It was a busy and insightful four weeks for participants in Women Aware’s 40-hour Domestic Violence Training. Most of the 30 participants were individuals interested in volunteering on Women Aware’s Domestic Violence Response Teams (DVRTs), while several Middlesex County Family Justice Center partners and Women Aware staff members took the training for professional development. The virtual training concluded with an in-person session at the Middlesex County Police Training Center.

DVRT volunteers will continue training under the direction of Women Aware’s DVRT Administrator within the Legal Advocacy department. Ultimately, volunteer advocates will be on call for affiliated police departments in Dunellen, East Brunswick, Highland Park, Jamesburg, Middlesex, Monroe, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, South River and Spotswood to listen, provide support, and share resources with victims of domestic violence following an incident of abuse.

Presenters included: Women Aware Client Services professionals; the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, MCPO Sexual Assault Response Team/Forensic Nurse Examiner Program, Rutgers School of Social Work, and Central Jersey Legal Services. Presenters covered such topics as Values & Ethics, Overview of Domestic Violence, Confidentiality, Effects of Domestic Violence on Children, Police Response to Domestic Violence, Court Procedures, Domestic Violence and Mental Health, Immigration, Strangulation, Cultural Awareness, Safety Planning, and Intervention Skills.

Middlesex County Family Justice Center Director Mildred Torres is a panelist at the Friday, April 29, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., National Crime Victims’ Rights Week virtual event sponsored by the NJ Office of the Attorney General, NJ Division of Criminal Justice, State Office of Victim Witness Advocacy and Victims of Crime Compensation Office. Register here: https://www.njoag.gov/national-crime-victims-week-2022/

The theme of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 24-30, 2022, is Rights, Access, Equity, for All Victims. Through this event, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) hopes to raise awareness of victims’ rights, protections and services. For more information, visit: https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/national-crime-victims-rights-week/overview

March 1, 2022

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Women Aware, it is my pleasure to congratulate Chief Executive Officer Phyllis Yonta on her 15-year leadership anniversary!

I began serving on the board shortly after Phyllis’s hire. From the beginning, it was clear Phyllis had strong and effective management skills. The “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” slogan, hung outside Phyllis’s office, is her motto. The Women Aware staff works as a team, putting the clients first above all else, and I’m sure her excellent supervisors appreciate that micromanaging is not Phyllis’s style.

Serving as the Women Aware board president continues to be a privilege. Working alongside Phyllis, listening to her advice and impressive knowledge, has taken the stress away from my position and fostered a productive relationship between the Board and management.

Phyllis has proven her dedication to the rights of victims of domestic violence. She leads the agency by way of years of experience and compassion for Women Aware’s clients. It is an honor to know Phyllis in any capacity.

Diane Palmer, Board President

Pictured above are Board President Diane Palmer, CEO Phyllis Yonta, Board Treasurer Matthew Flannery, and Board Vice President Jessica Oppenheim.

Congratulations to Women Aware Board President Diane Palmer for being recognized as a 2021 New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award recipient.

Diane Palmer has volunteered for Women Aware, the state-designated domestic violence agency for Middlesex County, for nearly 30 years. She began her service as a children’s program volunteer and holds a special place in her heart for the families served in Women Aware’s emergency shelter. Diane gradually moved into a leadership role, joining the Board of Directors in 2006. She served as Board Secretary and Vice President before being named Board President in 2014. Diane maintains a close connection to the shelter, generously supporting the Annual Gift Shop and annual gingerbread house construction activity for mothers and children.

Diane’s volunteer service to individuals and families affected by domestic violence is heartfelt and hands-on whenever possible. She serves quietly, with a smile. There is no task too big or too small for Diane to accept if it means making things easier, better, brighter or more comfortable for Women Aware’s clients. Because her commitment to service extends into the Middlesex County community, Diane is an effective advocate for Women Aware’s services. She serves as a bridge between Women Aware and the people and organizations across Middlesex County who have the capacity, and demonstrate the commitment, to promote the safety and self-sufficiency of victims moving beyond abuse. Her personal outreach has resulted in monetary and in-kind donations to programs such as the Annual Gift Shop and events such as the 40^th Anniversary Virtual Candlelight Vigil. She is actively involved in Women Aware’s donor stewardship and community outreach. Diane’s leadership as President of the Board of Directors has supported the expansion of Women Aware’s 24-hour hotline, shelter, legal advocacy, children’s trauma reduction therapy and support group services to include Permanent Supportive Housing, a Housing Navigation Program and the foundation for a Family Justice Center for Middlesex County. Women Aware today shelters 200 women and children annually and serves an additional 2,000 victims of abuse. Most recently, Diane led the Board’s affirmation of and support for Women Aware’s executive leadership and staff as they met the extraordinary challenge of providing domestic violence services through a pandemic.

Pictured: Board President Diane Palmer (l) and Development Director Susan Dyckman.