Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
For the fifth straight year, local independent Mary Kay consultants will sponsor an event to raise money and collect personal care items for the Beaman Home, a Warsaw shelter protecting women and children from spousal abuse.
The Beaman Home Benefit, open to the public, is scheduled to take place at St. Anne's Episcopal Church Monday at 7 p.m., where a speaker from the Beaman Home will give a presentation on abuse education.
The Wellness Center and the Kosciusko Community Hospital also will have informational booths available.
"More than anything, we want people to come out and listen," Mary Kay consultant Karen Long said. "Though abuse is a real and unpleasant topic, there's always hope and a way out."
Fellow consultant Paula Popenfoose also expressed the importance of understanding what the Beaman home stands for.
"We recognized the need to have an organization like the Beaman Home in our community," Popenfoose said. "We're hoping the event can raise awareness of the Beaman Home and also make people aware of abuse."
Popenfoose and Long recently encouraged the Beaman Home to apply for a $15,000 grant from the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, which annually awards grants to women's shelters nationwide.
If the Beaman Home is awarded the grant, Indiana could provide a matching donation, providing the Beaman Home with a potential $30,000. A decision as to whether or not the Beaman Home is awarded the grant will be made later this month.
In addition to the possible grants, the Monday event hopes to raise additional donations for the Beaman Home. Attendants of the Monday benefit are encouraged to bring anything from hygiene products to furniture to donate.
"We're accepting anything a woman or child will need when they wake up in the morning," Long said.
A raffle will take place during the event, giving participants the opportunity to win prizes donated by numerous local businesses. A dessert bar also will be available.
"We hope people have the chance to come to the event," Popenfoose said.
"Abuse crosses all economic levels and is not always physical abuse, so the more one knows about it the better abuse can be identified."
