BELOIT — Anyone interested in resiliency and building stronger communities is invited to attend Family Service’s fall luncheon, set for noon on Oct. 19 at Glen Erin Golf Club in Janesville. Titled Reflections of Resilience, the event will feature a keynote speech by Erin Merryn, known in part for developing Erin’s Law, designed to prevent child sexual abuse.

In addition, five people whose efforts have a made a difference in the lives of individuals and families in our community will be recognized at the event.

Merryn is an internationally known speaker, childhood sexual assault survivor, author, and activist. Because of this work, she was named “Woman of the Year” by Glamour Magazine in 2012 and a “Heroes Among Us” by People Magazine. She has appeared on dozens of national media, including being interviewed on Oprah in 2010.  

“It has been said that knowledge is power. This is especially true in our collective efforts to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Unfortunately, many children do not have access to information that would have helped to protect them from abuse,” said John Pfleiderer, Executive Director of Family Services of Southern Wisconsin & Northern Illinois, Inc. “Our featured speaker, Erin Merryn, was one of those children.”

Thanks to Merryn’s years of work with legislators on behalf of children, Erin’s Law has been enacted in 36 states and is pending in 13 (including Wisconsin).

“Hers is a strategy to empower children by ensuring that they have developmentally sensitive information regarding sexual exploitation. Hers is a compelling, timely, and compelling message and challenges all of us to do more to protect vulnerable children,” Pfleiderer added.

The five individuals who will be recognized at the event for their years of work in making a difference among the lives of community members are:

Tammie King-Johnson, recipient of the Building Better Communities award and Executive Director of Family Promise of Greater Beloit. Family Promise works to provide shelter, food, clothing and life skills to families facing homelessness, helping them become self-sufficient members of the community. Formerly serving as manager of Mercy Health’s House of Mercy Homeless Center in Janesville, King-Johnson has dedicated more than two decades to helping people in crisis in our community. 

Carol Wickersham, recipient of the Catalyst for Social Good award. A facilitator of positive changes within our community for many years, she developed and serves as director of the Duffy Center for Community Partnerships at Beloit College, and is a member of the Beloit College Sociology faculty. In 2009, Wickersham became the Director of Community-Based Learning at the Career and Community Engagement Center.

Tara Tinder, Executive Director of the Stateline Community Foundation. In 2002, the Stateline Community Foundation was approached to fund a project to address the lack of advocacy services for survivors of sexual violence. This was a time when few publicly recognized the pervasiveness and severity of sexual violence. Under Tinder’s leadership, the Stateline Community Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to support the beginning of what would become the Sexual Assault Recovery Program (SARP). This initial funding was the catalyst for the development of a program with a budget of over $700,000 that now serves survivors in two counties.

Tom Finley and Bill Flanagan, recipients of the Community Champions Awards. With a combined 37 years serving on the board of Family Services, Finley and Flanagan have been instrumental in the growth and development of the agency. Just a few of the significant projects they have helped Family Services to achieve include creating the Neighborhood Resilience Project, a comprehensive service focusing on economically vulnerable single mothers with children; and launching the Sexual Assault Recovery Program (SARP), which became the state-recognized service provider for victim services in Rock and Green Counties.

The luncheon will also include an update on the agency’s efforts to develop a transitional living project/childcare facility that works to empower and to heal homeless single parents with young children.

Proceeds from the event support the agency’s Sexual Assault Recovery Program’s work in Rock and Green Counties. The event celebrates the 20th anniversary of the SARP program.

Tickets for the luncheon are $15 and available online at www.familyservices1.org/post/reflections-of-resilience. 

Family Services of Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, Inc., provides an array of empowering services. Programs include DEFY Domestic Abuse Beloit; Individual & Family Counseling Program; Sexual Assault Recovery Program; Praxis Employee Assistance Program; Youth2Youth 4 Change; and The Neighborhood Resilience Project. 

Family Services is a funded partner of United Way Blackhawk Region, United Way of Green County, and the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin.