SUN CITY – With a presentation given on domestic violence and a spotlight placed on the issue in Sun City, Kathie Green, a three-year resident of the Arcadia Neighborhood, is taking matters into her own hands to help victims.
Though having taken a recent medical leave of absence from her presidency of Neighborhood Watch/Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Green is ready to plunge into helping victims of domestic abuse.
Green is now in the process of forming a Sun City domestic violence self-help support group. Her credentials include having been in the medical field for 25 years.
“In the city of Chicago, I was an EMT [Emergency Medical Technician] in the inner city Cabrini Green area and continued to work in a hospital setting for the next 15 years,” Green said.
Kathie has also been a domestic violence and sexual assault counselor for the past 19 years.
“I worked [at] ‘A Safe Place’ in Waukegan, moved out of Illinois, and lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin and worked with Kenoshans against sexual assault. Then we grew to do more for the community, and we changed the name to Pathways of Courage. And about 10 years ago, it was changed again to its current name of Women and Children’s Horizon,” Green said.
Upon moving back to Illinois, Green became connected to Turning Point in Woodstock. Now she is looking to address what she feels has long been a need in Sun City.
“I was talking with some of my co-workers at Turning Point about a year and a half ago, and said I felt a group of support and education as well as awareness was vital in Sun City, but that never materialized,” she said.
Green also has a personal reason for starting up the group.
“When I was a victim of domestic violence back in the early ’80s, there was not anyone there for me to talk to,” she explained. “Also there is a real need for this group. It is a real problem that should not be swept under the rug; it needs to be addressed.”
When asked what she envisions the support group to be, Ms. Green quickly answers, “I want women [and men] to feel they are not alone and they have someone to talk to,” Green said. “They need to be equipped for their future.”
She also wants Sun City residents to know there will be no charges for her services.
“We are not going to advertise due to the sensitivity of the subject,” Green said. “Also, many victims will be reluctant at first [because] they may be living with their offender.”
Kathie said she has yet to counsel an abused man, though she acknowledged they can be victims too.
“It actually goes both ways. Men are victims too. I would say one in four men are abused and, more often than not, do not report it,” she said. “What man really wants to admit being abused by a woman?”
Green will offer counseling for both sexes in a domestic situation, but partners cannot be counseled on the same day as each other, as it is not ethically possible to do so.
Elder abuse is another area of focus for Green and her planned support group.
“There actually is quite a bit [of elder abuse]. Most patients don’t want to report [it] due to fear of worse treatment,” she said.
Green said she hopes to start with monthly meetings and if more are needed, the schedule can change. She plans to meet in Meadowview Lodge.
“I will email each person individually, and [all communications] will be kept strictly confidential,” she said.
Green’s services are being offered exclusively to Sun City residents. She asked that if there are victims known outside of the community, please contact Turning Point (a shelter for women and children in Woodstock). Other agencies that can be called on for help are Senior Services Associates, Inc. in Mc Henry or Community Crisis Center in Elgin.
Ms. Green may be reached by phone at 850-428-0582 or by email at kathie417@gmail.com.
