Bazaar raises funds for Help Line

The Mineral County Help Line held their second annual bazaar to raise money at the St. Regis Community Center Saturday with 14 vendors offering different kinds of crafts and wares.

Vendors at the event each donated an item for a silent auction that took place during the day and they paid $10 a piece to sell their crafts and other items at the bazaar.

Vendors brought items ranging from oil lamps to antiques and hand-made Christmas ornaments.

The Mineral County Help Line Healing Wall was on display at the event, so patrons could see what the Help Line has been up to.

“I sat and read these as I pinned them up last night and it just gave me goose bumps,” said Pauline Perkins, one of two part time employees with the Mineral County Help Line.

The wall is covered with post cards and thoughts from men and women who have dealt with domestic violence.

“This is their way of healing,” Perkins said. “I’m very proud of the women and men that are on there.”

Cliff Baney constructed the wall and this is the second year it has been on display.

The Mineral County Help Line offers help to those who are dealing with domestic violence as well as those fighting depression or considering suicide.

Angie Mellen, the Mineral County Help Line Director, said that last year alone the Mineral County Help Line helped 144 domestic violence victims, not including the calls they took from those suffering from depression or considering suicide. Mellen said that since the focus of much of their work is on domestic violence, they do not keep track of the other calls that they deal with on a day to day basis.

Mellen said that she feels compelled to work with the Mineral County Help Line partially because she worked with two women who were murdered in domestic violence incidents.

“That’s horrible to me and that’s two too many,” Mellen said.

The Mineral County Help Line helps those who are dealing with domestic violence get out of dangerous situations and teaches them how to be safe and self sufficient after leaving a dangerous home.

The Mineral County Help Line employs two part time office employees, and the rest of the work is done by volunteers.

“They do a darn good job,” Perkins said about the volunteers that work with the Help Line.

The bazaar is especially important this year because the grant that funds the Mineral County Help Line was cut in half.

Mellen said that the Department of Health and Human Services Grant that funds the Mineral County Help Line used to bring in around $40,000 each year to fund the program. She said that it has been slowly decreasing over the years but this year their funding dropped from around $35,000 to $20,000.

They had to cut their office hours back to half time and facing a serious budget problem for the coming year.

“With our funding being cut we’ve had to whittle that all away,” Mellen said about their full-time office hours.

Mellen said that they will rely heavily on donations and fundraising to keep operating in the coming years.

“We’re really relying now on our own fundraising,” Mellen said.

For more information on the Mineral County Help Line or to donate money, call 822-4262 between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or leave a message after hours. For 24-hour help with domestic violence or other issues, call the Crisis Line at 822-4202.