For Immediate Release: 8/31/07

Naples, FL – As part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Shelter for Abused Women & Children is pleased to join with Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise author Nancy R. Koerner for a Book Signing fundraiser from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 20, 2007, at Options Thrift Shoppe, located at 968 Second Avenue North in Naples.

Held at the Shelter owned and operated Options Thrift Shoppe, the event will feature local author Nancy Koerner signing copies of her self-published book Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise. Copies will be available at the signing for $25.00 each with $5.00 from each sale going towards the Shelter’s life-saving programs and services.

Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise is based on Koerner’s own true story of abuse by an intimate partner and conveys a paradox of tropical beauty and domestic violence in a country void of women’s shelters, legal advocates and local law enforcement. Explains Shelter Director of Programs Jan Christiansen, “This is an example of how sharing one’s story can be empowering and aid healing from the abuse.”

Twenty-years after the abuse, Koerner says she is “finally able to reap the benefits of counseling. I appreciate the Shelter’s services so much. Even though I no longer need a safety plan, they are helping me work through deeply-buried issues.”

As a survivor, Koerner is aware of the harsh realities facing victims of domestic violence so she has pledged that all “Direct Orders from the Author” from her newly-revised website will result in a percentage of profits being donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (www.ncadv.org).

According the NCADV and the Family Violence Prevention Fund:

• 1 in 4 women will be abused at sometime in their lives.
• Up to 3 million women are physically abused by an intimate partner (husband/boyfriend) each year.
• Young women ages 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner abuse.
• Up to 10 million children witness some type (verbal, emotional, financial, psychological, physical) of domestic violence each year.

For more information on Nancy Koerner and Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise, please visit www.belizesurvivor.com.

To learn more about this National Domestic Violence Awareness Month event, and/or the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, please call 239-775-3862, or visit us online at www.naplesshelter.org

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The Shelter for Abused Women & Children helps adult and child victims and survivors of domestic violence through safety, intervention and support; educates the public about domestic violence; and advocates for social change against domestic violence. For more information, please contact us at 239-775-3862, or visit us online at: www.naplesshelter.org

Media Contact: Mary Ann T. Green, mgreen@naplesshelter.org, 239-775-3862, ext. 211