In 1978 funds were provided by the Governor's Office for each county to develop a local Council on the Status of Women. A Task Force on Family Violence, REACH Inc. was born. The original Task Force consisted of community leaders, formerly battered women, agency representatives and church representatives that joined together to work on the issues of family violence.
Through the years of 1978 to 1982 Task Force on Family Violence, REACH Inc. focused on addressing issues of family violence. These accomplishments included:
a commitment on the part of agencies not to give women the "run around" when they sought help
development of a brochure that listed agencies and community services
a temporary shelter (short-lived)
a community assessment to determine battered women's needs
documentation of the number of contacts each agency had with battered women
and numerous training's and speaking engagements on the issue of family violence
1981 Task Force applied for State Funds to provide crisis services 1982 Task Force became officially incorporated
1984 A 6-bedroom house was rented and became the shelter
1987 REACH purchased a house and improvements continue to be made
1992 Women's Resource Center was opened to provide a longer-term service for women
1995 Received funds to hire a court advocate 1998 School intervention program was designed 1999 Endowment Fund was established with a generous gift from a local gentleman 2000 Focus on expansion of outreach services
2001 Received funds to start a public awareness program targeted to the general public
2004 Major shelter renovations were made
2005 Received a grant from the Cannon Foundation and the Western North Carolina Foundation to renovate the basement to provide 24/7 shelter coverage
2007 Received a grant to renovate the shelter bathroom for the handicapped
2008 Received a grant to pave the shelter driveway and add sidewalks
2009 Received funding to close in the front of the shelter to provide a safer entrance
2010 Received a Women for Women grant to help assist women and girls with education to become financially self-sufficient
TFFV, Reach Inc.
PO Box 977
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-9631
angelachapman@reachofcherokeecounty.org
