About two weeks ago, the gated community of Island Village– on the border of Seal Beach in southeast Long Beach– was rocked with the sound of gunfire when a husband fatally shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide.

Wayne Havron, a 53-year-old off-duty Los Angeles Fire Department captain, was the suspect in the killing of Sidette Havron, his 45-year old wife who later succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.

It was another example of a perilous circumstance turned fatal– and many recognized the act as another case of domestic violence. Havron and victims of abusive relationships were honored in an event last Friday.

The WomenShelter of Long Beach hosted its 11th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month Event on Oct. 6 at the Teachers Association of Long Beach headquarters in an event that recognized the lives of those impacted by domestic violence and raised awareness about the issue to help prevent potential abuse…

Thank you to Denny Cristales and the Signal Tribune for this informative article covering our LOVE IS… event.

Read more at the Signal Tribune.

Source: Local event recognized victims of domestic-violence incidents and promoted prevention strategies | Signal Tribune Newspaper

Two Long Beach groups are helping survivors of domestic violence in a unique way.

Earlier this year, WomenShelter of Long Beach and the spcaLA teamed up to launch a pilot program that paired shelter dogs with people dealing with abuse trauma. The program officially launched in early September.

Called Compassionate Intervention, the program paired dogs from the spcaLA shelter in Long Beach with teens involved in the sessions. With the help of trained spcaLA staff, clients learned how to better their own communication skills while learning to interact with the dogs….

Thank you to Stephanie Stutzman and Gazette Newspapers for this wonderful article!

Read more at Gazettes.com

Source: WomenShelter of Long Beach, SpcaLA Help Domestic Violence Survivors | Entertainment | gazettes.com

WomenShelter of Long Beach
P.O. Box 17098 Long Beach, CA 90807

For information contact:
Tatiana Dorman
Associate Director
(562) 437-7233
tdorman@womenshelterlb.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WomenShelter of Long Beach
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Event:
LOVE IS…

LONG BEACH, Calif. – October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
WomenShelter of Long Beach (WSLB), a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating domestic violence,
is partnering with the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) to host its 11th Annual
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Event on Friday, October 6, 2017 from 5:30PM-9:00PM.
The purpose of this event is to honor the lives of those who have been affected by domestic
violence and to promote prevention education and awareness in hopes of preventing future
violence. WSLB will share information to help individuals distinguish between unhealthy and
healthy relationships and recognize the impact that domestic violence has on the community.

The event will commence with a special presentation at 5:45pm by Supervisor Janice Hahn
followed by remarks from Councilmember Al Austin, and TALB President Barry Welch. This
year’s awareness event will focus on increasing the community’s awareness and ability to
identify domestic violence by providing free education, prevention activities, and two large scale
community art projects. “Events like these fill such an important need in our community.
Statistics indicate that less than 15 percent of the population is aware of this issue. Education
plays a key role in ending domestic violence,” says WomenShelter of Long Beach Executive
Director Mary Ellen Mitchell.

This event is generously sponsored in part by Honorable Beverly O’Neill, End Abuse Long
Beach, Mike Vela, Kristi Fischer and Joe Vanderhorst, A Window Between Worlds, The Long
Beach Rescue Mission, and The Water Replenishment District of Southern California. Service
providers such as Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, BARK (Beach Animals Reading with
Kids), The Guidance Center, Rainbow Services, YWCA Greater Los Angeles Area, and
CSULB’s Women’s & Gender Equity Center, and many others will host tables to share free
services, information, and ways to help make a positive impact on the community.

Please contact Tatiana S. Dorman with any questions regarding this event:
tdorman@womenshelterlb.org, 562-437-7233, ext. 27.

About WSLB:
The mission of WSLB is to eliminate domestic violence through compassionate intervention,
education and personal empowerment. Since 1977, WomenShelter of Long Beach has helped
thousands of families overcome the trauma caused by domestic abuse. WSLB is a federally
recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – Federal Tax ID #95-1644058.

# # #

Download this Press Release Here

We are proud to announce that Blue Shield of California Foundation awarded WSLB with a $20,000 grant to support our victim services and outreach prevention programs.  Many thanks so Blue Shield of California Foundation for their continued support.

Click here to download our Press Release