Bloomingdale women’s nonprofit expanding services to Naperville

‘Out of the Dark’ helps women heal from domestic abuse

Out of the Dark recently announced a new partnership with Compass Church in Naperville to provide support groups for women in need of healing after leaving abusive relationships. This milestone is a major move for Out of the Dark on its mission to assist survivors with healing, getting their lives back on track, and becoming the person they were created to be.

Domestic violence affects 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 7 men in their lifetime. This 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is filling a vital need, in a unique way, to help survivors. There are other organizations in the area that provide shelters and support groups for abused women, but Out of the Dark is different. They provide powerful, faith-based support groups that focus on healing the whole person; mind, body, and spirit.

Support groups have been operating in Bloomingdale for three years helping many women through referrals from Mission Church in Bloomingdale and with the assistance of volunteers from the area. With the addition of Naperville, women from DuPage, Kane, and Cook counties will attend.

“We are excited to be expanding our highly effective support groups in partnership with Compass Church in Naperville,” said Loraine Garcia-Godfrey, co-founder and executive director at Out of the Dark. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to reach many more hurting women.”

Compass Church, 1551 Hobson Road in Naperville, offers confidential and safe assistance during their Care Night groups on Thursday evenings.

The upcoming session will run March 28 to June 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. Groups are offered at Compass Church for those seeking help with marriage, addiction recovery, grief, and more. Out of the Dark’s support groups expansion comes after several initiatives and accomplishments including:

• Organized two community 5K Walk/Run events to increase domestic abuse awareness and raise funds for its programs.

• Assembled a candlelight vigil during Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Mission Church for the purpose of honoring survivors, those who lost their lives or their children, and those who are currently caught in this soul-crushing cycle.

• Held a two-day Women’s Healing Retreat in Lake Geneva, Wis., providing both education and fellowship.

• Became a member of the Bloomingdale Chamber of Commerce.

“We assist women with many different types of needs during this tumultuous point in their lives including support during court appearances, job searches, advocacy, self-care resources, and many more.”

Out of the Dark’s mission statement is to: “Help women heal from abuse and become who they were created to be.”

To learn more about Out of the Dark and its Support Groups, visit outofdark.org.

To learn more about Care Night at Compass Church, visit www.thecompass.net/supportgroups.