LUNCH AND LEARN PRESENTED BY:

The 8th Judicial Circuit Family Violence Coordinating Council 2019
Friday, June 21, 2019
11:00AM—1:00PM
Quincy Senior & Family Resource Center
639 York St. Quincy, IL 62301

Click here for fee information and the registration form.

In Her Own Words…. A Survivor’s Story
Janet Paulsen was the portrait of suburbia perfection in November 2015. She was the executive vice president of the Acworth Baseball Association, supporting her athletic and active twin, 13-year-old boys. She and her husband of 15 years owned a mortgage servicing business. She was in the best shape of her life, having just trained for and completed a grueling Savage Race. The Volunteer of the Year Award, given by the Georgia Parks and Recreation Association, had just been minted with her name as its recipient. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Ms. Paulsen also had an 18 year career in the shopping center industry. She managed and marketed regional malls and outlet centers on behalf of the developers. Unfortunately, Janet was also living a different life behind closed doors. She was living with an abusive, alcoholic husband — a living nightmare sleeping beside her every night. On November 5, 2015 her then husband attempted to kill her by shooting her 6 times leaving her right leg paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury. She survived after multiple surgeries and physical therapy and chooses to live her life to the fullest by taking care of her boys, sports such as scuba diving and water skiing and by being a Voice for others living in similar situations. In sharing her story she empowers other survivors and victims’ by providing valuable insight into her experience of navigating through an imperfect system. This information helps to shed light on existing gaps and will allow participating in professionals who serve victims with ideas of how to make improvements that could help save lives.