LUDLOW, Vt. – At a recent meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC), representatives of the Women’s Freedom Center (WFC) captivated the club membership as they discussed sexual violence and sex trafficking in Windham and Southern Windsor Counties.
Due to the nature of WFC’s organization, which supports the recovery of women sexually victimized, the speakers, Shari and Rhiannon, were only identified by their first names. No video recording of the meeting was made.
The speakers outlined some of the types of cases they support and the emotional and physical damage that they needed to deal with in assisting victimized women and their children, as they attempt to recover and return to a “normal” life.
Rotarian Mary Crowley noted the intensity of the discussion when she noted, “I’ve never seen such a captivated audience as club members were during this discussion and the question-and-answer period that followed.”
The WFC, formerly known as the Women’s Crisis Center, has a 48-year history in the two counties. Among the many roles it plays in assisting victimized women are: a 24/7 confidential hotline, crisis shelters for women and children, development of individual crisis plans, emergency transportation, group support, and community outreach and education.
The WFC is an approved 501(c)(3) organization. Their funding is dependent on support from the federal and state with much of their financial support coming from individual donors. The WFC has a web site at www.womensfreedomcenter.net. They also maintain a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/womensfreedomcenter. Their 24/7 hotline is 802-885-2050 for Southern Windsor County and 802-254-6954 for Windham County; they accept collect calls.