"I feel the hurt from the bruise on their arm, the slap on their face and I feel the pain from the inexplicable hurtful words engraved in the recesses of their hearts and minds that their abuser inflicted upon them." Georgia Bauer says about her work as a victim advocate and first responder to domestic violence cases in Erie.
Georgia said that when she left her ex (an abusive relationship) she sought counciling at a women's shelter. With help she was able to pick herself up and went back to school and got a degree in Sociology and eventually remarried.
"I married the love of my life, a good man that raised my boys like his own (we have a 7-year old daughter together) and feeling like it was time to give back I decided to volunteer at our local women’s shelter and now am an “On-Call Volunteer & Counselor/Advocate.”
She doesn't think what she does is 'Super-hero" worthy.
"I’m not anything special. I’m just a wife, mother, daughter, sister, Aunt, cousin and friend. I cry easily, get mad easily and yet can feel so much joy and compassion that it sometimes hurts. What super hero power do I possibly possess?"
She says she is more of a wall flower and thought about that as an invisibility. The invisible woman!
"You can’t live for years in an abusive relationship without becoming invisible. You have to become invisible to protect your children and yourself just to survive. The struggle within yourself to leave, to stay? It’s that invisible battle that goes round and round. And, until you’re strong enough to make yourself visible, only then can you finally escape and learn to live, love and trust again."
She says that she hopes her experience with invisibility and becoming visible again can help others, that they too can escape the vicious cycle of domestic violence. She is now an on-call volunteer and counselor/advocate. "I basically take the pager after hours and if an emergency call comes in requesting the assistance of counseling victims of domestic violence I’m there"
"My invisibility has given me the power to understand and vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts and experiences of other women in abusive relationships. I feel their pain and their despair. I understand why they just can’t leave."
She says simply, "I want to make a difference in one wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin or friend. I want them to know that their invisible is my invisible. And together we can grow together!"
Georgia's everyday job is as a “Leadership Facilitator” for the L.I.F.T. program (Leaders in Training for Tomorrow), a unique in-school program of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, specifically designed to serve “at-risk” girls in grades six thru twelve. From a social standpoint, an “at risk” population extends to girls who have experienced minimal family stability and support; have poor self-images, values and attitude; function poorly in the community; and engage in destructive behavior that may hinder their chances for becoming positive and fulfilled adults. LIFT encourages girls to develop self potential and values, relate to others, and contribute to society.
And she questions what she does is Super-hero worthy????
She provides a website for help:
If you are finding yourself in or know someone in a bad situation please look up the domestic violence hotline: safeneterie.org
Georgia said that when she left her ex (an abusive relationship) she sought counciling at a women's shelter. With help she was able to pick herself up and went back to school and got a degree in Sociology and eventually remarried.
"I married the love of my life, a good man that raised my boys like his own (we have a 7-year old daughter together) and feeling like it was time to give back I decided to volunteer at our local women’s shelter and now am an “On-Call Volunteer & Counselor/Advocate.”
She doesn't think what she does is 'Super-hero" worthy.
"I’m not anything special. I’m just a wife, mother, daughter, sister, Aunt, cousin and friend. I cry easily, get mad easily and yet can feel so much joy and compassion that it sometimes hurts. What super hero power do I possibly possess?"
She says she is more of a wall flower and thought about that as an invisibility. The invisible woman!
"You can’t live for years in an abusive relationship without becoming invisible. You have to become invisible to protect your children and yourself just to survive. The struggle within yourself to leave, to stay? It’s that invisible battle that goes round and round. And, until you’re strong enough to make yourself visible, only then can you finally escape and learn to live, love and trust again."
She says that she hopes her experience with invisibility and becoming visible again can help others, that they too can escape the vicious cycle of domestic violence. She is now an on-call volunteer and counselor/advocate. "I basically take the pager after hours and if an emergency call comes in requesting the assistance of counseling victims of domestic violence I’m there"
"My invisibility has given me the power to understand and vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts and experiences of other women in abusive relationships. I feel their pain and their despair. I understand why they just can’t leave."
She says simply, "I want to make a difference in one wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin or friend. I want them to know that their invisible is my invisible. And together we can grow together!"
Georgia's everyday job is as a “Leadership Facilitator” for the L.I.F.T. program (Leaders in Training for Tomorrow), a unique in-school program of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, specifically designed to serve “at-risk” girls in grades six thru twelve. From a social standpoint, an “at risk” population extends to girls who have experienced minimal family stability and support; have poor self-images, values and attitude; function poorly in the community; and engage in destructive behavior that may hinder their chances for becoming positive and fulfilled adults. LIFT encourages girls to develop self potential and values, relate to others, and contribute to society.
And she questions what she does is Super-hero worthy????
She provides a website for help:
If you are finding yourself in or know someone in a bad situation please look up the domestic violence hotline: safeneterie.org