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Simply sign up by giving the enrollment form to the cashier the next time you shop.After that, every time you shop at BI-LO with your BONUSCARD®, you will be helping us earn money. One percent of your purchases will be donated to us. Sign up for this program and your BONUSCARD® does all the work. (You can raise money for up to 3 charities on the same card). It’s that easy!

Pumpkins Against Violence

Yes, pumpkins can be advocates too. And a group of about 15 unique gourds proved it Thursday night when they were auctioned off to support the Partnership's Crisis Resource Center during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The design fest and auction was hosted at Chattanooga Office Supply. COS invited their designer friends with artful eyes, as well as other business colleagues, to a casual get-together the evening of October 23rd. Having never been inside their massive desginer showroom, I was blown away at the beautiful office furniture inside! This is stuff you would want in your house...seriously. The staff at COS graciously hosted the entire event, organizing the food, drinks, guest list and fantastic decorations. Several zombie-like figures wore spooky attire and COS staff name tags and one particularly friendly mechanical tree was perched by the entrance, unexpectedly raising a branch now and then to greet guests.


All of the designers did an outstanding job decorating their pumpkins, eventhough a few felt they needed a little extra inspiration. What began as scraps of designer fabric and globs of paint, ended up masterpieces to complement any Halloween doorstep. Special thanks go to Joy Love and Keith Dupree of Chattanooga Office Supply, Kathryn Love of Design Tex, Miranda Atwood of Groupe Lacasse, Lew Moore of Krug and Shelley Cash of Chattanooga Office Supply. Thanks also to the several ladies from Unum's Facilities Department for offering their pumpkin decorating talents.

Onelia Jewelry Show Raises $300 for Crisis Resource Center

Nohemi Manuel and her Onelia Jewelry creations occupied the parlor of the Partnership's Crisis Resource Center for much of the day last Friday, October 17th. The full-time Crisis Center turned into a part-time jewelry boutique, complete with beautiful Swarovski crystals, delicious food from Midtown Music Hall, gorgeous decorations by VFrances and curious shoppers.


Ms. Manuel, Onelia Jewelry owner and designer, wanted to give back to the community - and specifically to women and children affected by Domestic Violence - by sharing her talent for design. Not only did she donate a generous portion of sales, but she designed a complete line of jewelry inspired by the Partnership mission and logo. The line includes full length necklaces, bracelets and an assortment of earrings. Red crystals represent courage, purple - strength, white - clarity, green - renewal, yellow - joy.

The jewelry show raised $300 for the Partnership's Crisis Resource Center, which would cover the expenses for approximately 4 nights of shelter for an abused woman.

It's not too late to shop! Just visit http://www.oneliajewelry.com/ and 25% of your purchase will still benefit the Crisis Resource Center. Each piece is presented in a lovely gift bag, enclosed with a card explaning the meaning of the stones and its benefit to the Partnership. Or attend the Partnership's Nutcracker Sweets dessert-tasting event at Bessie Smith Hall on December 2nd from 6-8 p.m. Onelia Jewelry will have a display of the line in the gift shop - making your holiday shopping easier than ever! Call (423) 697-3829 for event details.

Consumer Credit Counseling Comments on "Tightening" of Credit Grip

The Partnership's Consumer Credit Counseling Director, Charles Hixon, commented in a recent Chattanooga Times Free Press article that "credit is going to be much harder to get and more expensive when you get it", referring to the recent financial crisis on Wall Street and throughout the American economy. Read the Article picked up by iStockAnalyst.com.

Mr. Hixon also added that perhaps the credit tightening isn't all bad, considering many Americans have been "rewarding themselves with...expenses they can't afford". This statement is supported especially in Tennessee, where we have the country's most bankruptcies, per capita.

Some individuals and families have indeed been living beyond their means with no idea what the repercussions would be on their financial stability and their family. However, some were laid off from their jobs and used credit as a crutch to help them through the tough financial struggle of unemployment, or were injured and used credit to help balance medical bills with everyday living expenses. Still many are barely getting by on minimum wage with families to support and are simply unable to make ends meet.

There are countless individuals and families locally who have accrued large debts they cannot pay back, for whatever reason. This financial strain not only threatens the stability of their credit scores and bank accounts, but the stability of their families. Financial stress can affect families on many levels - creating a toxic atmosphere full of anxiety, stress and depression. So what can be done to correct the situation?

Consumer Credit Counseling offers a solution both to those who are already in debt, trying to recover, and those who are in danger of losing their financial stability. This local, nonprofit, face-to-face counseling program provides free budgeting counseling as well as services provided by accredited counselors who can help most families repay their debt and regain their financial freedom from collectors. Think you might need their help? Give them a call at (423) 490-5620 or visit http://www.mycreditcounselors.com/ to learn more and to set up your appointment today.

Teen Dating Violence is Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and anyone can be an advocate to stop the violence. Visit our website by clicking the title above to find out what you can do to help end domestic violence.

So what about teen dating violence? Teen dating violence happens when two teenagers are in a relationship and one person uses physical or emotional or sexual abuse to gain power and keep control over the other person. Teen dating violence is very common today. It may include hitting, punching or slapping, but it doesn't have to be physical. It can happen to anyone, at any age, no matter what race, religion, level of education or economic status.

As parents and caregivers, how do we protect and talk to our teens about dating violence? How do we identify abusive behaviors or victimization in our son's or daughter's relationships?

As parents, our values and beliefs are the ones that matter the most and we are the best ones to make a difference in the lives of our teens. We are not their friends, we are their parents. We should know their friends, know when/where they go online, know where they are at all times and ask questions - which could make us very unpopular at times, but may save their life!

It is critical that we talk to our children about healthy relationships before they begin dating and model healthy relationships to them.

Fact: Approximately 80% of people who are abusive in relationships say that domestic violence was part of their family life growing up.

A parent's role in influencing adolescent dating behaviors is crucial. Parents set the example by how they manage their own conflict. Your interaction with your partner and the pattern of parenting you use can either increase or decrease the probability of your child using aggression with others. You can help to interrupt a pattern of violence by intervening if you suspect your adolescent is involved in an abusive dating relationship.

What is a health relationship?

• Calm, rather than frantic
• Has both friendship as well as physical attraction
• Accepts the need for privacy on both sides
• Allows for differences of opinion
• Doesn't pressure anybody to make a commitment before they are ready
• Involves two people who already feel good about themselves
• Allows time for getting to know each other
• Involves two people who carry good feelings over into the relationship
• Won't destroy either party if there is a breakup
• Has equal sharing of power and control - neither one dominates, neither one constantly submits
• Doesn't make unrealistic demands on either partner
• Involves no "ideal" expectations
• Involves no stereotypes

Talking to teens about healthy and abusive relationships is important. Teens very rarely report dating violence and may view it as a normal part of a relationship.

Resources: For parents and teens, there are lots of resources to assist in learning about how to discuss this issue. The point is: just do it! One resource is www.loveisnotabuse.com, which is for parents to help begin the discussion about dating violence with your teen. The website www.Tnblue.org also provides valuable information for both teens and parents.

Regina McDevitt

Director, Crisis Resource Center