[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24566-24567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            A TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF BAY COUNTY WOMEN'S CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 7, 1999

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
organization which has done much to increase awareness of domestic 
violence in the United States as well as in my home town of Bay City, 
Michigan. The Bay County Women's Center provides essential support 
services for victims of physical or sexual assault, many of whom are 
women in violent domestic situations.
  The Women's Center was established in 1975 by twelve dedicated 
volunteers who had recognized the need for a local support organization 
which provided essential services for abused persons. The Center now 
offers victims a wide range of crisis intervention services, such as 
counseling, advocacy, information and referral services, as well as 
extensive community education services. This means that a woman who is 
being abused has someone to turn to twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a 
year. The Women's Center has truly proved to be the saving grace for 
thousands upon thousands of women.
  Mr. Speaker, the statistics on domestic violence are staggering. 
Approximately one family in three will experience domestic violence. 
And in our country, four women are killed

[[Page 24567]]

each day by their husband or partner. The victim is killed by someone 
who, if one uses traditional marriage vows, has promised ``to cherish 
and honor until death do us part''--which, of course, is a far cry from 
``to cherish and honor until I decide to kill you''. Battery and abuse 
are particularly horrific because they destroy a sacred bond through 
violence, and leave these women isolated from their community, their 
family and in mortal fear of their partner.
  The Bay County Women's Center, funded in part by the United Way of 
Bay County, and sustained by many dedicated and caring individuals, is 
an organization which is a model for all community agencies devoted to 
protecting adults and child victims against domestic violence and 
sexual assault. This month is designated National Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month, and to mark this, the Women's Center plans their 
annual Candlelight Vigil for survivors to domestic violence. The Center 
is committed to ending domestic violence in Bay County, and for that 
very fact, it deserves our respect. Mr. Speaker, I invite you and all 
our colleagues to join me in honoring the work of the Bay County 
Women's Center. May I also offer my deepest condolences to the victims 
of domestic violence, and my support for all the survivors. It is my 
sincerest hope that with the guiding example of the Bay County Women's 
Center, we can all join together to work against the horrific crime of 
domestic violence and abuse.

                          ____________________