Departing from their usual philanthropy, local sorority Delta Psi Omega is raising money this week for the Cedar City Women’s Crisis Center (CCWCC).
Delta Psi Omega’s philanthropy chairs Katie Smith, a sophomore exploratory studies major from Layton, and Lisa Perlin, a senior criminal justice major from Costa Mesa, California, decided on CCWCC because of it’s position as a local organization, and Delta Psi Omega also being a local organization.
“Because Delta Psi is a local sorority, I think the community here is vital to anything we do,” Smith said. “We wanted to do something more local, something we could see ourselves making a difference (in),” Perlin said.
The Partnership Against Domestic Violence estimates that “every nine seconds a woman is beaten in the United States.” According to DomesticShelters.org and the Center of Disease Control, one in four women and one in seven men ages 18-years or older will be a victim of domestic violence during their lives. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that in 2009 and 2010 one in five, or 16.3 percent, of murder victims in America were killed by an intimate partner. The 2014 No More Secrets report done by the Utah Office of Domestic and Sexual Violence found that in 2013 the Utah Sexual Violence Statewide Crisis and Information line received 321 calls.
CCWCC was founded in 1996 to help those suffering from domestic violence, men included. They can provide shelter, monetary assistance, support groups, emotional support, education and other aid to victims of domestic violence.
To assist CCWCC in their efforts, Delta Psi Omega hosted two events and partnered with Mastermind Room Escape Challenge to raise money for CCWCC, and placed donation boxes around campus. Attendees to the events were asked to either make a small donation or donate items off a list that the shelter is in need of. All donations to Delta Psi Omega will go to CCWCC, and 40 percent of the admission price at Mastermind will be donated to CCWCC by using the code “CANYONCREEK” when making an online reservation for tonight.
The sorority has currently raised $350 for CCWCC. To assist Delta Psi Omega’s philanthropy week, a donation can be made through Venmo to Lisa Perlin or to their GoFundMe account.
For immediate emergency assistance for domestic violence call 911, the Utah Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 897-5465 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-7233.
Story By
Haleigh Clemens
sports@suunews.com
Featured Photo Courtesy of Delta Psi Omega
