Latest news with #WomenofWord
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Non-profit looking for stair lift to help local veteran
A non-profit organization is turning to the community to help a local veteran in need. Operation Griswold is dedicated to enhancing the well-being of local veterans. The organization currently is looking to raise funds for a stair lift that can clear 12 steps. This is for a local vet who is going to lose mobility due to a second cancer diagnosis — His bedroom is in the basement and a stair lift would help him maintain his independence. 'I realized I'm not alone' – 13th annual Women of Word performance provides catharsis for trauma victims One representative said it has been a challenge trying to find a stair lift because they are very specific to location. 'We've reached out to a couple of different organizations. The best we've come up so far is a company that you can rent a chair lift from… It's $1,400 to have it installed and then it's $160 a month to rent them, and unfortunately this gentleman doesn't have the financial means to do that,' said Fred Wienecke, co-founder of Operation Griswold. If you believe you can help Operation Griswold with this project, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I realized I'm not alone' – 13th annual Women of Word performance provides catharsis for trauma victims
Words can be powerful, and Monday night some local poets tested just how powerful their words could be. Dozens of community members gathered at Basement Transmissions on West 11th Street for the 13th annual Women of Word performance — An event that seeks to explore mental health and trauma through art. 'Mine started after I escaped. After I was out of my domestic violence situation, I started writing, and I was shoving them under a bed in a box, and my 17-year-old son at the time pulled them out and said, 'Mom, you could be helping people with these,'' said Thasia Anne Lunger, director, producer and performer. Soon after, Lunger got a job telling her story through poetry at SafeNet Erie for eight years. Benedictine Sisters of Erie hold Take Back the Site vigil for victim of attempted robbery Eventually, Women of Word was born — A performance where local poets can tell their own stories of issues from drug abuse to mental illness. 'Someone out there is going through it and thinking they're alone, and that's where I was. I thought, 'I'm the only one stupid enough to be in this situation and not get out of it,' but after I got out and after I started living the world and seeing what happens at SafeNet, I realized I'm not alone,' said Lunger. The stage at Basement Transmissions is usually a place for artists and bands and acting, but Monday night people came to tell their stories and convey important messages. 'I owe it to my larger community, now that I'm safe, to talk about what I went through so that people who are still living in that can maybe latch on to some bit of hope, to help get through their own experience,' said Elyse Palmer, a poet. McDowell students save lives by participating in CBB blood drive Palmer and seven other poets voiced their poetry on the stage, with many delivering their own stories that they wrote themselves. Whether you're dealing with grief, mental illness, addiction or abuse, the cast members said you are not alone. And if you or anyone you know is dealing with something right now, contact one of the many organizations who are willing to help: Veteran's Medical Center: Physical and Mental Health – 814-868-8661 SafeNet Women's Shelter Information: 814-455-1774 Safe Journey Women's Shelter: 814-438-2675 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Safe Harbor Wellness Center: Mental Health: 814-838-3401 Crisis Intervention: 814-456-2014 Women's Care Center: 814-868-4050 Saint Patrick's Haven Men's Shelter: 814-454-7219 City Mission Grace House: Women's Shelter: 814-452-4421 x402 City Mission Samaritan Care: Men's Shelter: 814-452-4421 x239 Crime Victim Center of Erie: 814-455-9515 Esper Treatment Center: 814-459-0817 Erie Outpatient Treatment Center: 814-456-2203 Drug Rehab Erie PA: 814-201-7588 Drug Rehab Centers Erie PA: 814-651-9437 White Pine Center for Healing: 814-461-5617 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
