WomenOnGuard.com Donates Pepper Spray To The UnderWings Project

Women On Guard® offers pepper spray donations on a regular basis to crisis centers around the country. This latest one was for the UnderWings Project.

The UnderWings Project was founded in 2008, by a woman who was a domestic violence victim herself for 20 years! The programs and services are out of Cleveland, Ohio and are designed to restore wholeness to those impacted by domestic violence. The UnderWings Project helps women and children of domestic violence to recover their lives from physical and mental abuse.

We are proud to mention that this is WomenOnGuard.com's 29th pepper spray donation to a crisis center or similar cause. If you know of a non-profit domestic violence or sexual assault crisis center in the USA, that would benefit from receiving a pepper spray donation, please let us know.

Women On Guard® Pepper Spray Donation To Mississippi Crisis Center

Keeping with our vow to help victims of sexual assault, Women On Guard donated pepper spray to Gulf Coast Women's Center for Nonviolence, Inc.

Since 2006, WomenOnGuard.com, has been selling Mace products, pepper spray, stun guns, Tasers, personal alarms and other self defense weapons to women and men around the country. We offer Hot Line numbers for victims of rape or sexual assault, along with Safety Tips.

Gulf Coast Women's Center for Nonviolence, Inc. is located in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Center has a list of programs to assist women in crisis or that have been sexually assaulted. They not only help rape victims, but also help survivors of homicide victims and include children’s programs, as well. The nonviolence center also offers court advocacy and domestic violence shelter, through their Adrienne’s House location. They also offer education and prevention services to their community thru speakers; in school grounds, community groups or other organizations. The non-profit crisis center also accepts tax-deductible donations from the public, thru credit card online or checks. If you would like to send a donation through the mail service to the crisis center, you can send it to: Gulf Coast Women's Center for Nonviolence, P.O. Box 333, Biloxi, MS 39533.

Women On Guard is certified as a Woman's Business Enterprise (WBE), by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Certification as a WBE means that the business is majority owned, operated, and controlled by one or more females. Susan Eaton and I, Martha Z. Martinez, are advocates against rape and lethal weapons. Therefore, all the products our website sells, are non-lethal. We also take pride in our customer service, donations and are very committed to empowering our customers with the best products for personal protection.

Safe Place in Austin Texas Gets Donation From Us

This is the 28th ongoing, crisis center, pepper spray donation. WomenOnGuard™ started donating nationally, back in 2007. This next donation is for Safe Place, in Austin, Texas... Since our website’s inception in October of 2006, we vowed to help women stay safe.

Safe Place is located in Austin, Texas and has several programs and services, to help the surrounding community. A 24-hour Hotline for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence is available, as well as hospital help for victims of rape. This includes forensic and physical medical service. The Safe Place also offers counseling, legal assistance and emergency shelter for victims. They also work with the Stockton-Hicks Family Tree Child Development Center & the University of Texas - University Charter School, George M. Kozmetsky Campus, for the care and education of children that belong to the victims. To get more information, you can visit the Safe Place website.

We also wanted to mention that besides the pepper spray donation above, WomenOnGuard has added several pink self-defense products on our website for which a portion of the proceeds, goes to fight BREAST CANCER. Included in these products are pink pepper spray, pink stun guns and some disguised items such as cell phone and perfume stun guns. You can find them under the Pepper Spray, Stun Gun and the Cell Phone Stun Gun categories. All WomenOnGuard's products for self defense are of course, non lethal. These special pink products will not only help a person when confronted with danger, but will also help to find the cure for BREAST CANCER, as well!

Domestic Violence Project Receives Pepper Spray Donation from Women On Guard™

 PRESS RELEASE:

Women On Guard™ donated pepper spray to the domestic violence UnderWings Project in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pompano Beach, FL, October 18th, 2010. The self defense products website, Women On Guard™ has donated pepper spray to the UnderWings Project after they requested to be a recipient of the on going donations that WomenOnGuard.com started back in 2007. The website donates on a regular basis, nationwide, to a women’s crisis center or similar cause. They sell pepper sprays, Mace, Tasers, stun guns, personal alarms and more. The website also includes hotlines, safety tips and a blog.

The UnderWings Project is a two sister joint effort to find preventative measures to save the lives of women caught-up in the cycle of domestic violence. Their mission is to provide programs and services designed to restore wholeness to those whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence. They provide educational, art, music therapy, motivational and safety training in their peer life support groups located in Cleveland and Maple Heights, Ohio in disclosed locations for safety purposes and in order to be accessible to more women. The UnderWings Project has been a self-funded, non-profit organization for almost four years until October 4, 2010. Thanks to The Allstate Foundation, they received their first major grant and now are able to proceed with their Employment, Retention, and Wellness Clinic.

Susan Eaton, one of the owners of Women On Guard mentioned, “It’s a shame that this topic comes up only when a famous person or celebrity is involved in it. Mel Gibson’s abuse toward his wife rose national exposure to this problem. Unfortunately it happens every day to many women in this country and around he world.” Susan stressed that it also doesn’t just hurt women but if they have children, it affects them as well. She also emphasized that a restraining order against the abuser, such as Mel Gibson, many times doesn’t work, and sometimes the women end up being killed.

Women On Guard wants to express that all of us could make a difference by being more observant of our family, friends and co-workers. Martha, the other owner of the website, said, “There are many Mel Gibson’s out there that need to be stopped!”

Below is a list of signs we can look for if we suspect someone we know is in a domestic violence situation:

-       Injuries or bruises and wearing long sleeves on hot days or sunglasses indoors, in an attempt to hide them

-       Missing too many days from work or school

-       Shows very low self-esteem

-       Personality change or not acting like themselves

-       Self-blaming for most everything that happens wrong at school or work; this feeling comes from their abusive home where they are accused of instigating the violence

-       Children of domestic violent homes, act out the violence in school, by becoming a class bully 

Domestic Violence Shelter Receives Pepper Spray from Women On Guard™

Women On Guard™ donated pepper spray to the Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico, in Espanola, New Mexico.

Pompano Beach, FL, August 2, 2010. Women On Guard™ is an e-commerce website that sells self defense products such as pepper spray, mace, tasers, stun guns and personal alarms. The owners of WomenOnGuard.com, Susan Eaton and Martha Z. Martinez, regularly make pepper spray donations to women’s crisis centers or similar causes around the country. The website which was started in 2006, also offers Hotlines and Safety Tips, among other information regarding self defense.

The mission of the Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico is to impact the cycle of domestic violence by providing crisis intervention with short and long-term programs in the service areas of Rio Arriba, Los Alamos and Northern Santa Fe counties of New Mexico. They provide a safe haven (shelter) for persons who have sustained physical, sexual, psychological violence or a combination thereof without prejudice to age, race, creed, gender, color or sexual preference. The Crisis Center also provides counseling, advocacy, education and other services as needed to accomplish the mission. It also provides public education and information relating to the nature of physical, sexual and psychological domestic violence.

Susan Eaton, one of the owners of Women On Guard, expressed her concerns about violence during the summer months. She mentioned, “The rate of sexual assaults unfortunately increases when many people take time off from work or school. This is mostly due to more social interaction, be it at parties, walking down city streets while enjoying the weather or just at a barbecue in a park. Many times there is alcohol involved that result in people making silly decisions, like leaving a party with a complete stranger or accepting a drink that contains a date rape drug.”

Women On Guard also wanted to make sure that people, especially women, take precautions during this summer. Below is a short list of some of their safety tips:

• Always be aware of your surroundings.
• Never walk alone at night, no matter how safe it may seem. Ask someone to go w/you.
• Exercise routines such as walking or running outdoors, should have a variable schedule, don’t be too predictable for a potential attacker.
• Always get your own drink at parties or bars. Watch it being poured, keep an eye on it and never leave your drink unattended. Don’t drink out of a punch bowl. When ordering beer, it’s best to get it in a sealed bottle. 
• Never accept to leave a nightclub or party with a stranger. If you are intoxicated, have the barkeeper or host of the party, call for a taxi.
• Keep in mind that intoxicated individuals are potential victims for attackers. Criminals take advantage of people who have their guard down.

Pepper Spray Donation to Rape Treatment Center in Miami, FL

PRESS RELASE:
WomenOnGuard.com donated pepper spray to The Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center. The Center is part of the Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County, Florida, which also operates Jackson Health System, including Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Pompano Beach, FL, June 23, 2009. WomenOnGuard.com recently moved it’s corporate office to Pompano Beach, FL. The website sells non-lethal, self defense products such as Mace, pepper spray, stun guns, Tasers and personal alarms. It donates on a regular basis to women’s crisis centers or a similar cause around the nation.

The Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center (RTC) was chosen for the websites donation after statistics provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement showed that Miami and surrounding areas had the highest numbers in rape by force. State investigators say that 10,823 forcible sex offenses were reported in the State of Florida last year alone. Of the total Florida offenses, 1,294 of them were in Miami, Dade County area and 640 assaults were rapes by force. RTC provides a comprehensive approach to the care and treatment of victims of sexual assault or abuse. They have a Crisis Unit, Counseling Unit and other departments to improve and enhance the quality of life of these victims. Cynthia Sinclair, Director of Operations for RTC, mentioned that the timing for the pepper spray donation was great because a woman recently had come into the center asking for pepper spray. She was glad that they would now be able to give pepper spray to any woman requesting some sort of extra protection item.

Regarding the number of rapes in South Florida, Susan Eaton, co-owner of WomenOnGuard.com mentioned: “These statistics are very alarming. Miami is suppose to be a fun, easy, warm place to live, work or vacation. Rape statistics such as these will deter people from coming or living in Miami. Dade County is not the only place with high rape statistics; Broward and Palm Beach County statistics are pretty high too. Men, but mostly women, are the victims and the figures provided by investigators include only the cases reported. There are countless assaults that go unreported because of shame or fear.”

WomenOnGuard.com’s other owner, Martha Z. Martinez, informed that it is a well-known fact that sexual assaults are more prominent during vacation times. Summer and the winter Holidays, such as New Years, have the highest incidents of rapes. People are more vulnerable because they let their guard down, socialize more and sometimes are drinking alcohol, which impairs their judgment. Rapists know this and they take advantage of the situation. She wants to urge women to take extra precautions against assaults this summer and to be more aware of their surroundings, not just during social events, but while exercising and enjoying the outdoors too.