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STEUBENVILLE -- Ohio Valley NOW, a new community organization in the area, is launching its first community project and is asking for donations from the public to help clients at the A.L.I.V.E. Shelter.
"What better time to lend a hand than as we prepare to celebrate a day of love?" notes convening chapter President Marjie DeFede. "We would like to help people look at Valentine's Day as not just for romance for couples, but also as a day for women to learn to love and respect themselves and recognize it also as a day for empowerment." Donations will be collected and presented to the A.L.I.V.E. staff on Feb. 14.
There are two ways to participate in the project with chapter members accepting donations of personal grooming and hygiene products for the shelter guests. Those can be dropped off at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located at 415 Adams St., Steubenville, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pickup of items is available in Belmont and Jefferson counties by calling (740) 859-3233.
For those who would like to donate funds, a Facebook fundraiser has been created and can be found at the Ohio Valley NOW Facebook page. One hundred percent of all monetary donations will go directly to fund the A.L.I.V.E. shelter operations.
Ohio Valley NOW is a convening chapter of the globally known National Organization for Women and "was formed in response to local concerns over giving women a stronger and equal voice in our communities," DeFede noted. The organization already has been active in rallies and taken positions on issues such as reproductive rights and safety for women. Group members chose a community project as a way to introduce Ohio Valley NOW to the public.
"As a teenager, I joined the first local NOW chapter and decades later still find that women and men are seeking a way to advocate for issues that directly affect women," DeFede said. "We are community-led and community-oriented, and that's why we've chosen to devote our first official efforts to aid an organization that has brought safety and hope to women, and that is A.L.I.V.E. Inc."
An acronym for Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments, A.L.I.V.E., Inc. is known for providing a refuge for victims of domestic violence, "but it does so much more." Its mission of A.L.I.V.E. Inc. is to provide safe alternatives to living in a violent environment. It provides emergency sheltering, a 24-hour crisis hotline and advocacy services to all victims of domestic violence and their children. Is also strives to educate citizens about domestic violence.