Whether it’s the sensation of falling from an immense height or the sensation of being chased by a predator, almost everyone has experienced the rude awakening of a nightmare. Imagine being caught up in a nightmare from which you cannot awake because it’s not a dream. Consider the reality of the statistics showing “a woman is physically abused every nine seconds in this country and that in homes where domestic violence occurs, children are abused at a rate 1,500 percent higher than the national average.” Unfortunately, domestic violence renders the lives of many women and children a living nightmare. Yet today, thanks to the efforts of the YWCA of Springfield, the dedication of 48 new beds will turn thousands of dreams shattered by domestic violence into sweet dreams of hope and safety for countless battered women and children in our community.

Many of us remember the time when women had to leave their children behind to run to safety. As a result, many women stayed and died rather than leave their children behind. Their children were often the next victims. In some states, women in abusive situations who do not have a facility like this as a resource and whose children see their mom abused, face losing their children to foster care. Imagine being a woman who is not only being beaten but is now losing her children to foster care as a result. Facilities like this will keep families together and help break the cycle of violence by first and foremost providing a safe place, a place where women and their children can catch their breath and start the journey to a new life.

On behalf of Speaker DiMasi and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, it is my distinct honor to recognize the Young Women’s Christian Association of Springfield with this citation of excellence in community service for providing a safe haven to women and children from the harsh realities of domestic violence.

Under the leadership of Mary Reardon Johnson, the dream of a permanent home for the YWCA has finally come true. Today, we honor not only the provision of 48 beds of refuge for battered women and children but the many other life-altering services this facility will provide women and girls in our community, which include rape counseling and economic empowerment programs. This award is presented to recognize the YWCA’s commitment to providing the women of our community with a safe place to call their own for generations to come.

Personal congratulations to Mary Reardon Johnson. Mary traveled to Naples, Florida and saw a wonderful shelter there and from that moment on, nothing less than that would do for the women of Springfield. This is the realization of a professional dream for Mary as well and we thank you and congratulate you today Mary for making it happen for all of us.