Community support is what keeps the wheel turning in their quest to support victims of domestic violence, said Jan Manolis, director of the Jan Manolis Family Safe Center.

The purple ribbons on the trees in Campbell Park are to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The ribbons were donated by Rainbow Flower Shop.

“It has been extremely rewarding to have our community back us so well,” Manolis said. “Businesses and individuals. It’s been wonderful. We couldn’t do it alone.

“I just want to say thank you to people who are supporting our program and who give us their time as our advocates and our board of directors,” she said.

The program works to help victims of domestic violence start a new life.

“When victims leave the shelter, we give them whatever we’ve got,” she said. “We’ll provide pots and pans, dishes,  silverware and furniture.”

Community donations account for the lion’s share of food, housewares and furniture they give.

“We don’t take clothing donations, we don’t have a place to store clothing,” Manolis said. “We will take kitchen supplies, chairs and sofas, etc.

“They just need to call the office and make sure we’re available to show them into the garage,” she said. “We do not have a way to haul things ourselves, we depend on whoever is donating to bring it to us.”

Their office number is (605) 554-0398.

Other items they need on a continual basis include lightbulbs, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and cleaning supplies. Monetary donations can be sent to JMFSC, P.O. Box 733, Huron, S.D. 57350.

When a call does come to one of their two hotline phones, they proceed with caution.

The hotline numbers are (605) 350-6663 and (605) 350-6690.

“We do make house calls, but it has to be safety first,” Manolis said. “We have to make sure the abuser has been arrested or is no longer in the house.

“The police are grateful when we can come out and take care of the victim,” she added. “They can take care of the abuser and make sure everybody is safe. We can talk to her about what services we offer, then the choice is hers.

“We’re proud of the ones that get their feet on the ground and make a life for themselves without living with abuse,” Manolis added. “The more we can do that, the better off the children are. We need to keep children from growing up in homes where there’s violence.”

Manolis said her passion for helping domestic violence victims is borne of familiarity.

“We had it in our family, and there was no help available,” she said. “So, we looked into developing some help for people and that’s what came out of it.”

In 2009 they opened the Jan Manolis Family Safe Center. They offer shelter, food, support, counseling, interpreters if needed, transportation, and will go through court proceedings with a victim if necessary.

“We started with nothing. We didn’t know what we were doing,” Manolis said. “We had no place to go and no money. The community has been wonderful, and we couldn’t have done this without the support of my family.

“Without that support I could not have balanced this life and being on call with all my other family things. I would not have been involved in this this long.”

The Dweebs
Get ready for an evening of fun at the Jan Manolis Family Safe Center 2023 Halloween-themed Party fundraiser featuring a live auction and the Dweebs on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Huron Event Center. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the show will be from 8 to 11 p.m.

Tickets will be available at the door and everyone 18 and over is welcome to attend. Advance tickets are available at Rainbow Flower Shop, A-1 Body Shop, Manolis Grocery or by contacting Jan at 605-554-0398.

Prize will be awarded for the Best Costume.

The Dweebs offers an “entertainment experience of a lifetime” and we don’t want you to miss out! The band also provides a fun memorable performance full of stage antics, crowd participation, mock rock icons, confetti, flying toilet paper and more!

“It is an excellent fundraiser for us,” said Jan Manolis, director of the JMFSC. “They’re just a fun group. It’s a family group, they play all kinds of music and they have such a good time doing it, it makes you have a good time, too.”

Other fundraisers they have coming up to help support the shelter include “Just Desserts,” held the Friday before Thanksgiving at Coborn’s. The bake sale begins at 8 a.m. and they’re usually sold out by noon. The day after Thanksgiving they’ll begin selling Prime Time gift cards, and they also receive financial support through an Elks pancake breakfast, which will be held Oct. 8.