ALTON - Oasis Women’s Center has received a $25,000 donation.
On Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, the Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women Metro East presented Oasis with a $25,373.07 check. This money will go toward Oasis’s services to help domestic violence survivors in the Riverbend region.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“Everybody does what they can, and we’ve been able to do this,” said Margarette Trushel. “This is very direct money to us, very direct for people’s needs.”
Trushel is a founding member of Oasis and has served as its executive director for the past 45 years. She explained that Oasis began with a group of women coming together to create a domestic violence program in the 1970s, with many of them donating money out of their own pockets to form Oasis.
The mission resonates with the Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW) Metro East chapter. As an organization, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women was formed during World War I. Women supported each other and their communities throughout the war effort.
After the war ended, the women refused to disband. The organization eventually formed state and local chapters, and these women continued to advocate for their communities through service projects and fundraisers. Donating to Oasis was a natural step for the local chapter.
“Through the years, we’ve tried to support all the time,” said President Jeanne Reeves. “There’s been a lot of members that have close ties to [Oasis] and strong feelings and have done things.”
The IFBPW is dissolving, but the Metro East chapter was able to secure funding from the state level to donate to a local women-focused organization. They decided to donate the entire $25,000 check to Oasis.
“Because we’re a smaller club, we didn’t get the biggest piece of the pie,” Reeves explained. “But we’re thrilled with what we got, and absolutely thrilled that we’re able to pass it on. And we hope that it benefits a lot of women in this area that are struggling.”
According to Trushel and Oasis Board President Mary Cordes, the money will go a long way toward helping domestic violence survivors, especially as we approach the holiday season. They are constantly seeking donations, and the money will go toward clothes, underwear, socks, cleaning supplies, blankets, toys and other supplies they need.
In addition to supplying items, Oasis helps survivors secure shelter, childcare, petcare and transportation. Trushel noted that the $25,000 donation will do a lot for people in the Riverbend region.
“This is going to help women get jobs, because one of the things that stops domestic violence faster than anything else is having a key to your own apartment,” she explained. “We help them interview. We help them get clothes to wear to the interviews. We help them get established about how they get back and forth from work. We help them establish childcare so they can work. Those are the big barriers all the time, transportation, childcare.”
She added that it means a lot to her to receive this money from the IFBPW Metro East chapter. Cordes’s great-aunt previously served as the president of IFBPW Metro East, and Trushel herself was once involved in the organization. She noted the importance of women supporting each other and helping Oasis to thrive.
“This gift will continue the spirit of [IFBPW] through providing services to battered women,” Trushel said. “It matters to me that it came from them and that they chose us and that we can use this to help domestic violence victims. It matters a lot.”
For more information about IFBPW Metro East, visit their official Facebook page. To learn more about Oasis Women’s Center, including how to donate, visit OasisWomensCenter.org.
If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic violence, check out this article on RiverBender.com for information about local resources. You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text "START" to 88788 for immediate support.
