BERKELEY SPRINGS, W. Va. (WDVM) — Stomach dancers took to the streets world wide and even in Berkeley Springs to lift consciousness and funds for an important trigger.
The Shimmy Mob is a worldwide occasion that occurs on World Stomach Dance Day, often the second Saturday of Might. The worldwide stomach dance flash mob is held to lift consciousness for survivors and victims of home violence and abuse.
Angela Petry has been main the Morgan County Shimmy Mob crew for 9 years. She defined the dance choreography and the music, are organized by the Shimmy Mob group.
“So yearly, groups all around the world come out and dance, and the entire goal is to create consciousness and fundraising across the situation of home violence,” Petry defined.
The funds raised from the Berkeley Springs Shimmy Mob are donated to Stepping Stones to a Brighter Future and the difficulty of home violence resonates with one dancer and members of the group.
Dalene Middlekauff has been stomach dancing for 11 years. She initially started stomach dancing as a option to attempt a brand new type of train however ended up falling in love with the dance fashion. As a survivor of home violence, Middlekauff desires to help others who share her experiences.
“This occurred to me once I was a toddler. It means quite a bit to have the ability to do one thing that I really like and to lift cash and consciousness for folks in surviving home violence,” Middlekauff mentioned.
Julie Vogel has attended Shimmy Mob yearly. She is a survivor of home violence and hopes the flash mob can make clear the devastating situation.
“Only recently, a really pricey pal of mine was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend. She had been in a home violence state of affairs,” Vogel mentioned. “She was doing her finest to get away from the entire thing and sadly, she wasn’t profitable and he shot and killed her similar to that.”
Vogel says she was fortunate to flee her abusive state of affairs however is aware of others aren’t as fortunate. She burdened that victims usually are not alone and there are survivors and companies who need to assist them.
Stepping Stones to a Brighter Future supplies assets and funds to victims of home violence in Morgan County. Rose Jackson is a survivor of home violence and the president of Stepping Stones to a Brighter Future. She defined the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the group from holding any form of fundraising occasion.
“We’re only a small nonprofit company within the space that each one of our funds come from fundraisers,” Jackson mentioned. “The extra funds we elevate and the extra consciousness we elevate on home violence, the extra we can assist people who we get our title on the market that, ‘Sure we’re right here that can assist you.’”
In keeping with the Nationwide Coalition Towards Home Violence, on common, practically 20 folks per minute are bodily abused by an intimate accomplice in america.
For extra data on supplied by Stepping Stones to a Brighter Future, please go to their website.
In case you or somebody is a sufferer of home violence please name the National Domestic Violence Hotline which is (800)-799-SAFE or (800)-799-7233.
