IU senior starts link between students, Middle Way House

October marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Middle Way House, a shelter and recovery center for battered women and children, is in the spotlight in Monroe County. Its mission, according to its Web site, is "to end violence in the lives of women and children by implementing or sponsoring activities and programs aimed at achieving individual and social change." \nFriends of Middle Way, founded last spring, is IU's auxiliary group that acts as a way for MWH volunteers and sympathizers to meet and raise on-campus awareness and funds for MWH. Senior Hannah Gardi and Indiana Daily Student employee Brittany Hodge, both volunteers at MWH, are co-presidents of the organization. \n"So many people have a passion for making the community and the campus safe for everyone that didn't know where to put their efforts," Gardi said. "Friends of Middle Way is a way to bring Middle Way to campus."\nWith Friends of Middle Way's Rape Crisis Checkoff, every IU student has the opportunity to donate $3 to MWH during registration.\n"That's not even a dinner, not even a lunch," Hodge said.\n"And just think, if 40,000 students each donated $3, that's $120,000," Gardi added.\nBut what makes Middle Way House so special?\n"Middle Way House is unique -- it takes a holistic approach," Gardi said. "The thing you have to understand is that when you leave a (domestic violence) situation, your life as you knew it is gone. At Middle Way, they help their women get back on their feet in every way -- jobs, children, housing, everything."\nJunior Katie Crank answers the crisis lines at MWH, a job that consists mainly of informing women of the options they have for leaving an abusive partner, finding a job or finding a home.\n"You can't 'save' victims of domestic violence -- but you can definitely give them the resources and support that can enable them to save themselves," Crank said.\nMWH provides a 24/7 crisis line, and on-scene advocates are available for women immediately after a domestic abuse incident. Affordable transitional housing and day care are available, and the organization owns two for-profit businesses, FoodWorks and Confidential Document Destruction, both of which employ the women of MWH.\nMiddle Way helps break the cycle of abuse for children by providing day care and the social security they need to learn how to develop and establish positive relationships with one another. In addition, rape prevention programs offered in local high schools encourage open discussion about sexual assault.\nMiddle Way's Resource Center, which contains more than 500 titles on abuse, recovery and related issues, is open to the public. The center also organizes approximately 50 presentations and trainings regarding sexual assault and domestic violence for social service workers, law enforcement officials and the general public.\nOther on- and off-campus organizations are invited to team up with Friends.\n"If we combine our strengths, we will be able to build a strong coalition by collaborating with numerous organizations on campus and in the community to end sexual assault and relational violence at IU," Gardi said.