Hillsdale College GOAL programs A Few Good Men and Domestic Harmony are partnering together for a work day at the Domestic Harmony shelter for women in downtown Hillsdale, Saturday, April 6.
The joint group of volunteers will provide manual labor for organizing, yard work, and small maintenance projects at the shelter.
The Domestic Harmony shelter provides a safe place for women to escape intimate partner violence and receive help. It can house up to eight families, and many women bring their children as well, said sophomore Danica Carrier, Domestic Harmony GOAL leader.
“They won’t turn anyone away,” Carrier said.
All regular volunteers must be trained, and there are currently 20 from Hillsdale College. They work by answering the 24/7 crisis phone line, providing child care, and just talking with the women, Carrier said.
Some volunteers also work in the preventative educational program run through the local schools. The program provides information to women about domestic violence, signs of its occurrence, and resources to help.
Saturday’s work day will combine with A Few Good Men and their emphasis on service projects. Those interested in volunteering must sign up as soon as possible because background checks are required due to the sensitivity of the women’s situations.
“We are excited about it because every program, just like every individual, has certain strengths and things it does very well,” said junior Ben Holscher, A Few Good Men GOAL leader. “So it just makes sense to partner programs in order to maximize our strengths.”
Both Carrier and Holscher said they hope this will bring more awareness to both groups and the community services they provide. GOAL’s vision is to have the different programs build relationships to maximize their efforts, Holscher said.
“It’s been wonderful working with Ben and to see how other GOAL programs are run,” Carrier said.
A Few Good Men will be partnering with two other groups in the near future as well. At the end of April, it will help the Salvation Army GOAL program with a project to renovate the playground behind the Salvation Army facility.
A Few Good Men is also working on collaborating with the public schools and other community members to coordinate a day to pick up trash throughout the city.
“I’m getting super stoked,” Holscher said. “Doors are opening everywhere.”
tknopf@hillsdale.edu