A New Direction Joins WINGS Community-Based Services

A New Direction, created in 2011, provides community-based counseling services to clients in the Beverly/Morgan Park and surrounding communities along with education and advocacy. This year, A New Direction (AND) has joined WINGS network of community-based services.

A New Direction

Jessica McCarihan is one of the founding board members of AND. She first became passionate about the cause of domestic violence (DV) after one of her friends came to her hysterical about the abuse she was suffering from her boyfriend.

“I never dreamed I would ever see a friend so scared and sad and in such pain. It was that day I vowed to do something to help women, like my friend; women who are victims of domestic violence,” Jessica shares and continues,

“I was fortunate to be friends at the time with Rita, a domestic violence counselor, who taught me how to help my friend by telling her she was not alone. I began by volunteering, organizing toy drives and donating hair products.”

When Rita’s former DV agency abruptly closed in 2009, a grassroots group of community members mobilized so survivors in their community would have a place to turn for counseling. A New Direction opened in 2011 and has grown to serve families in the Chicago neighborhoods of Beverly, Morgan Park, Mt. Greenwood, Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn and surrounding communities.

Rita became a counselor at AND, while Jessica served as the President of the Board of Directors for 8 years. Then in 2020, Jessica took the role of AND Executive Director.

COVID-19

“The pandemic was a challenging time for domestic violence survivors and for AND. Like other social service agencies, we pivoted our counseling services to a virtual platform.

Victims had to find a safe place and time to talk to our advocates. We had to creatively help survivors in dangerous situations safety plan when they were forced to be home 24/7…sobering advice like stay away from stairwells and sinks,” Jessica shares.

Despite the challenging times, AND continued to provide hope to survivors. Jessica says, “We see our success as helping one survivor at a time, helping one family break the cycle and the more we help the better…

…This is part of why we are so excited to be joining WINGS. We are able to take our services to the next level with the support of a highly-regarded and Illinois’ largest domestic violence agency.”

Joining Forces with WINGS

As AND looked at their 10-year anniversary, they began to explore how to fortify and expand their resources to survivors and their community and beyond.

“I first met Rebecca Darr (WINGS President & CEO) in the advocacy group Chicago Says No More. Ever since then she has become my mentor in the DV world,” Jessica continues, “We began talking about what a marriage between our organizations might look like and it turned out the timing was perfect because WINGS Board had been exploring ways to offer new methods of community-based services for survivors not in need of housing.”

Although AND is now a part of WINGS, support for the local counseling agency has not wavered. AND Board members have joined WINGS newly created A New Direction Leadership Council, Jessica has joined WINGS Board of Directors and Rita remains a domestic violence counselor working out of their office in Beverly.

“Our Board members also plan to continue fun fundraising events to support services offered in our neighborhood,” Jessica says.

Jessica adds, “Since day one, helping survivors overcome domestic violence as they navigate their journey to safety has been AND’s top priority. Together with WINGS, we are confident our legacy will grow more quickly and empower more Southwest siders seeking to liberate themselves from the life-threatening constraints of domestic violence. We are grateful to our loyal supporters and for this opportunity as we look to our future together.”

A New Direction Leadership Council, June 2022: Top row: Ericka Swanson (EA), Nicole Centracchio, Yvonne DelPrincipe, Sarah Hurley, Jan Rauen, Susan Anderson, Martha McNicholas Lowry Bottom row: Maureen Davis Clark, Colleen Mixan Mikaitis, Nancy McMorran, Jessica McCarihan, Rebecca Darr, Rep. Kelly Burke, Paul Duggan