FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Donna Giberti,
Director of Development and Marketing
Independence House, Inc.
508-771-6507 x221, Fax 508-778-0143 donnag@indhouse.net
Independence House Annual Meeting Reflects on Numbers Served and Welcomes New Board Members
Hyannis, MA, November 19, 2015 — Independence House, Inc., Cape Cod’s leading resource, counseling, and advocacy center to address and prevent domestic and sexual violence held its 36th Annual Meeting on Thursday morning, November 19th at 8:30am in the agency’s Hyannis office. Outgoing Board President, Lauren Kanzer, reflected on her long history with the agency reciting her letter from the upcoming annual report and emphasizing the mission of Independence House and the Board’s mission in serving domestic and sexual violence survivors and their families.
Lysetta Hurge Putnam, Executive Director, provided a summary of Independence House accomplishments and outcomes from the 2015 Fiscal Year, detailing how 9,925 lives were touched by Independence House. Part of this number includes 5,500 victims/survivors receiving direct services through the domestic and sexual violence program; just under 1,000 teens and adults increasing their knowledge and skills to become active bystanders with their peers in the prevention of teen dating relationships through the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program and the Enough Abuse Campaign; almost 300 children receiving direct services in the Child Witness to Violence Program; and over 200 teens receiving direct services through the Teen Program.
Installation of the 2016 Executive Board were welcomed and include:
• Board President Elizabeth Dunton, Administrator and Nurse Practitioner at Emerald Physicians;
• Board Vice President Melissa Alden, a private practice attorney and Police Officer with the Yarmouth Police Dept.;
• Board Treasurer Donna Zayatz of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank
• Board Secretary Angela Nash-Hennemuth, MSW, LICSW with a private practice.
And newly welcomed to the Board this year:
• Christine Gagnon from the Administrative offices of the Davenport Companies;
• Michael Hatch, Senior Network and Security Specialist at the Davenport Companies;
• Cat Wilson, Promotional Manager and On-Air Personality at Cape Cod Broadcasting Media;
• Wade Goolishian, MD of Cape Cod Healthcare;
• Sandra Faiman-Silva, Ph.D., retired professor of Bridgewater State University.
Additional Independence House Board members include: Sandra Cashen from the Town of Yarmouth; Lauren Kanzer, of Cape Cod Property Visuals; and Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos of the Yarmouth Police Department.
The mission of Independence House is to help all domestic violence and sexual assault victims, survivors and their children by creating opportunities to find safety and become empowered through crisis intervention, advocacy, counseling, referral, outreach, prevention, education and inspiring change in our community.
To learn more about Independence House and its programs and services, please visit www.independencehouse.org
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