For Immediate Release: 8/20/08

Naples, FL –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 11, 2008, at Options Thrift Shoppe, located at 968 Second Avenue North in Naples, as part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities taking place this October.

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.

Based on Koerner’s own true story of abuse by an intimate partner, Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise conveys a paradox of tropical beauty and domestic violence in a country void of women’s shelters, legal advocates and local law enforcement.

In addition to the Book Signing, the Shelter will also be hosting the following Domestic Violence Awareness Month events:

• Educating with Emery Boards, Sunday, September 28, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at locations throughout Collier County (locations to be announced). For more information, call 239-775-3862, ext. 235.
• Courthouse Candlelight Vigil, Wednesday, October 1, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the Collier County Courthouse steps. Help empower future generations to end the violence before it begins while remembering those we’ve lost in this epidemic. More details to follow.
• Children & Domestic Violence, Monday, October 6, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., a by-invitation-only training designed to introduce the effects of domestic violence on children to Shelter board members and partnering agencies.
• Teacher Appreciation, Thursday, October 9, time and location to be announced; 239-775-3862, ext. 217 for details.
• Healthy Relationships, Thursday, October 16, 2:00 p.m., for students at Edison Community College, Naples. Learn the signs of a healthy relationship. For details, please call 239-775-3862, ext. 238.
• Cut Out Domestic Violence, Monday, October 20, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00/Noon, training for salon professionals only. For more details please call 239-775-3862, ext. 229.
• Strut Your Mutt, Saturday, October 25, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Germain BMW, 11286 Tamiami Trail North, Naples. Join the Shelter for this Halloween pet-costume event hosted by The Humane Society Naples and featuring a lively pet costume contests with prizes, local pet-related vendors and celebrity judges! Cost: $10. For more information: 239-643-1880.
• Children’s March on Main, Monday, October 27, 2008, the Shelter’s Immokalee Outreach Office will host a children’s fair from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by a police-escorted Children’s March on Main Street in Immokalee from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Details to follow).

In addition to the above mentioned events, the Shelter is hosting a Veterinarian Appeal to provide local veterinarian offices with “Protect Your Pet” brochures and a Cell Phone Drive to collect cell phones that provide domestic violence victims access to 911 for emergency calls only. For more information on these two campaigns please call 239-775-3862.

The Shelter for Abused Women & Children, Collier County’s state certified domestic violence center, provides programs and services designed to prevent domestic violence before it begins; advocates for societal changes to end domestic violence in our community; and meets the immediate and long term needs of victims and survivors.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Since 1989, the organization has served more than 50,000 individuals through its innovative programs and services. If you or someone you love is in an abusive relationship, please call the 24-hour crisis line at 239-775-1101. To learn more about the Shelter for Abused Women & Children’s life-transforming programs and services, please call 239-775-3862, or visit our website 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