News

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 12, 2010) -- The Pine Castle community of Orlando has been selected as the pilot location for a ground-breaking initiative to dramatically stem domestic violence, officials with Harbor House of Central Florida announced this week.

Located five miles south of downtown Orlando, Pine Castle will be the initial focus of a comprehensive domestic violence awareness program called Project Courage. Over the next year, the program will train Pine Castle first responders, community leaders, civic groups, business men and women, as well as teachers, students and parents to spot the warning signs of abuse, respond to both the victim and the abuser, and properly refer people for help and guidance.

“The character, leadership and true sense of community found throughout Pine Castle presented us with an ideal setting in which to pilot Project Courage,” said Carol Wick, the CEO for Harbor House. “The community represents a statistically average number of domestic abuse incidences and a rich demographic tapestry with a range of ethnic and religious populations, and ages, a balance of men and women, and a mix of new and older neighborhoods.” 

Leaders from across Pine Castle are eager about Project Courage and the opportunity it presents to improve their community.

“Project Courage is an opportunity for us to make Pine Castle an even safer place to work and live,” said Pastor Dan Forbes, Minister with the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. “It also puts our community in the unique position to play a major role in helping pioneer a solution to end domestic violence across the United States.” 

Project Courage is financially supported by a $110,000 grant from 100 Women Strong. Following program success in its initial stages, Project Courage will be expanded to other areas of Central Florida and offered as a model for other cities and states to implement across the country.

“We hope to bring people together while we work for the mutual goal of making families and the whole community safer,” said Dr. Monica Mendez, Coordinator for Harbor House’s Project Courage. “We want to be able to become a part of Pine Castle by pulling together the community to end domestic violence. This effort is truly historic and Pine Castle will go down in the history books as a truly remarkable community that changed the world.”

About Harbor House

Harbor House provides safe shelter, a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, and emotional support, and legal advocacy for thousands of domestic violence survivors and their children each year. Harbor House also prepares survivors for re-entry into the community - connecting them to resources that will enable them to live independently, safely and peacefully. Harbor House is Orange County's only state-certified domestic violence facility. Their 24-Hour Crisis Hotline is (407) 886-2856 (TDD) or 1(800)500-1119 (FL). For more information please visit http://www.harborhousefl.com 

About 100 Women Strong

100 Women Strong joins together women in Central Florida in an engaging and meaningful way to give back to their community. By combining their financial resources through individual, tax-deductible gifts of $1,100 per year and working with others committed to the same cause, members learn about the needs in our community and make high-impact grants to improve the lives of citizens in Central Florida area.