Where the Fear Ends

In 1976 a small group of women in Montgomery County, PA sat together around a kitchen table to discuss the Women’s Movement. They were aware of women wanting to enter the workforce, go to college, and create ways to balance all of it with their roles as wives and mothers. They thought it might be a good idea to set up a women’s resource group and have a place that women could come to discuss ideas and receive support. Then the hotline started ringing. Volunteers answered the calls. And the calls kept coming. The majority of calls were from women sharing that they were being abused by their partners and they needed help. The Volunteers were shocked and sprang into action to build an organization that addressed the needs of domestic violence victims. Fifty years later the Women's Center of Montgomery County has grown into a thriving organization with seven offices and more than 150 Volunteers and one of the most effective domestic violence organizations in the country.