By Howard Goldstein
When Sherry Radowitz moved to Bellmore from Colorado with her husband, Stuart, she discovered that there was no direct service for abused women, and the various health and law-enforcement agencies that handled the cases were neither cohesive nor trained to deal with the problem.
With an interest in feminist activism and a deep concern for the victims of domestic abuse, Radowitz joined the Nassau chapter of the National Organization for Women. Then she agreed to chair a task force devoted to battered women, and as associate director of the Action Council of Central Nassau, she joined forces with Beverly Merkinger and Arlene Siegelwaks in 1976.
Together, they convened a meeting about domestic violence that concluded with the creation of the Coalition for Abused Women, which later became the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Last Sunday, Radowitz, Merkinger and Siegelwaks were among 14 good Samaritans inducted into the Long Island Volunteer Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at Stony Brook University, and the three were inducted in the category of Emergency Services as founders of the coalition.
Radowitz has a long history of volunteer service. Holding a doctorate in child and family studies, she served as coalition president for three years until 1979. She remained on the board several additional years, served as the first executive director of the Long Island Fund for Women & Girls, held administrative positions with the Child Care Councils in Nassau and Suffolk, and spent nine years with the National Association Of Mothers' Centers as co-chairwoman and treasurer.
In addition to her current extensive responsibilities as senior vice president of community and agency services at the United Way of Long Island, Radowitz sits on the board of Bellmore-Merrick Child Care Programs and the Long Island Women's Agenda.
As a United Way vice president, Radowitz co-founded the Volunteer Hall of Fame with Len Rothberg, also of United Way, and Diana O'Neil of the Long Island Volunteer Center. The organizations collaborated in 2001, the United Nations- declared "Year of the Volunteer."
"Len came up with the idea of a hall of fame, to continue the spirit after the year was over," said Radowitz. "We thought it was a great idea. We believe in a long-term commitment to honor those who have given so much to the community. "
The Volunteer Hall of Fame is at present a traveling display of honorees' biographies, awards and pictures, but Radowitz hopes it will eventually be given a permanent home. "In years to come, I hope the hall will have its own building," she said.
The independently selected panel of judges for the first induction were all founders of Long Island non-profit organizations, representing 10 categories of volunteer activity: children and youth services; cultural arts; education; emergency services; environment; health and mental health; homelessness; hunger; seniors, and special needs.
"I'm looking forward to this continuing into the future," Radowitz said. "Not only does it grant permanent recognition to volunteers, but it creates a way to gain a sense of history, to archive the origins and histories of Long Island non-profit groups as founders retire or move on."
Volunteering is a tough business, but Radowitz is grateful for her 30-year commitment, especially to her founding project, the Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "It's wonderful to donate a lot of time and money to causes you believe in," she said, "and in the case of the coalition, the opportunity to develop something from the beginning...There's an extraordinary feeling of satisfaction as an organization grows and develops from a concept to a reality. And the camaraderie and friendship that comes out of it is worth all the work."
The Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence has blossomed into a refuge for victims of abuse, including children, the elderly and victims of sexual assault.
"Things have improved," Radowitz said. "There is much less of a stigma in coming forward now. We work closely with health care, legal counsel and law-enforcement agencies, and we have a specialized and separate organization to help. But the problem of domestic violence certainly continues."
When the coalition began it work, the founders wanted to make help available to victims immediately, even though the fledgling organization was breaking new ground in Nassau County. So Radowitz set up a hotline -- using her home phone number.
Today the coalition maintains two separate, fully staffed hotlines that received 6,706 calls in 2001. The hotline for victims of domestic violence, date violence and elder abuse is (516) 542-0404. The number for victims of sexual assault and adult survivors of incest is (516) 222-2293.
The coalition estimates that since 1976, 250,000 people have received education and services from the agency.
