award, which the agency gives every four
or five years to an individual whose body of work over a period of time has greatly helped the agency and its
programs. Carolyn Holleran, past Vision For Peace recipient, presented this award. Susan is a former president
of BWIC’s Board of Directors, and a long-time member of the
fundraising committee. As BOD president, she worked with then-
executive director Rachelle Kucera Mehra to conceive and build
the Emma Lazarus Place, BWIC’s transitional housing complex,
winter 2010
with the agency’s child development center, Emma’s Place, at its
heart. Susan was also instrumental in designing the PeaceWorks
curriculum and advancing PeaceWorks prevention education
programs in schools, and assisted with agency PR for several years.
She continues to be involved with the agency today, some twenty
years after she was first introduced to BWIC while working for
Second Wind Advertising in the late 1980’s.
Over 150 people attended the event. Also announced at the event
was the beginning of the 2010 BWIC Capital Campaign – please
see specific article in this issue of WomenSpeak.
continued on next page
continued from front page
Special thanks to: Maria DiCecco of Celebrated Occasions, a division of Penn Square Catering; Sweet
Street Desserts for donating delicious desserts, VA Productions, for sound and video production, and
Mereliss Colon-Ortiz, who provided a vocal selection for the program.
UPCOmING COmING CAlENDAR OF EVENtS
January 4 at 7 PM; F*R*E*E meeting: Stop the Demand for Sex Tafficking. This meeting will focus
on learning about and taking action to stop the demand for sex trafficking. Experts agree that if we can
remove the demand, the exploitation will cease. Location: Hope of the Nations Church, 134 N. 5th
Street, Reading.
January 9 from 9 AM until 3 PM; F*R*E*E will be meeting to hand out flyers and raise awareness
about the human trafficking problem emerging in our county. One third of rescued human trafficking
victims are identified by everyday people. Help restore victims’ lives and put criminals behind bars.
January 11; Human Trafficking Awareness Event at Alvernia College. Learn from expert Pam
Pillsbury about human trafficking and how you can take action. Specifics will be available at www.
FREEtheENSLAVED.net
January 23 at 9 PM - Midnight; Reach for the Stars Charity RAVE held at the Reading Planetarium,
$25 per person; all proceeds benefit BWIC; Hosted by Casey Fromm, Cydney Engle, Rachel Koslow,
Tierney Loose, Niki Pellicano, Hillary Dooley, and Natalie Sergi (Girls for the Greater Good from
Wyomissing High School) Limited to first 200 responses; Neon Rave Attire; no drugs, alcohol or re-
entry permitted. continued on last page
To make donaTions online, visiT our websiTe aT
www.berkswomenincrisis.org. our “donaTe now”
buTTon is working again!
✁
Your gift is vital to helping us carry out our mission. You truly are the peacekeepers who help
bring safety to countless women and children.
We are proud to recognize our donors at the following Donor Recognition Levels, and ask you
to consider joining our BWIC family.
Donor Recognition Levels Please accept this gift
bwic donations
$2,500 and above Benefactor’s Circle in memory of __________________
$1,000 - $2,499 Diamond Society in honor of ____________________
$ 500 - $ 999 Platinum Club
$ 250 - $ 499 Gold Club
$ 100 - $249 Silver Associates
Up to $100 Friends of BWIC
(Please cut out this form and send it with your gift)
Name _________________________________________________________________
Home Address ___________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip __________________________________________________________
Home Phone _________________________Other Phone ________________________
Email _________________________________________________________________
Please send the newsletter to me via email
Please make checks payable to Berks Women in Crisis.
50 N. 4th Street, Suite 101, Reading, PA 19601
Thank you!
BERkS WOmEN IN CRISIS PARt OF NEW COAlItION tO ADDRESS
HUmAN tRAFFICkING
Berks Women in Crisis’ Prevention Education Director, Christine Gilfillan, has become a member of the
launch team and volunteer co-chair of the Berks County Anti-Trafficking Coalition along with Major Colin
DeVault, the Corps Commanding Officer and Senior Pastor of the Salvation Army in Reading.
This coalition was formed by Bob Morrison of Boyertown, founder of F*R*E*E (Freedom and Restoration
for Everyone Enslaved), a local volunteer movement dedicated to clear paths to freedom from human traffick-
ing. Mr. Morrison saw human trafficking up close through his work in international philanthropy and mis-
sions, and is committed to mobilizing everyday people to address this issue.
One of the goals of F*R*E*E is to unite community and civic leaders and indi-
“Smuggling is viduals to work as one group to eliminate human trafficking from our community.
transportation-based, The coalition gained momentum as a result of a huge public response to coverage
but trafficking is based of trafficking by the Reading Eagle after police raided a massage parlor in Amity
on fraud, force or Township suspected of being a trafficking operation. Investigations in this case are
coercion for the purpose underway.
of exploitation.” Francis Representatives from the district attorney’s office, BWIC, the Berks Coalition
McGowan (Reading Against Homelessness, the Reading-Berks Council of Churches, the Salvation
Eagle, December 5, Army, the United Way of Berks County, the Berks County Community
2009) Foundation and F*R*E*E have attended the coalition meetings so far.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. It involves the exploitation
of persons for commercial sex or forced labor, with the inability of the victim to
extricate from that situation. Traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control their victims. Many victims
are brought here from other countries, some by force, and many under the pretense of starting a new life in the
United States, working, and sending money back home to family members. Traffickers often use a smuggling
debt (the cost of getting to this country from another) to exploit and profit from their control of their victims.
In addition to victims from other countries, many trafficking victims are U.S. citizens – young women, chil-
dren and runaways are particularly vulnerable.
“Law enforcement is looking beyond the surface, and we have a lot of work to do. We’ve heard about it
(human trafficking) happening in big cities and like other things, it’s trickling down to smaller communities
like us.” Berks County Chief Detective Michael J. Gombar (Reading Eagle, October 20, 2009)
Signs of trafficking include workers living at the workplace, employers taking control of workers’ immigra-
tion documents, restricted or controlled communication, and a large number of occupants living in one space.
The building may have extreme security – such as barbed wire or bars on it, blacked out windows, security
cameras, high walls, and bouncers or guards on the premises. Victims are often moved from one location or
region to another with little or no notice, to stay ahead of the law.
An estimated 500,000 to 2 million people are trafficked worldwide annually, with 15,000 – 18,000 traf-
ficked into the United States. An estimated 70% of these victims are female. Poverty has increasingly acquired
a young – and feminine – face. The vast majority of the world’s refugees are women and children, and women
and children are disproportionately exploited as trafficking victims as well. This is especially true in the sex
trafficking industry.
As the leading agency in Berks County for victims of domestic and sexual violence, involvement in the
coalition fits the mission of Berks Women in Crisis. A person held against their will, coerced, and forced to
work as a prostitute is a victim of sexual violence. In cases of forced labor trafficking, domestic and sexual vio-
lence occurs. For example, a woman brought into the United States as a bride, or forced to work as a household
servant, often experiences domestic violence, rape, and other abuse. Human trafficking victims in general are
at greater risk for beatings, rape, burning and starvation.
The coalition met twice in 2009, with Bob Morrison providing speakers to educate the coalition members
about human trafficking. The speakers include Pamela Pillsbury, co-director of the Pennsylvania Regional
Center for Public Safety Innovation, Brian Michael, assistant special agent in charge of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Francis McGowan, a research specialist and intelligence analyst with ICE.
January 11, 2010 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Look for
local events that will be taking place to mark this day. “Each person can pick
The mission and goals of the Berks County Anti-Trafficking Coalition have up a little bit to help
yet to be determined as the group is still in its beginning stages. This is a relatively identify these victims,
new issue for many communities, but Berks County has many professionals and help these victims or
community members who want to see human trafficking end and are willing to prosecute the per-
take action. petrators.” Pamela
To learn more about the Berks County Anti-Trafficking Coalition, contact Pillsbury (Reading Eagle,
Christine Gilfillan at 610.373.1206. If you think you know of a human trafficking
November 7, 2009)
victim or a house of prostitution where victims are being trafficked, call ICE at 1-
866-347-2423.
Facts about Human traFFicking:
• An estimated 500,000 to 2 million people are trafficked worldwide annually
• An estimated 15,000 – 18,000 people are trafficked annually into the U.S.
• Federal investigators have said that virtually all Asian massage parlors like the ones in Amity and Reading
are actually fronts for prostitution controlled by South Korean organized crime.
• Human trafficking yields an estimated $9 billion in profits each year.
• After drug trafficking, human trafficking is said to be the most lucrative business for organized crime.
Unlike drugs and arms traffickers, human traffickers can continue to exploit their victims after the initial point
of sale.
• An estimated 70% of human trafficking victims are female.
• Approximately 27 million people are held in slavery worldwide.
Berks Women in Crisis’ prevention education program, PeaceWorks, invites Berks County teachers, guid-
ance counselors and administrators to save the date for a special performance of OUR VOICES, a unique
theatre assembly opportunity for middle and high school students on January 21, 2010 from 4:00 PM to 5:30
PM at Muhlenberg High School’s LGI Room.
Our Voices is an interactive theatre project of Berks Women in Crisis that is funded by the Youth
Advisory Committee of the Berks County Community Foundation. The performance consists of two scenes;
audience members interact with the characters following each scene, questioning their choices and exploring
their options. The experience helps to encourage youth to make healthy choices and decisions about intimate
relationships.
Our Voices is a youth-driven project that began as an extension of CAMPpeaceworks. Youth from camp
brainstormed original ideas for scenes and wrote first drafts of the scripts. The Teen Ensemble from The
Yocum Institute for Arts Education performs the scenes. Joel Gori, professional actor/director and founder of
Metamorphosis Performing Company, directs the actors and edited the final scenes.
We believe that after previewing Our Voices, you will be inspired to book a performance for spring 2010
at your school or community organization. Again, please save this date to your calendar to preview a special
performance of Our Voices!
pictured: at left, Erinn Sensenig, Governor Mifflin High School with
Josh McNeil, Schuylkill Valley High School; below, Evan Gipprich, Holy
Name High School with Brigid Moser, Wyomissing Jr./Sr. High School
Support Berks Women in Crisis.
It’s the right thing to do.
Present this coupon during your visit on
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 and 10% of your
food & beverage purchases will be donated to Berks Women in Crisis.
796 Woodland Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610 • 610.736.3280
BERkS WOmEN IN CRISIS EmBARkS ON 2010 CAPItAl CAmPAIGN
On December 16 Berks Women in Crisis officially announced its 2010 Capital Campaign, the ONLY
sanctioned 2010 campaign approved by the Berks County Capital Campaign Review Board. Campaign co-
chairs are Sarah Ehrlich and Helen Najarian, members of BWIC’s Board of Directors; Chair of the Honorary
Campaign Cabinet is Carolyn Holleran. The goal of the campaign is to raise at least $2 million of the $3.5
million needed to build a new and comprehensive facility for the agency at 3rd and Chestnut Streets in the
city of Reading.
The campaign was announced by Sarah
Ehrlich at the fourth annual Celebration of
Peace event, along with the exciting news that
as the campaign enters the public phase, one
half of the goal has already been reached – in
the form of pledges made by local foundations,
members of the Capital Campaign Cabinet,
and their contacts within the community!
At the announcement, Ms. Ehrlich stated,
“The need for immediate safety from violence
and abuse has never been greater; our ability
to respond has not kept pace. We must remedy
that now. As the only approved Capital Campaign in 2010, BWIC has the unique opportunity to match the
most critical need of our community with the resources to meet it.”
Some have asked why BWIC would embark upon a major capital campaign during difficult economic
times, and the answer is that we are compelled by these difficult times to do so – our Safe House, which has
been in the same location for over 25 years, is no longer a secure location, is functionally obsolete, and despite
our best efforts, inadequate to serve the needs of women and children fleeing abusive situations. Our current
Safe House accommodates only 26 women and children. In our new facility, we will nearly double that capac-
ity to 50.
In just the last two years, 1760 women and children received shelter, while 850 women and children waited
for services and unfortunately, over 730 women and children had to be turned away. This is an untenable situ-
ation at best, and unacceptable by any standards. Berks Women in Crisis must be available when victims need
us most, including when they decide to seek shelter.
Recent studies indicate that incidents of violence and domestic abuse escalate, or are exacerbated by the
stress families experience during tough economic times. Many victims tell us that they had plans to leave an
abusive relationship, but are unable to do so with dwindling or disappearing resources.
The new building will house Safe House, Bridge House (short-term transitional housing) for six families,
Legal Services, Prevention Education Services, Counseling Services, and administrative offices. Bringing
together direct services, administrative services and prevention education services under one roof will stream-
line and make more efficient agency operations, including flexibility of staff coverage. Energy efficiency will
be paramount in the new building, and will be achieved through the “green” design of the building by noted
local architect Bill Vitale, who also designed the new “green” Berks County Community Foundation head-
quarters at Third and Court Streets in the city.
For more information about BWIC’s 2010 Capital Campaign, or to make a donation or pledge to the cam-
paign, please contact Diane Moyer at 610.373.1206.
OUR GRAtEFUl tHANkS tO EVERyONE
Our sincere thanks to all who donate to Berks Women in Crisis! We are particularly blessed during the
holiday season. We would like to specifically acknowledge the following donations:
Berks Career & Technology Center - gifts
Carpenter Technology – holiday party with food, gifts, and Santa Claus
Sue Dailey and her family - gifts
Dimensions – arts and crafts materials for children
Ethosource – office settings for three BWIC staff members
Kappa Delta Pi of Kutztown University – 150 boxes of art supplies for children & gift cards
The Majewski Brothers - gifts
Ozzy’s Family Fun Center – provided a holiday dinner, entertainment and gifts for over 100 housing, shelter and
learning center families on Wednesday, December 9th
Penn National Gaming – angel tree & gifts for children
Reading Hospital & Medical Center – a holiday party at the safe house with gifts for all women & children, and a
visit by the therapy dogs
Reading Lutheran Parishes – items from our Wish Lists
John Rothenberger – gifts for children
St. Joseph Medical Center – angel tree & gifts for children and desserts
Schuylkill Valley Chapter of Credit Unions – cash donation, gift cards, art supplies, personal care products &
clothing
Twin Valley School District - gifts
In addition, on behalf of the women and children in our housing program, we would like to offer a heart-
felt “thank you” to all of the individuals and businesses who have adopted families for the holidays. Every year
we are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of people who make this time special for the families we serve. We
would also like to say a special thank you to Carol Pinkasavage, who put forth this effort and made sure that
each family was adopted. Again, thank you all for this amazing gift of generosity and love.
A-Z Vacuum Manpower PA/MD/DE branch managers
Affinity Bank Parente Beard employees
Bellco Credit Union and Berks Community Carol Pinkasavage
Credit Union employees TIMET employees
Cin’s Hair and clients Wells Fargo Advisors & employees
Pat Clifton and Boscov’s East William G. Koch & Associates employees
Creswell and Spadea families WorkNet D & A Services employees
Gage Personnel & employees Missy Zimmerman
Carol Kirkhoff
Unfortunately, we are not able to list all of the donations we receive. If we have not listed yours, please
know that your donation has made a tremendous difference to the individuals and families we serve.
Again, our sincere thanks to all who give so generously to Berks Women in Crisis!
A mESSAGE FROm ExECUtIVE DIRECtOR mARy kAy BERNOSky
2009 has been for Berks Women in Crisis what the Chinese Proverb refers to as “interesting times”.
Not only did we move our administrative and program offices, we survived a 101 day state budget impasse.
Unlike many of our sister programs throughout the state, we were able to continue all of our programs at
current levels through that process. The main reason for this is the support we receive from our commu-
nity. In 2006, BWIC began a strategic planning process out of which we identified two major challenges
that we face. The first of these was the need for a larger, more efficient safe house. The second was the lack
of diversity of our funding streams. BWIC had become very successful at obtaining restricted program
funding through state and federal sources; we remain successful at this today. However, we realized that we
had little unrestricted support. Having identified this, we did what we have always done, we asked you for
help. In this case, that help came in the person of Carolyn Holleran, who along with about 150 of her clos-
est friends became our PeaceTrust – a source of significant unrestricted funding that enabled us to weather
the budget storm intact.
As I thought about our turbulent year and how we were able to continue, I realized that although a
lot has changed in the last 30 plus years, some very important things have remained constant. When we
at BWIC identify a need that women and children living with abuse and violence have, our community
always finds a way to meet it. We recognized two incredible women at our recent Celebration of Peace
who have also answered our calls for help. When Christine Gilfillan, our prevention education director,
identified a need for support for a program to offer real primary education to combat the root causes of
violence and created CAMPpeaceworks, Jill Braun was among the first to answer her call. When then
BWIC Executive Director Rachelle Kucera Mehra identified a need for safe affordable housing for vic-
tims of domestic and sexual violence, Susan Fromm answered her call. Their collaboration culminated
in the Emma Lazarus Place, our transitional housing facility and child care center located on Orange and
Muhlenberg Streets in Reading.
Our staff and volunteers can tell you that the work we do is not easy and not for the faint-hearted. They
would also tell you it is impossible to do alone. We need the help of an entire community to offer safety, life
and hope to those who suffer violence and live in fear. I know I can speak for them by saying that we are so
very grateful to know that we are not in this alone.
As we begin our 2010 Capital Campaign to aid the families we support by building a larger, more effi-
cient facility to house our safe house, bridge house and program offices, we are asking once again for your
help. We are already half way to our goal and we know that you, our community, will do what you have
always done in the past – make our dreams a reality.
Thank you for your extraordinary support and the work that you do every day to bring safety, life and
hope to those who suffer from violence and abuse. We wish you a safe and peaceful New Year.
continued from page two
February 12 at 10 PM; Dance fundraiser for BWIC at ViVÁ Tapas Lounge, 901 Hill Avenue,
Wyomissing; Live music will be provided by local soul, Motown and rock review band, Burning House;
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at our office. Please send checks made out to BWIC with
ViVA dance in the memo section along with a self-addressed stamped envelope for us to mail the tickets to
you. Tickets will also be available at the door. Limited to 450 ticket holders so purchase your tickets now.
February 16; from lunch through dinner, fundraiser at On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina, 796
Woodland Road, Wyomissing. Use coupon found in this newsletter or our website or tell them you are sup-
porting Berks Women in Crisis when you place your order. 10% of your food and beverage purchases will be
donated to BWIC, so eat hearty!
February 18 & 19; Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues”, 7 p.m. in Schaeffer Auditorium at Kutztown
University. Tickets, $10, $5 for students; purchase by cash or check at the KU McFarland Student Union
information desk. For credit card purchases, please call 610-683-4092.
Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” is an outrageous, humorous, and thought-provoking play that
both entertains and educates audiences. The eighth annual KU student production of Eve Ensler’s Obie
award-winning play is held in conjunction with V-Day programs on college campuses around the world.
The purpose of the V-Day initiative is to create awareness about violence toward women and to raise
money for local and international agencies devoted to the welfare of women—until the violence stops.
http://www.kutztown.edu/admin/womens/activities.htm#feb
March 1 through May 6, 2010 - BWIC’s 60-hour educational seminar. Location to be determined. See
article below for details. For more information, contact Christine or Karen at BWIC at 610-373-
1206, or christinev@berkswomenincrisis.org.
In October, Wachovia
Wells Fargo Foundation
awarded our shelter a $1,000
Community Partner Program
grant. The mission of the
Foundation is to build strong
and vibrant communities and
make a positive difference
where they live, work and
play. They felt that our orga-
nization is a vital component
to this mixture and they were
honored and proud to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with us
in support of our efforts.
BWIC 60-HOUR EDUCAtIONAl SEmINAR BEGINS mARCH 1
Berks Women in Crisis (BWIC) will offer the 60-hour Domestic and Sexual Violence Educational
Seminar beginning on March 1, 2010. The seminar will take place on Monday and Wednesday evenings from
5:30 – 8:30 PM for ten weeks, and is tentatively scheduled to conclude on May 5th. The seminar is required
for all new staff members and direct-service (hotline, medical accompaniment, working within the shelter/
child care center) volunteers.
The seminar consists of twenty sessions that begin with an introduction to BWIC by Executive Director
Mary Kay Bernosky, and includes topics relevant to our work such as Understanding Domestic Violence,
Sexual Violence and Childhood Sexual Violence, Legal Issues, Advocacy Skills, the “isms”/Diversity, Skills
Development sessions and role plays, Hotline Information, and Medical Issues and Accompaniment.
Presenters are experienced BWIC staff members and members of the professional community whose expertise
fits certain topics.
If you are not able to commit to the entire seminar, certain sessions are open for attendance, including
basic domestic and sexual violence sessions. If you are interested in becom-
ing a direct service volunteer, the first step is to complete the seminar. The
fee for the seminar is $50.00, which covers the cost of an extensive man-
ual. Upon completion of the seminar and a practicum, participants who
meet the qualifications of the agency may volunteer in direct service areas.
For more information, or to receive an application for enrollment in
the seminar, call Karen in PeaceWorks at 610-373-1206, visit our website
at www.berkswomenincrisis.org, or email us at peaceworks@berkswom-
enincrisis.org.