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
Lysetta Hurge-Putnam to be honored at Eastern Bank’s Community Advocacy Awards and Eastern Bank’s Charitable Foundation helps Independence House expand Prevention with $10,000 Award
Hyannis, MA, October 26, 2015 — On November 5, 2015, from 7:30-9:30am at the Cape Codder Resort and Spa in Hyannis, Eastern Bank will recognize Lysetta Hurge-Putnam, MSW, LICSW, Executive Director of Independence House with the honor of the Eastern Bank Community Advocacy Award; and recognize her work and leadership on behalf of victims of domestic and sexual violence in the Cape Cod community, both locally, regionally and statewide. The Eastern Bank Community Advocacy Awards Ceremony will address Lysetta’s leadership as Executive Director since 1999 and steering Independence House to become the largest, and most effective leading non-profit organization providing free and confidential services exclusively to survivors and their families affected by domestic and sexual violence on Cape Cod.
Over the years, Lysetta has been a strong advocate for public policy which is responsive to the needs of domestic and sexual violence survivors. She has served as an appointed commissioner to the Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence in both the Romney and Patrick Administrations; has served in numerous advisory roles on issues pertaining to domestic and sexual violence in Massachusetts, and has testified as an expert witness for the prosecution; and served on the Jane Doe, Inc., Board of Directors (The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence) where she also served on their Executive Committee, and is currently a member of their Finance Committee.
Since its inception in 1979, Independence House has grown from two women and a telephone offering assistance to women in abusive relationships, to serving over 100,000 residents of all races, genders and sexual orientations on Cape Cod in its 36 years. Over her tenure with Independence House, Lysetta has led the agency to help an average of 8,000 Cape Codder’s annually with assistance through its multiple survivor centered programs, including Domestic and Sexual Violence; Housing Stabilization; SAFEPLAN Court Advocacy in each District and Probate courthouse on Cape Cod; Prevention programs in multiple Cape-wide upper level schools; a Child Witness to Violence Program; a Teen program; a Later in Life Program addressing domestic and sexual abuse for the resident population over the age of 50; a recently launched program for families of homicide survivors; a 24-hour hotline, and medical accompaniment, where Independence House counselors and advocates provide assistance to victims of rape at both Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals and to all 15 Cape Cod police departments. Additionally, Independence House, through the leadership of Lysetta Hurge-Putnam in collaboration with the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, established a collaborative High Risk Domestic and Sexual Violence Team/Task Force with team partners including Independence House, the Cape & Island’s District Attorney’s Office, Law Enforcement, the Department of Probation, Barnstable County House of Corrections, and other key collaborators. Lysetta was also instrumental in spearheading a memorandum of understanding with the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office, to provide sexual assault services for incarcerated victims of sexual assault. Lysetta and her team of staff has established and maintained numerous significant and long term collaborations and affiliations with a myriad of service providers and groups to assure effective response for victims.
As part of Lysetta Hurge-Putnam’s Eastern Bank Community Advocacy Award, Independence House has also been named as the recipient of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation 2015 Targeted Grant Program with a $10,000 award. The grants focus on violence prevention recognizes that violence, in all forms, is a serious public health problem and affects people in all stages of life. This grant will help match a recent award of $50,000 from the Davenport Companies Seaside Lemans Race, restricted to support the expansion of the Independence House Prevention Division in schools throughout Cape Cod, reaching more youth than ever before, to facilitate primary prevention practices and promote safe and healthy relationships.
To learn more about Independence House, visit www.independencehouse.org or their dedicated teen website at www.independencehouseteens.org.
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