On Halloween this year Chi Alpha Kappa (a woman’s social club on campus) is organizing a 5K run, Run For Your Life, and all proceeds are going to Bozeman’s Help Center. To provide more information for us about what it is they do, they invited us on a tour of their facilities – “facilities” meaning a small house just below Main Street with counseling areas and telephones. For those of you who don’t know, the Help Center runs a 24-hour crisis hotline; any kind of emergency, whether you’re the victim or a friend of one, can be directed there. They also serve as advocates, counselors, and a strong support system for sexual assault victims, attempted suicides, and anyone else who needs help or a caring ear. The Bozeman Help Center is the only one of its kind in the Northwest Region when it comes to Sexual Assault because they do not only advocate for the victim, but offer long-term counseling after the fact. The Help Center also runs a program called Telecare in which they make daily calls to homebound people – those who don’t have many places to go or people to see, often times they can’t leave their homes – simply to provide care and a friendly voice.
During the tour I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who has been with the program nearly from its founding, Wendy. In her own words, she’s “only been with the program since 1975 and it was already four years old.” She is a delightful presence and I was honored to meet her.
The girls of Chi Alpha Kappa, including myself, are so excited to be able to benefit Wendy and the Help Center, especially after being invited into their home and given a tour, meeting the amazing staff and volunteers, and learning more about the organization. If you ever need the hotline, the number is (406) 586-3333 and if you would like more information on the Halloween 5K follow
this link.
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