Middle Way House hosts training

When IU sophomore Kelly Spicer went in for volunteer training at the Middle Way House at the beginning of her freshman year, she had no idea she would be fielding crisis calls from women planning to or exploring the option of leaving their abusive spouses.\nMiddle Way, a non-profit organization that supports women and children fleeing from abusive relationships, will train people like Spicer for the 24-hour crisis line, basic legal advice, health management, grant writing, fundraising and some “on-scene advocacy” in January. \nMiddle Way House will hold open training sessions for new volunteers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 21 and Jan. 26 at First United Methodist Church, 219 E. Fourth St. \nElizabeth Hannibal, the crisis intervention services coordinator, said Middle Way is looking for volunteers who are planning to stay for a period of time to build a relationship with the clientele.\n“It’s wonderful to have volunteers who stick around because our clients really get to know them,” Hannibal said.\nSpicer has done just that, working on the crisis line for more than a year.\nSpicer said her training experience was “very informational” but also “very emotional” because of the subject matter.\n“Domestic violence is kind of brushed under the rug,” Spicer said. “People don’t realize how prevalent it is in society.”\nAccording to the Middle Way Web site, domestic violence is actually “the most repeated, least reported crime in the nation,” and a woman is beaten every 15 seconds.\nHannibal said the seriousness of the issue is why Middle Way looks for volunteers willing to stay and create lasting relationships. \nShe also said volunteers save the organization money. About 300 volunteers who trained last year took the place of 10 full-time \nstaff positions.\n“They provide great, loving role models for our children and support for our women,” Hannibal said. “We honestly really couldn’t function without our volunteers.”\nSpicer agrees knowledge and statistics are important. But, she said in her time volunteering at Middle Way, making connections with the women on the other end of the phone line has been the most crucial part of her job.\n“Especially as a woman, just being there for other women in different situations is rewarding – just being there,” Spicer said. “It’s a thing a lot of these women don’t have – someone just being there at \nthat moment.”