12:11 p.m.
ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - After a woman was
attacked while jogging in Haile Plantation in May, the Gainesville Health and
Fitness Center's (GHFC) Women's Center recognized that many Gainesville
residents were needing to take action. Shelly Barbic and the staff at the GHFC
Women's Center decided to provide a self-defense class open to women and girls
in the community, not just members of GHFC, and they wanted the money raised
during the class to go to the Alachua County Victim Services & Rape Crisis
Center (VS&RCC).
Three classes have been offered so
far, and the last class is scheduled for August 23. The $10 fee for the class
will be donated to the Alachua County
VS&RCC.
The Alachua County VS&RCC
congratulates the staff at GHFC Women's Center on the work they are doing to
empower the community and raise awareness on safety, and they send sincere
appreciation for the donation to their agency. So far, the GHFC Women's Center
has raised over $800 for the Alachua County
VS&RCC.
The Alachua County Victim Services
& Rape Crisis Center has been helping victims of crime since 1977. The
agency offers a range of free and confidential services with an emphasis on
supporting the victim's full recovery. The donations made to the agency will go
to fund medical exams for survivors of sexual assault, support groups for
children and adult rape victims, non-traditional services that are not covered
by victim's compensation, and violence prevention
programs.
For more information, or to
register for the self-defense class, call the Gainesville Health & Fitness
Center's Women's Center at 352-374-4634.