Third Annual Women’s Safety Conference Binds Like-Minded Groups to Help Texas Women Avoid Being Victims of Sexual Abuse, Stalkers, and Workplace Violence, Sept. 9
Sisters S.O.S. of Fort Worth, Texas, will hold its Third Annual Women’s Safety Conference, titled “Keeping Women Safe Inside and Out,” Saturday, September 9. The day-long meeting from 8:30-4 PM will be held at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center in Ft. Worth, TX (located at I -30 and Beach St). Registration is available online, www.sistersos.com; by phone, 817-446-6116; and at the door
Annette Burrhus-Clay of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) and many other safety officers, ministry leaders and legal professionals are locking arms with Dallas-Fort Worth-area women in an effort to minimize their risk of being victims of stalking, domestic violence, date rape and workplace violence, among other crimes .
More than 500 women and girls are expected to attend practical workshops and education classes, designed to proactively address startling statistics, like:
•
924,000 Texas women were battered in 2004 (Texas Health and Human Services Commission).
•
More than 500,000 U.S women are stalked each year by someone they know, (Texas Council on Family Violence)
•
One out of three American women report being abused at some point in their lifetime (Time Magazine)
Sisters S.O.S. Founder and Executive Director Elsie Allen will host and deliver the keynote address during an “empowerment luncheon” at noon. “I am constrained by the love of God to speak up and make a safe difference for all women,” said Allen, who experienced domestic violence prior to serving as a Ft. Worth policewoman for seven years. In 1989, she was named “Woman of the Year” by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Currently, she is a popular speaker on women’s safety issues throughout Texas and was named to the Governors Board of Professional Engineers in Austin, Texas.
Allen was heart-broken by the increase of violent crimes and vicious attacks on women and girls in her community and throughout the U.S. In 2004, she launched Sisters S.O.S. (Supernaturally Overcoming Situations) to provide women with biblically-based information and tools to enjoy a safe and secure life.
Sisters S.O.S. has four fundamental goals: 1) To prepare women and girls with a safety plan of action; 2) to help them avoid danger if possible; 3) to train them to defend themselves if necessary; and 4) most important, to teach them how to survive unsafe situations.
Speakers and workshops are as follows: Burrhus-Clay of Austin will teach “Stalking: Minimizing Our Risk, Maximizing our Safety.” Michael Grisby of the Ft. Worth Police Department will share insights on how attendees can avoid identity theft, while private investigator Carolyn Tharp and lawyers A.Y. Collins and Stephanie Woodward offer a program, titled “Keep it Legal.” Self-defense will be taught by Blythe Whinery of Sixth Sense Self Defense of Wabash, IN, and Tommy Stallard of the Arlington School of Self Defense. Safe Haven of Tarrant County will offer a workshop on domestic violence, titled “What Can I Do?” and House of Praise Church of Ft. Worth will offer the workshop, “Safe and Secure Relationships.” Other workshops are geared to help women make wise choices about their body language and workplace-related issues.
For more information, visit the organization’s website online, www.sisterssos.com.
