Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Sticking Around: Courtney Lavering and 350 other guests raised $60,000 for battered women last week.




Pool bash rakes in cash

Mayor also announces city will set aside funds to help support battered women

By Chantal Lamers

As guests munched on gourmet sushi with chopsticks, others chalked up their pool sticks on June 7, at a benefit for battered women and children in Santa Clara County.

The third annual billiards tournament at The Glen raised about $60,000 for the Support Network for Battered Women. The community-based, nonprofit agency helps battered women and children to rebuild their lives and end the cycle of abuse.

At the event, which drew a crowd of about 350 at $50 per person, Mayor Ron Gonzales announced that for the first time in San Jose's history $300,000 would be set aside to support battered women and children. A downtown site has been selected for a new transitional home for battered women.

The city will also fund an annual domestic violence conference in the South Bay, train city employees on domestic and workplace violence, and help fund HomeSafe, a transitional housing program for victims of domestic violence. The location is kept confidential to ensure victims' safety.

Lisa Breen, executive director for the Mountain View-based organization, says she hopes that the support network can close its doors some day when there's no need for domestic-violence services.

So far, the network has nearly doubled the amount it raises by putting on the fundraiser each year. In 1998, the tournament raised $16,000, and in 1999 it raised $28,000.

Breen says efforts to prevent domestic violence have enjoyed increasing support in the South Bay. "I feel so fortunate to be doing this work in this community," she says. "[The program] has such great support from our community--that is not true of anywhere else I know of."

SNBW was founded in 1978 in response to an increase in domestic violence cases. It continues to provide comprehensive services to battered women and children.

"People understand and value the work that we do," Breen says. "People show us that by the support they give us."


Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Partners: Lisa Breen, left, executive director of The Support Network, and Mayor Ron Gonzales, right, honor Corey Takimoto, center, with a plaque during the gala. Takimoto, a systems analyst at Philips Semiconductor, coordinates volunteer activities between his company and the network.




The network tries to never turn away a woman who may be in danger. It offers crisis counseling to women and children, and offers emergency shelter and food 24 hours a day.

During the 1998-99 fiscal year, employees and volunteers fielded 6,001 calls to the network's crisis line, gave crisis counseling to 624 women, held 957 crisis-counseling sessions, and sheltered 373 women with children for an average of four weeks.

This year's donations will help fund a collaborative, countywide effort to build 96 new transitional housing units and increase support services for domestic violence survivors.

As part of its outreach efforts, the network provides legal support and community education in violence prevention.

Breen says the community realizes the critical services SNBW offers. Each year, people return to the benefit to show their support.

The event was sponsored in part by The Glen, which donated food, drinks, employee time and its facilities. Teresa Olague, the restaurant's event coordinator and manager, said the owners would continue to host the annual benefit.

Philips Semiconductor helped fund the event by making a $12,000 donation. The American Pool Association also pitched in by running the pool tournament.

Blue House, a two-woman band, played cover songs accompanied by a slide show of network volunteers.

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For more information on the Support Network for Battered Women, call 650.940.4375, or visit www.snbw.org.

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