A Mother's Solution

A couple of days ago I met with a beautiful young lady, Valerie, who was hesitant to share that she was a survivor. After visiting my website, she emailed me one day from work about her startup nonprofit geared toward teen dating violence. We met at Starbucks to talk about how our organizations might help each other and much to my gratefulness, she decided to share her story and have her portrait done. I want to thank her for coming forward.

**I named the organization, Bravery for a reason: that there is no shame in being a survivor. We are ALL survivors of something in life and the whole point of the portraits is to turn that word victim around to the positive and hold your head up with a determined smile and show the world who you are today.

Valerie has a sister, Vanessa, who authored a book called A Mother's Solution, which is about a mother's perspective on her daughter's abusive relations with a boy she is dating. Below is a synopsis from Vanessa's website.

Evelyn Hill leads an upscale suburban lifestyle that includes a loving husband and two wonderful children.

Happiness quickly turns to terror when the family falls prey to a violent thug-like character from down the way. He enters their lives by dating Evelyn's teenage daughter and later sends their lives spiraling out of control.

Follow this gripping tale of a mother's love and the journey she willingly took when it is discovered that she and her mysterious client are the brains behind murder.

Valerie explained that teen violence is escalating at alarming rates. For instance, for women, ages 15 to 30, homicide resulting from domestic violence is the number one killer. Forty percent of teenage girls ages 14-17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. Why is this?

vanessacollier.com (Take a look at the video interview on Midday Arizona.)



Links on teen dating violence:
Dating Bill of Rights
Real Teens Talk
Teaching Materials for Teen Dating Violence
See It And Stop It