
It's an old saying and a true one. If you see evil taking place and do nothing about it, then you are complicit in that evil. But Intown Ace Hardware in Decatur, Georgia, is definitely not complicit. They are doing something.
Let's
take a look, then, at the wrongs Intown
Ace Hardware (along with some bandana
assistance from Wholesale
For Everyone) is striving to help put right.
Domestic
Violence Against Women
Many
of us think domestic violence is something that happens to those
"other people" – you know, the ones who live on the wrong
side of town and who should have or could have prevented it. But it's
everywhere in our midst, among all socio-economic classes and ethnic
groups, insidiously eroding society's foundational institution.
Consider these eye-opening statistics:
On average, almost 20 people per minute – that's 20 every 60 seconds! – "are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States," which works out to more than 10 million victims of domestic abuse yearly.
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One in four women experiences "severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking."
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One in every three women has experienced "some form of physical violence by an intimate partner."
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"On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide."
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"Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior."
Those
statistics are bad enough for us as a nation, but consider a few
statistics for the
state of Georgia alone:
"More than 100 Georgians are killed every year in domestic violence related homicides."
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"According to the CDC, 30 percent of women in Georgia between the ages of 14 and 44 have been assaulted by an intimate partner at least once."
Keep
in mind, too, that
domestic violence doesn't affect only the people directly involved.
The harmful effects
spiral outward into society at large. "It crosses all
boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, religion, economic background,
physical ability, and sexual orientation. The damage to body and
spirit inflicted by domestic violence has been linked to other
societal problems such as homelessness, escalated suicide rates,
crime, teen pregnancy, premature births, and miscarriages."
But
the Women's
Resource Center to End Domestic Violence is
dong something about this problem, at least in the Decatur, Georgia,
area.
Women's
Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (WRCDV)
The
mission statement for the Women's
Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (WRCDV) is
succinct and forceful: "Our mission is to create a society in
which domestic violence no longer exists." That's about as well
said as it can get.
The
organization's
first line of attack in achieving this goal is striving "to meet
the immediate and long-term needs of the diverse community of
battered women and their children that promote safety, compassion,
connection, advocacy, and prevention." They help these women:
Find a safe place to stay
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Exercise their legal rights
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Explore options
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Create accountability for batterers
And
here's how they do it . . .
"We
greet women with compassion – no judgment, no second-guessing, and
no shame. We provide connection – through relationships built with
our staff, support groups and bonds forged with fellow safe house
residents. By linking women with community supports and offering our
services, we make sure no one has to take this walk alone. Equally
importantly, we provide a voice for survivors when they cannot speak
for themselves and a platform for those who can speak to be heard.
Our advocacy for survivors of domestic violence works to change the
culture that allows abuse to thrive. That advocacy, coupled with our
powerful work with children, facilitates prevention and ending
domestic violence altogether."
Read
about WRCDV's
genesis here and find out
more about the available programs here.
Women
and Families in Need of Healthcare and CAPN Clinics
The
other societal problem under consideration here is the lack of proper
healthcare for certain segments of the population in Georgia.
Healthcare in the US
is, in many ways and for many people (especially the so-called
homeless), broken. If
you can't afford insurance or can't qualify for social programs, you
typically don't get even basic healthcare. Need
the proof
of numbers?
There are approximately 14,000 people living in Georgia without homes.
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30% of Georgia's homeless population comprises families with children.
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Atlanta sees 300,000 preventable emergency room visits every year.
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The average cost of an emergency room visit is $1,500 – which means preventable health expenditure in Atlanta of $400,000 annually.
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Georgia ranks 36th in the nation in healthcare access.
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More than 650,000 people lack access to affordable, quality healthcare – and 144,000 of these are children.
The
simple fact is many people are, for whatever reason, medically
underserved – and the numbers are growing. CAPN
Clinics are working to correct
that situation. Why?
Because they "believe
that access to healthcare for the medically underserved is
fundamental to empowering people and restoring communities." And
it is.
The
Atlanta-based CAPN Clinics "increase access to high-need care,
decrease costly emergency room visits, and prepare the next
generation of healthcare providers." This
worthy organization provides quality healthcare regardless of
recipients' ability to pay. The areas of emphasis are physical
healthcare, mental healthcare, and patient education. Services are
provided on-site at shelters, through walk-in appointments, and free
of charge.
In
fact, last year alone, CAPN Clinics:
Hosted 6,345 patient visits;
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Treated 3,567 individual patients; and
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Addressed 4.4 healthcare needs per patient visit.
And
the majority of their patients are among the most vulnerable, often
overlapping with the domestic violence population. For 83% of adult
patients are women, and 54% of patients are children and youth.
It
is indeed something needed. So, now,
let's see how Intown Ace Hardware is doing
their part in all this.
Intown
Ace Hardware, Decatur, Georgia – "Coolest Ace on the
Planet"

Intown Ace Hardware is, no
doubt, a unique place. In fact, it was once voted the coolest Ace on
the entire planet. That should tell you that it's much more than just
a place to buy nails and screws and garden hoses.
Intown is a one-of-a-kind
hardware store. Come December of this year, they will have been in
business for 34 years. They try hard to create a family atmosphere
where everyone feels welcome. Besides the typical hardware-store
stuff, they sell clothing and jewelry. One of the big sellers is the
bandanas
supplied by Wholesale For Everyone.
We spoke to Linda Cummings of
Intown, and she said that these bandanas are one of their
best-selling items. "We sell a lot bandanas, and we recently
sold 50 to one person." Because they are such popular items,
they are displayed near the register.
Beyond
all that, Inown Ace Hardware is unique in the way management and
staff show appreciation to customers, especially women customers.
They do this with their "Ladies Night" blowout, now in its
second year.
Intown's
"Ladies Night"
On
December 10 of this year, Intown Ace Hardware hosted its second
annual "Ladies Night." The goal is simply to have a great
time and show appreciation for customers – all while raising funds
for the work of WRCDV and CAPN Clinics. Cummings said they want women
who might be victims of domestic violence to know there is help and
to encourage them to ask for help.
Here
are some highlights from last year's inaugural "Ladies Night":
Over the span of three hours, Intown welcomed approximately 250 ladies who enjoyed freshly grilled appetizers, a wide selection of wine and other beverages, live music, and the wonderful company of one another.
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The first 100 women (some of whom queued up an hour in advance) received gift bags overflowing with a wide assortment of awesome products.
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75 lucky ladies were awarded fabulous door prizes, including a Yeti cooler and Weber grill.
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Over $3,000 was raised for CAPN Clinics to support its mission of providing free health care to local women and children.
And
2019's "Ladies Night" was an even more resounding success.

Donations
doubled, and there were twice as many attendees, the number swelling
form 250 in 2018 to over 500 this year. And . . .
To accommodate last year's overflow demand, hours were extended from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
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The event again featured wonderful gift bags and door prizes.
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Jessica and Big Daddy, winner of The Battle of the Bands 2019, entertained throughout the evening.
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Of course, fine food (little bites), wine, and other drinks were served.
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Funds raised at "Ladies' Night" to benefit WRCDV amounted to $2,270, just about double the $1,182 raised last year.
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WRCDV founder and US Poet Laureate (2012 and 2014) Natasha Trethewey delivered short readings.
Simply
put, Intown Ace
Hardware is a business that makes it a priority to give back and to
improve the world we live in . . . and so is Wholesale
For Everyone.
Wholesale
For Everyone – Quality Products, Great Prices, and Customer Service

As we mentioned, the first 100 "Ladies Night" attendees received complimentary goodie bags. And in these gift bags were bandanas donated by Wholesale For Everyone. So we asked Cummings why Intown chose Wholesale For Everyone.
She
said, first, that when they order bandanas from Wholesale For
Everyone, they get there fast. Cummings also indicated that if they
have any questions or concerns about a product or order, Wholesale
For Everyone is very helpful in assisting in any way they can. "They
are," she said, "very professional and helpful."
Cummings
emphasized that she really appreciates the bandanas donated for
"Ladies Night," especially the quality of the product. Her
final word on Wholesale For Everyone was this: "We really like
the company."
Stand
Up, Don't Stand By
Ultimately,
we can't just stand by and let bad things happen to good people. We
have to stand up and do something . . . like Intown
Ace Hardware and Wholesale For Everyone.
A
good first step is to donate to good causes and organizations like
WRCDV
and
CAPN
Clinics. And it never hurts to patronize the businesses – like
Intown Ace Hardware and Wholesale
For Everyone – that do their part in making the world a better
place.