Domestic violence shelter to hold volunteer training sessions Saturday

As most students pack up and leave IU for the summer, Bloomington’s Middle Way House is left scrambling for summer volunteers.\n“We lose about 60 percent of volunteers during the summer because they are mostly students,” said Forest King, crisis intervention and prevention coordinator for Middle Way House. \nAll volunteers are required to attend a training session, King said. The next training session for summer volunteers will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church. \nMiddle Way House is an organization in Bloomington that focuses on ending violence in the lives of women and children, King said. \nKing said Middle Way House volunteers have an opportunity to participate in about 15 different programs, such as support groups, crisis lines, child care and fundraising.\nWhile many programs require volunteers to be 18 years old, not all do, and the only requirement for volunteers is attending an eight-hour training session sometime during the year, King said. \n“During the training sessions, the volunteers learn about the basic dynamics of domestic violence and sexual assault,” King said. \nKing said local professionals speak to the volunteers about the law and domestic violence, and the training also discusses concerns, hopes and fears of the volunteers. \nMiddle Way House volunteers all have different reasons to work for the same cause. \nFrancesca Monn has volunteered for Middle Way House since January 2007 and has worked on the crisis line and as an on-scene advocate. Monn said she started to volunteer after studying abroad in Amman, Jordan. \n“I became very aware of issues dealing with women and wanted to do my part in empowering women who are victims of violence,” Mann said. \nMann said new volunteers can expect to spend as little or as much time as they would like volunteering. \nMann added that she has learned a lot about herself and how the cycle of violence is perpetrated, which has changed her life. \nGenevieve Johnson, a Middle Way House intern, said she has volunteered with all of the different programs because she truly believes in Middle Way House’s mission. \n“Domestic violence really is a silent epidemic,” Johnson said. “It’s a bigger problem than a lot of people realize.” \nJohnson added that the Middle Way House is a special place to volunteer because it’s the only domestic violence shelter in Bloomington and it has a lot of opportunities that allow people to be flexible. \nFor more information about Middle Way House and its volunteer opportunities, visit www.middlewayhouse.org or call 337-4510.