Four women belted out songs from musicals Friday night in an attempt to give a voice to the pain of domestic violence victims. \nThe Miss IU Organization held a concert to raise money for Middle Way House and the Miss IU Scholarship Program. 2008 winner Gabrielle Reed chose to benefit Middle Way because she volunteers at the organization and has a platform based on domestic violence prevention.\nReed, Miss Indiana 2006 winner Betsy Uschkrat, Miss IU Organization Executive Director Lindsay Shipps and IU alumna Sara Radke performed classical selections from musical productions such as “She Loves Me” and “Carmen.” The concert was held at First United Church, 2420 E. Third St.\nShipps said the concert raised only $100 – about $900 short of the organization’s goal. However, she said she had no regrets about holding the concert. \n“It’s $100 more than they had,” she said. “And we had increased visibility for this cause.” \nShipps said the bad weather and recent floods may have prevented people from coming to the concert, but she said it’s important for people to remain safe. Shipps also said the organization is now considering holding another concert and planning other fundraising efforts for Middle Way. \nDespite the audience consisting of about 10 people, the women’s voices echoed loudly in the sanctuary. Reed
performed two songs, including “Habanera” from the opera “Carmen.” Singing the classic will be her talent for the 2008 Miss Indiana Pageant, which began Sunday in Zionsville.\nMiddle Way Executive Director Toby Strout said she was grateful to the Miss IU Organization for holding the concert and plans to use all money raised for basic emergency support, such as the 24-hour crisis line and emergency shelter.\n“Victims come to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” Strout said. “We try help them feel normal again.”\nReed spoke to the audience about her platform for the pageant, which is to support organizations such as Middle Way House and the effort to prevent domestic violence. Reed gave statistics concerning domestic violence, stating that every 15 seconds, a person endures domestic violence from his or her partner.\n“We need to realize that this affects us all,” she told the audience.\nShipps praised Reed for her platform and said Reed’s efforts and the platforms of previous winners show what the Miss IU Organization is really about.\n“They’ve always been vocalists,” Shipps said. “We want everyone to know that Miss IU is involved community-wise, not just on campus.”\nReed said preventing domestic violence has always been a passion of hers, which is why she started volunteering for Middle Way House in the spring semester through the influence of IU’s Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. Reed works for the 24-hour crisis line and is an on-scene advocate who visits victims after they call for help. On-scene advocates console victims and fight for the victims’ rights.\nReed said domestic violence was something that affected her personal life. She added that people shouldn’t forget that violence can take an emotional and psychological form as well. She said after she got out of her own situation, she felt the need to spread awareness about domestic violence. She decided to use her status as Miss IU and her singing talent as tools for prevention and awareness.\n“I wanted to give back,” she said. “A lot of people told me they feel grateful that someone acknowledges their suffering. Some people don’t believe them.”\nReed recalled one instance where she sang the song “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” early on in her pageant career in another concert to benefit domestic violence victims. After the performance, Reed remembered a woman she described as petite and frail thanking her for her efforts. The woman also said Reed was one of the few to accurately express her pain and the pain of other victims.\nReed said the woman’s reaction, others’ positive feedback and her own personal experience encouraged her to continue her platform.\nShe said she hopes to continue being a voice for those who endure domestic abuse and said she would still work for domestic violence prevention even if she wasn’t Miss IU.\n“I’m not doing this platform because of the pageant,” Reed said. “I do the pageant because of the platform.”
