Patricia Heaton helps promote domestic violence prevention

[Brian Damage]

SafeHaven of Tarrant County will focus on improving the lives of women and children affected by domestic violence and the overall health of the local Fort Worth and Arlington communities with its upcoming 16th annual Legacy of Women Awards Luncheon.

The event, which will be held Oct. 2, is the biggest fund-raising event for SafeHaven each year, and last year the event raised more than $160,000 for domestic violence prevention and intervention programs, said CEO Mary Lee Hafley. Women from the community who were nominated by others for their contributions to Tarrant County will be recognized.

The guest speaker this year will be Patricia Heaton, an actor who played a lead in Everybody Loves Raymond and is currently in the show Back to You.

“We look for women who have excelled in their particular field, and we look for women who we think relate to people in our community and who have a message that we think will be valuable not only to our clients but to the community at large,” Hafley said.

Heaton is active in organizations like Heifer International, and she said she appreciates organizations that promote the good of women, because women can in turn lift a whole community. Women also may be invested in their communities in ways slightly different than men and can contribute their talents to their neighbors differently, she said.

“I think it’s that ability to multitask and a natural interest that women have in providing a community that’s supportive and safe for their children,” Heaton said.

Providing a safe environment for women and children is just part of the SafeHaven mission, Hafley said. Not only does the organization provide immediate emergency protection for victims of domestic abuse, but it also has programs to continue safety and respect, such as free legal representation and community prevention strategies, she said.

The women who will be honored at the Legacy event can act as role models for SafeHaven’s clients as well as learn something from the women benefiting from SafeHaven’s services, she said.

“We really wanted to hold up women to our clients and say, ‘Look, here are women who have faced obstacles too,’” Hafley said. “What we find is that it’s mutually inspirational for our clients to hear about those women’s stories . . . as well as it’s inspirational for the women who attend our luncheon to hear the stories of our clients.”

With the slowing economy, many people may feel they don’t have enough money to donate anything to organizations like SafeHaven, but Hafley said continuing the programs is not optional.

“I don’t know that we have a choice; I don’t know if the community has a choice,” she said. “I think we just have to assume that the people who live in Tarrant County want to make sure that all families have safety and all families deserve the right to live free from fear and to have hope in the future for not only themselves, but their children, and that together we can make that happen.”

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