would always be.
Dear Reader,
I am deeply grateful to Harlequin for inviting me to contribute a story for their More Than Words program. It’s wonderful to work for a publisher that puts its money where its heart is and strives to make a difference for women everywhere. So it was my pleasure to be a part of this collection and honor volunteer Mary Byberg and Nellie’s women’s shelter in Toronto, Canada.
Mary Byberg has been a longtime volunteer for Nellie’s. She was a board member. She gives unselfishly of her time and experience. She has raised two daughters, worked her way through school and earned her law degree. Impressive enough, right? But Mary also spends a large part of her life helping people, both in her capacity as a lawyer and in her work at Nellie’s. She is an impressive and kind lady, the sort of person you meet and are friends with for life. Mary is also a survivor of domestic violence.
Here are a few facts about domestic violence. One in three women in America has been physically or sexually abused by a boyfriend or husband in their lifetimes. Every nine seconds, a woman is beaten. Domestic violence affects one to three million women a year in the United States. More than three women a day are murdered by boyfriends or husbands. Sobering statistics, right? Behind each of one of these numbers is the face of a woman, hurting and alienated. The future must look bleak for this woman, who could be your neighbor or the lady you stood in line behind at the grocery store. It could even be you.
That’s where Nellie’s comes in. The shelter is an amazing organization of caring and talented people whose compassion extends to women and children from all walks of life. They provide emergency shelter and protection, they offer education and support from a woman’s first contact with the shelter to her long-term aftercare in the community. They are committed advocates dedicated to changing policies and being a voice for women and children who believe they do not have one.
Everyone deserves to be safe in a relationship. Every woman should be safe in her own home. For more information, see www.nellies.org. If you recognize yourself in the pages of Mariah’s story, I ask you to contact your local domestic violence shelter. Please be your own best friend.
I want to thank Mary for the chance to get to know her and hear her remarkable story. She is an example of the strength in all women to rise above the painful circumstances in their lives and find hope and joy again.
All my best,
Jillian Hart
Two more FREE ebooks await!
In Hooked , bestselling author Betina Krahn honors the work of Donna Fischer, the Arizona program coordinator for Casting for Recovery, a national non-profit organization that runs fly-fishing retreats for women who have or have had breast cancer.
And in Maxwell’s Smile , Michele Hauf honors the work of the Barta sisters—Berni, Romi, Lexi and Marni Barta—and the not-for-profit organization that they founded, Kid Flicks.
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More Than Words
Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Jillian Hart is acknowledged as the author of No One But You
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