Published: November 15, 2009 10:19 pm      

It's a real lifesaver': United Way aids Women’s Help Center, Easter Seals

United Way of the Laurel Highlands is made up of 25 member agencies, all dedicated to making the lives of residents in Cambria and Somerset counties better.

Each agency goes about its mission in a different way, but each has the same overall goal – helping those it serves.

One of those agencies is the Women’s Help Center, with locations in Johnstown and Somerset. The center provides a wide variety of services for adults and children, both male and female. Those services include emergency shelter for those in abusive situations.

All services are free and confidential.

A woman who was undergoing longtime abuse agreed to talk about her situation – providing her real name was not used.

“Mary” said she had been in an abusive lifestyle for about 10 years, leaving the relationship close to a dozen times, but always going back to her husband thinking things would improve.

But they never did.

“He didn’t talk, he screamed.

“He was constantly degrading me, telling me I was fat and ugly. There were times he wouldn’t let me out of a room when he was yelling. Sometimes, he would get physical, throwing me down and kicking me,” Mary said.

She said she kept returning to her husband because she loved him.

“I wanted my marriage to survive, but I wanted the abuse to go away,” she said.

But the abuse didn’t go away, and the marriage didn’t survive.

Mary finally left her husband and didn’t go back to him about three years ago.

She found the Women’s Help Center.

“The Women’s Help Center helped me realize he would never get better,” she said.

“If it wasn’t for them (help center) and the education they gave me, I probably would have returned to him again,” Mary said.

“They brought such healing to me. They don’t judge; they work with you. They have all the patience in the world. They can help with anything. I was given a second chance. I can see with different eyes,” Mary said.

Now divorced, Mary’s life is moving on.

Cathy Ritter, a Women’s Help Center community education specialist, said funding from the United Way is very helpful.

She said a large part of the center’s funding is very specific as to its uses.

“Our United Way funding helps us fill in the gaps that other funding doesn’t cover,” she said. “It’s a real lifesaver.”

Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania also is a United Way member agency. It has offices at 232 Walnut St. in downtown Johnstown and at 571 E. Main St. in Somerset. Among its services are hearing testing and speech/language therapy.

Mike and Candi Miller found help for their son, Alec, now in the fourth grade, at Easter Seals’ Johnstown office.

Candi Miller took Alec to the office starting when he was

4 years old. He received help from speech therapist Cynthia Banda for three years.

Mike Miller said that Alec, who is 9 now, suffered from an overproduction of ear wax, clogging his ears and impairing his hearing. He had difficulty speaking.

“When he came to us, he was difficult to understand,” Banda said last week.

She said he progressed beautifully, with the help of his parents, who she said were excellent at following up on his Easter Seals sessions.

Candi Miller said Banda used a variety of fun activities to improve Alec’s speech and hearing, which she said now are close to normal levels.

“Easter Seals was the start of a great beginning for Alec,” his mother said.

Mike Miller termed it a life-changing experience.

“Easter Seals helped us as parents to communicate with our son better and helped Alec to communicate much better,” he said. “Easter Seals provided excellent help.”

The Millers reside in Latrobe.

Easter Seals is very grateful for its United Way funding, Banda said.

“It helps us provide our services,” she said. “We couldn’t do it without the support of the United Way and the community. We are delighted with the United Way.”