Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 13, 1995 TAG: 9510130075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Strong support from friends who know how I feel
Breaking through the pain
Burying the shame
Guided by my new-found freedom.
- from "Harbor for Tomorrow," by Warren Kurtz and Greg Trafidlo
Warren Kurtz was searching last year for a way to combine his musical interests with community service.
He was regional music editor for V magazine. He was a member of the Southwest Virginia Songwriters' Association. He'd just joined General Electric's Elfun Society, the company's community service organization that counts 35,000 GE employees worldwide as its members.
The Elfun Society's Roanoke-area chapter three years ago decided to focus its volunteer efforts on the Salvation Army's Turning Point shelter for abused women. Last year, the organization turned to Kurtz, accounting manager at GE Drive Systems in Salem, for fund-raising ideas.
Kurtz gathered about 30 Virginia songwriters and musicians - two of them formerly abused women - to produce a cassette to benefit The Turning Point. He selected a Roanoke artist who had endured an abusive marriage to design a cassette cover. He co-composed a song on coping with domestic violence that became the cassette's title tune.
Since July, "Harbor for Tomorrow" has raised $1,000 for The Turning Point - all of it proceeds from sales of the six-song cassette. And the cassette project earned 37-year-old Kurtz the Elfun Society's international award for outstanding and creative community service project by a new member.
The award carried a $2,000 gift for the charity of Kurtz's choice. This week, he gave the $2,000 to The Turning Point.
"It was a natural selection for me because we find, unfortunately, that everybody knows somebody who's been in an abusive situation," Kurtz said. "And I think it's a charity that I can't imagine anyone associating with any controversy. Nobody's coming back and saying, 'That's not a good idea.' People say, 'Women and children should not be abused.'''
The $2,000 donation, plus the $1,000 in tape sale proceeds, will be used for shelter operations, mostly to buy food, said Darlene Young, Turning Point director.
"We've had a real hard time having money for food lately," Young said. "This is kind of a hard time for us, the end of the year when we've used most of our funds. We went over budget a little bit, especially on food."
Kurtz is hoping to sell $1,000 to $2,000 more of the $5 tapes by the end of the year. The tapes are carried at Roanoke-area book and record stores.
"The best part is that every dollar goes toward a very worthwhile cause," he said. "I'm pleased that I'm able to provide for this community's women and children."
I'm at a turning point in my life
Away from fear and sorrow
Setting a smoother course to sail
Safe in a harbor for tomorrow.
by CNB