Description
The collection was packed in boxes and shipped to the GTU by staff at the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic
Violence staff when its office moved in 1995. The collection follows the original order of the Center. The sections titled
here "Early Organization Files, 1977-81" and "Office Files,
1981-92" reflect a turning point in the history of the Center around 1981 when there was the possibility the Center might
close. The Early Organization Files are evidential of the beginnings of the Center and consolidation of its purpose and support.
The Office Files show the on-going work of the Center. The "Training Presentations Files" are the working/planning files for
training events, speeches, classes, and conference, workshop, and seminar presentations, given by Center staff nationwide.
Background
In the spring of 1977, Marie Fortune began an educational ministry in Seattle, Washington, the Prevention of Sexual Violence
Project, to "raise in the churches the issue of sexual assault." The Project was intended to be short term, but "it quickly
became clear that there was more to do." In 1979, the Project was "approached by the U.S. Justice Department to apply for
a federal grant to develop educational models on domestic violence." From this grant came a training model for clergy and
laity later published as Family Violence: A Workshop Manual for Clergy and Other Service Providers (Marie Fortune and Denise Hormann, Seattle: The Center, 1980). The Project "began to see itself as a national resource for
training and educating religious institutions." Due to budget cuts, the federal grant was later lost, causing a crisis resulting
in all Project staff being laid off. The Project remained an agency, however, while different funding strategies were explored.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing
to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of The Graduate Theological Union as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be
obtained by the reader.
Availability
1 ff (See Box 1).