Many domestic violence victims feel powerless to end abusive relationships. They are financially dependent on the abuser. Many stay in dangerous or unhealthy environments as a result.
Empire Beauty Schools, one the largest cosmetology schools in the country, has developed a program for educational assistance to assist these women. The Empire Gives Back Endowment Program provides money to domestic violence victims across the country. The Empire Education Group Beauty School will be eligible for up to $3,000 from the endowment. The fund’s goal is to help victims of abuse afford cosmetology educations, which could lead to financial independence.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that cosmetology will grow by 20% between 2008-2018, according to their projections. Cosmetology is a good option for mothers looking for flexible work hours that allow them to care for their children.
“Domestic violence affects one out of every four women, and that includes our clients and even our Empire family,”Franklin K. Schoeneman (CEO and Chairman of Empire Education Group) “Thanks to our endowment program, students have come to us from many of the women’s shelters we support around the country, and we have witnessed first-hand how the opportunity for a cosmetology career can change a life.”
Empire is not the only business to recognize that cosmetology can provide a solution for women in dire need of help. Beyoncé Knowles just opened the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at Phoenix House, a drug and alcohol addiction-recovery center in New York. Knowles, whose mother used to run her own salon, stated that the program needed something more targeted at women.
Salons can assist in fighting domestic violence by offering career assistance. Because hairstylists are often close to their clients, they can spot signs of abuse before others. Regular visits with hairdressers are a common way for women to build trust and feel more at ease confiding in them than they do with their family or friends. Empire trains students in how to communicate with clients who have been abused about the best places to seek help.
“We’ve worked with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office on Violence Against Women to launch our Empire Gives Back awareness and fundraising program, and we are hopeful that our new endowment program will be a path to a new career and, hopefully, a new life for women in need,” said Schoeneman.
For more information, please visit www.empiregivesback.com.
