Community rallies to women’s group

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 2

Community rallies to women’s group

A plea to the community for money by the Christchurch Battered Women’s Support Group has raised more than $5500 since its appeal began last Wednesday. Money had been flowing in at an encouraging rate since the group had publicised that it would go bankrupt by the end of the year if it did not get financial support, said the group’s co-ordinator, Mrs Doris Church. “We are not out of the woods yet, as we still need to raise $40,000 by the end of the year, but we have had a much more positive reaction

from the community than we expected,” she said.

Fighting violence in the street was usually seen as more topical and important than violence in the home, although people did not realise that “home is where violent offenders are made,” Mrs Church said.

The group had also been encouraged by the positive response from the “dozens” of businesses in Christchurch arid Canterbury approached for financial support. Banking corporations and insurance companies in Canterbury would also

be approached for money. The question of survival would continue to hang over the group’s head, however, unless the Government stepped in and gave it some funding help, said Mrs Church.

Even if the support group raised its target amount this.year it could not continue to survive by spending staff resources and time on raising money instead of providing services for the abused women it was there for.

“When you are dealing with 400 to 500 women a year, it is no joke,” she said.