Mary Laake, SafePlace Austin

In the mid-1990s, Mary Laake was a single mom raising two boys. When she met her future husband, she wanted the marriage to work; so, having a degree in psychology and experience working in child abuse prevention, she attended pre-marital counseling and became involved in her church. Despite all of this training, experience and preparation, Laake got caught in an abusive relationship – something that both surprised her and left her unprepared.

"When you are dealing with the dynamics of domestic violence and the danger, it makes it very hard to break free and go forward to find the help that you need for your family," Laake says.

In 1997, Mary broke free and used her social services experience to access help quickly. She received counseling at Austin’s Center for Battered Women while continuing to live in her own home after filing a protective order against her ex-husband. When the Center for Battered Women merged with the Austin Rape Crisis Center in 1998 and became SafePlace, Laake says the new combined organization was a haven for her and she began to heal.

Like Laake, many survivors experience the same shock of abuse and do not know where to turn since batterers will use isolation tactics to control them. Laake knows this and offers a lifeline to people struggling with abuse.

"There is hope and there is help," she says.

Laake’s positive experience with SafePlace led to her to begin working with the nonprofit two years ago. As a family advocate, Laake helps clients living in the supportive housing area – those who are going through what Laake herself once experienced. Families can live in the supportive housing area for up to one year while they receive counseling and job training and begin to make a new life.

SafePlace offers a range of programs and services including 24-hour telephone support, hospital support for rape victims, counseling, legal advocacy and disability services. Other programs include school-based services, an emergency shelter, a supportive housing community, and an on-site charter school and child care center. Since domestic violence is not limited only to women and heterosexuals, SafePlace is available to everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Although there is widespread community support for domestic abuse, there are long waiting lists for services. To help expand its programs, SafePlace raises money throughout the year, but one of its biggest fundraisers is this month’s Walk for Safe Families and Safe Streets. The walk, on April 24 at Waterloo Park, is the largest and most important awareness event for sexual and domestic violence in Central Texas.

This will be Laake’s eighth Walk – she participates each year with her family. She calls her job a "real passion," but really, her passion is helping others. And it shows in everything she does, including the gentle encouragement she gives others to help them break the cycle of abuse.

"Help is only a phone call away," she says. "We recognize how much courage it takes to make that call."

If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please call 267-SAFE (7233). To register for the walk or for more information visit http://www.austin-safeplace.org/.