MUSKEGON, Mich. — Barclay Place Event Center was alive with laughter, song, and applause on Thursday night as the venue hosted "Power of the Purse," an annual fundraiser for Every Woman's Place.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Every Woman's Place holds the event to raise money and to shine light on the survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. Jillian Pastoor, who serves as the executive director of Every Woman's Place, says it means a lot to her to be able to serve those clients,
"This has been my life's work. My career has been always in domestic violence and sexual assault. I'm from the Muskegon community, and it's great to be back here, helping my community. There really are a lot of success stories that we see, and we try to celebrate every little success story that comes through," she said.
In the last year, Every Woman's Place has served 513 survivors of domestic violence, 61 survivors of sexual assault, 16 survivors of stalking, and nine survivors of sex trafficking. Seventy-one of their clients had experienced multiple types of abuse.
13 ON YOUR SIDE's Jamal Spencer was one of several local celebrities to model purses which were then auctioned off to raise money for Every Woman's Place. If you weren't able to attend the event but would still like to help, you can visit the organization's website.
Later this month, Every Woman's Place will hold a candlelight vigil and the City of Muskegon will read a proclamation declaring October Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Muskegon.
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