2008 Woodie Awards
Abby's House offers many resources to Western students and community
Students and community members alike seek guidance for life problems.
Leana Dickerson
Some students are new here on campus, some have been here for a few years and others longer than they are willing to admit.
However, the one thing we all have in common is that we have all had questions at one point or another but didn’t know where to go for answers. “Questions about what?” you might ask. About relationships, money, depression, stress, finding a job, crime and everything and anything else one can think of. While not very well known, Abby’s House is your community resource center that can give you the answers.
Located in Werner right next to the computer lab, Abby’s House is a resource center that is open to women, men, community members, students and families alike.
According to its president, Katie Maack, “[Abby’s House] is kind of a way to identify people’s needs and figure out how to help them.”
The program’s goal, according to its mission statement, is to be an on-campus resource center and meeting place, with services including a resource library, educational programming, peer advising, mentoring and support services.
Walk in with a question and Abby’s House Advocates will either answer it themselves or provide the resources that will. It is a place where talking to a peer, seeking counseling or looking through a library of books, pamphlets and videos is encouraged.
A common misconception about Abby’s House is that it caters strictly to women. Jeanne Deane, treasurer, said, “It is open for everyone.”
Deane has worked with Abby’s House since the concept of having a community resource center was brought to attention.
“It started six years ago,” she said. “This is our third year here in this building, and before that we used to have an office in the back of the Fellowship Building.”
Abby’s House is lightly recognized around campus, but as the center grows more, people have come to know its great benefits. As Maack stated, “We are here for the community and it is beneficial for people to use the resources that we have for them. There is no cost and it is conveniently located for students and the community.”
When coming up with a name for the center, “Abby’s House was chosen in honor of Abigail Scott Duniway,” Deane said.
Duniway lived in Oregon in the late 1800s and, according to an email sent out by the Abby’s House email list, “was known as the mother of female suffrage in the Pacific Northwest.” She is honored as a great female activist in the state of Oregon and the first state lady to speak up and take a stand. In the same way, Abby’s House is asking the community to take a stand in their lives and gain resources and answers to those numerous questions running through all our minds.
Apart from a resource library and a center full of educational references, a team of Advocates set up and facilitate educational programs each term. Nicole Perry, Vice-President of Abby’s House said, “[Abby’s House] tries to focus on issues that concern students. We focus on women’s issues but we do student focused issues also.”
Often the Advocates will bring in a specialist as a guest speaker or will set up a seminar for anyone who wants to participate.
“We just had an event on seasonal depression called ‘Beat the Blues’ right before Thanksgiving,” Perry added.
According to Deane and Maack, the most common reasons people seek Abby’s House is due to financial assistance, pregnancy and domestic problems. Also, according to Maack, people often come in with issues concerning roommates or living situations. Other times, she said, people come in just because they need to talk to someone about situations in their life.
There are many opportunities to seek new information through Abby’s House; there are also many ways to get involved and support the center.
If you are interested in getting involved with Abby’s House or offering some volunteer time to help out, you are welcome to attend any of the Advocate meetings each Monday at 5 p.m. held in the Abby’s House office. You can also contact Abby’s House through email at abby@wou.edu or call 503-838-8219.
There is a work study position opening soon at Abby’s House that would consist of ten hours per week. If you are interested in the position, please send a résumé to Jeanne Deane (deanej@wou.edu).