Artist Joelle Rober Goff of Glen, New Hampshire has donated a 36" x 36" original acrylic painting to the 2nd Annual Boots 'N Bling Fundraising Charity Auction and Dinner for Starting Point, set for Saturday, June 2nd at the Glen Ellis Campground. "Lovely Camellias" is Joelle's second original piece created specifically for Starting Point's Boots N' Bling event.  Last year’s painting "Butterfly and Sunflower" raised almost $4000 in the live auction after an exciting bidding war.  Joelle lives in the Mt Washington Valley with her husband and four children. The Goff family owns and operates the Glen Ellis Family Camp Ground, and once again Dick Goff and his family are generously hosting the upcoming event at their beautiful venue. 

In honor of National Sexual Violence Awareness Month, we hear from Charisse Hirschfeld, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner at Memorial Hospital. Listen to the radio program from local station WMWV here.

As a culture we are comfortable with talking about sexuality in shallow ways: we are willing to critique other people’s bodies or sexual choices, but we are hesitant to go all the way, so to speak, and talk about what really matters. What really matters are our desires as sexual beings, our boundaries and where they meet the boundaries of our sexual partners, our sexual self-image and how that plays into our ability to connect with others in a healthy way. What really matters is discussing sexual abuse and the ways it infects our minds, our bodies, our lives, and our community as a whole.  What really matters is reaching every victim of sexual violence and offering support, hope, and options.

[Concord, NH] The 2011 statistics from The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence show the number of people who sought services from our 14 member programs this past year. The numbers reflect an increasing demand for services even as programs cope with continued funding reductions. As is the case with many nonprofits the need for community support remains critical during this time.

April is National Sexual Violence Awareness Month, a time for all of us to renew our commitment to supporting survivors of sexual violence and to working to end sexual violence in our community. Starting Point is hosting events throughout the county. We need your voice to deepen the discussion and the commitment in Carroll County. Join us!