Parish News

St. Bonaventure parishioners answer a ringing need for Women In Distress

Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

COURTESY PHOTO Left to right: Margaret Wolter, chair, St. Bonaventure 25th Anniversary Committee; committee members Theresa Barbera and Josephine Lokie, and Mary Riedel, Women In Distress president and CEO.

DAVIE – A cell phone drive conducted by the 25th Anniversary Outreach Committee of St. Bonaventure Catholic Church answered the call for Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. Parishioners collected 182 cell phones and 200 cell phone accessories and presented them to the organization in a formal ceremony last month.

"On behalf of all of us at Women In Distress, and especially for the families and children who we serve, this generous gift will have a direct impact on keeping our participants safe," said Mary Riedel, president and CEO of Women In Distress. "Cell phones play an integral role in the safety planning of our participants; they can be programmed to dial 911 for emergency calls and in a critical situation, save a life."

Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. (WID) was founded in 1974 and is the only nationally accredited, state-certified, full service domestic violence center serving Broward County. Their mission is to provide victims of domestic violence with safe shelter, crisis intervention and resources, and to educate the community in order to stop abuse through intervention, education and advocacy.

The Cell Phone Harvest for Women In Distress is one in a series of events celebrating St. Bonaventure's 25th anniversary this year. Through her volunteer service with Women In Distress, Nancy Mechaber, the church's outreach committee chair, organized the effort and suggested the organization be the beneficiary of the cell phone drive.

"Our cell phone drive will continue throughout the rest of the year and we look forward to presenting Women In Distress with another large delivery,” said Sharon Rudolph, co-chair of St. Bonaventure's 25th anniversary outreach committee. “Our motto for the past 25 years has been "We are Family," and it is in the outreach of the parish that I witness this most."

For more information on Women In Distress of Broward County, Inc. or to make a donation, visit www.womenindistress.org. For more information about St. Bonaventure's Cell Phone Harvest for Women in Distress, visit www.stbonaventurechurch.com.