。

GROUP NEWS

Who We Are

Rape Crisis Center: An Update

By Janice Rench

The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is a non-profit organization which provides supportive services to victims of rape and related offenses. The Crisis Center also conducts an extensive educational program to sensitize the public to understand what rape is and why is happens. Most of the people who work at the Center are volunteers who share the belief that when there is a greater understanding of the crime of rape, it is easier for a victim and the people around her to adjust to the crisis. It is our hope that increased understanding can work toward the prevention of rape.

Where We Came From

The Rape Crisis Center was born in response to a longstanding need. Women have been silent victims of rape for centuries. Those years of silence were perpetuated by feelings of guilt, shame and fear. Only recently has the vacuum been broken by outrage and a refusal to accept that misplaced guilt.

As a natural outgrowth of the feminist movement, women who had been victims of rape began quietly to tell one another what had happened. They discovered in their new-found "freedom" to talk about the assault a tremendous emotional release from the feeling that they were to blame. They also found that they were not alone. In many cases they discovered that-they had similar emotional reactions to their friends who had also been victims of rape.

Most significantly, they found other people who were not being judgmental, but were instead sympathetic, understanding and supportive. Almost without realizing it, they were providing therapy for one another. Once that became apparent, they also recognized the need for a place where victims of rape could go to talk to people who understood what they had been through.

On February 4, 1974, with seed money from Cleveland NOW and CWRU Women's Law Caucus, a rape hotline was started in space donated by the Free Medical Clinic. A training program was designed and volunteers were recruited. A dedicated group of women began organizing and planning ways to provide the best possible support for rape victims. In September 1974, the Rape Crisis Center moved to its present location in the Metropolitan YWCA. For one and a half years the YWCA provided a room for the hotline free of charge. The phone bills were paid by donations received mainly from speaking engagements which increased in number as people began to bring the problem of rape out into the open. In the spring of 1976, the Rape Crisis Center received grants from the Cleveland and Gund Foundations and at that time was able to open its telephone lines on a 24-hour basis.

The Crisis Center now has a full-time Executive Director, four paid staff and 55 volunteers. The volunteer staff is made up of dedicated and involved -(continued on page-10)

Good News for Dinner Party Goers

By Pat O'Malley

Guess who's coming to Cleveland? The good news is that the site of The Dinner Party has been changed to Cleveland after a suitable site could not be located in Akron. The Ohio-Chicago Art Project (OCAP) is in the process of signing a contract with "Through the Flower," the non-profit organization that owns The Dinner Party.

Conceived and designed by Judy Chicago and implemented with the help of numerous women and men, The Dinner Party represents Chicago's attempt to give women their rightful place in history. It consists of a triangular table with 39 place settings commemorating 39 women of various cultures and eras. The names of another 999 women are enameled on the 2300 handmade tiles within the table. The handpainted china and exquisite needlework, traditional women's "crafts," further celebrate women's accomplishments.

OCAP is tentatively planning an early May opening at 3130 Mayfield Road, formerly the Temple on the Heights. The show is scheduled to be shown through July.

Cleveland would be the first midwestern city to exhibit The Dinner Party. The total cost of the show will be approximately $120,000, half of which must be raised before it can be shipped to Cleveland. To date $2,000 has been raised through sponsorships and another $10,000 has been donated by the Gund Foundation. OCAP hopes to raise $46,000 through sponsorships and fund-raisers. Sponsorships; which have beeen successful in other cities, would allow individuals or groups to sponsor plates for $300, runners for $150 and tiles for $25, or raise funds in other ways. Attempts are being made to raise additional amounts from private and corporate foundations and donations.

Several events are scheduled to help raise money for The Dinner Party. Oven Productions is presenting an evening of international folk dancing on April

4 (see What's Happening in this issue), and Johanna Demetrakas' documentary film "Right Out of History," which depicts the making of The Dinner Party, will have two benefit showings. The West Side benefit will be held Sunday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m. at West Shore Unitarian Church, 20401 Hilliard Road, Rocky River, and the East Side benefit will be on Tuesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Phoenix Theatre, 3130 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights. Contributions for these two events are $3, students and senior citizens $2.

For more information, contact the Ohio-Chicago Art Project office at 3130 Mayfield Road, 371-2222, Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00. Donations and sponsorships are tax-exempt and can be sent to the office. Volunteers are needed for various tasks.

Do-It-Yourself Divorce

By Ruth Brdar

Are you interested in an inexpensive way to get a ; divorce? Cleveland Women's Counsel has Dissolution of Marriage Packets. CWC is a non-profit research and advocacy organization dealing with the economics of divorcé. A Dissolution of Marriage Packet is an alternative to an expensive court battle and the subsequent large legal expenses. It is a "doit-yourself divorce kit," able to be used by some couples without the necessity of hiring an attorney. Certain requirements must be fulfilled in order to be able to use this kit:

1) Both parties must be in mutual total agreement on all aspects of the dissolution, including separation, custody, alimony, child support, and property division. Doing a dissolution without an attorney is not recommended when there is disagreement about (continued on page 10)