Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Helena Woman's Center records, 1975-1983
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Helena Woman's Center
- Title
- Helena Woman's Center records
- Dates
- 1975-1983 (inclusive)19751983
- Quantity
- 3.5 linear feet
- Collection Number
- MC 246 (collection)
- Summary
- The Helena Woman's Center of Helena, Montana was a women's support organization founded in 1975 to offer aid to victims of violence against women. Records (1975-1983) include correspondence, case files, financial records, legal documents, minutes, and organizational materials, including articles of incorporation and bylaws. Also included are subject files concerning topics such as the Battered Women Task Force, displaced homemakers, gay and lesbian rights, the Montana Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women, the Montana Pro-choice Coalition, the Rape Awareness Program, the Women's Support Line, sexual harassment, and the women's history wall mural.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Helena Woman's Center was incorporated in May 1975 to provide a place for women to develop and market job skills, and to provide information and referral services to women for personal and employment problems. The founders of the center were Lynne Scott, Judi Pollard and Jane Lovelady. In August 1975, the Center began its Rape Awareness Program (RAP), which operated a 24-hour crisis line, a referral service, and a speakers bureau. Extensive training and education were provided to volunteers and to the public on the incidence of rape, on self-defense, and on rape counselling. Emphasis was placed on removing old stereotypes about rape victims. The Center also initiated a Battered Woman Task Force, which later merged with the Rape Awareness Program to form the Violence Against Women Program. The Center conducted various support and consciousness-raising groups, published a monthly newsletter entitled the Woman's Center News, and was instrumental in creating the women's historical mural in downtown Helena. In April 1983, faced with loss of funding and difficulty in recruiting volunteers to run its programs, the Helena Woman's Center formally dissolved.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Records (1975-1983) of the Helena Woman's Center consist of general correspondence, case files, financial records, legal documents, minutes of general meetings, steering committee meetings, and staff meetings, and organizational materials, including articles of incorporation, bylaws, organizational descriptions, membership lists, etc. Also included are subject files, miscellany, and clippings. Subject files include materials on the Battered Woman Task Force, the Crisis Line, displaced homemakers, gay and lesbian rights, the Montana Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women, the Montana Pro-Choice Coalition, the Montana Spouse-Abuse Task Force, the Rape Awareness Program (RAP), the Violence Against Women Program, the Helena women's history wall mural, and the Woman's Support Line. The case files consist of Crisis Line and Support Line telephone call sheets documenting help given to victims of rape and domestic violence.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into ten series: 1) General Correspondence, 2) Case Files, 3) Financial Records, 4) Legal Documents, 5) Minutes, 6) Organization, 7) Reports, 8) Subject Files, 9) Miscellany, and 10) Clippings. Some material housed in Archives Map Case. See inventory below for more information.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
General Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1-4 | Miscellaneous |
1974-1983, undated |
Case Files Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 5-7 | Crisis Line call sheets (includes rape, battering,
and general information calls) [note: all names and identifying information have been
removed from these files for confidentiality reasons] |
1975-1978 |
| 2 / 1-4 | Crisis Line call sheets (includes rape, battering,
and general information calls) |
1979 |
| 2 / 5-8 | Support Line call sheets (includes rape, battering,
and general information calls) |
1980 |
| 2 / 9-10 | Support Line call sheets (includes rape, battering,
and general information calls) |
1981 |
Financial Records Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 1 | Balance sheets |
1978 |
| 3 / 2 | Budget materials |
1977-1981 |
| 3 / 3 | Checkstubs |
1981-1982 |
| 3 / 4 | City-county funding |
1979-1981 |
| 3 / 5 | Fundraising: Jumping Jennie Jamboree |
1978-1979 |
| 3 / 6 | Fundraising: Spring Fever Run |
1980 |
| 3 / 7 | In-kind contributions: public service radio time |
undated |
| 3 / 8 | Promissory notes to employees |
1980 |
| 3 / 9 | Tax returns |
1976-1982 |
Legal Documents Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 10 | Lease agreements |
1975, 1980 |
Minutes Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 11-12 | General meetings, steering committee meetings |
1976-1981 |
| 3 / 13 | Staff meetings |
1979-1980 |
Organization Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 14 | Bylaws |
1976 |
| 3 / 15 | History, structure, objectives, plans |
1975-1982 |
| Oversize Folder | ||
| 1 | chart of staff goals [Oversize: See Archives Map
Case] |
1975-1982 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 16 | Incorporation, annual reports to Secretary of State,
dissolution papers |
1975-1983 |
| 3 / 17 | Job descriptions and personnel policies |
1980 |
| 3 / 18 | Member and volunteer information sheets |
1980-1981 |
| 3 / 19 | Membership lists |
undated |
| 3 / 20 | Policy manual |
undated |
Reports Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 1 | Coordinator reports |
1976-1981 |
| 4 / 2 | Staff reports: Marianne Hughes |
1979 |
| 4 / 3 | Staff reports: Claudia Kuric |
1979 |
| 4 / 4 | Staff reports: Ann Luithly |
1979-1980 |
| 4 / 5 | Staff reports: Judy Madden |
1978-1979 |
| 4 / 6 | Staff reports: Ann Mason |
1979 |
| 4 / 7 | Staff reports: Edith Resto |
1979-1980 |
| 4 / 8 | Staff reports: Barbara Tubbs |
1979-1980 |
| 4 / 9 | Staff reports: Linda Whedbee |
1979-1980 |
| 4 / 10 | Staff reports: Andrea Wightman |
1979-1980 |
Subject Files Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 11 | Assertiveness Training Program |
1981 |
| 4 / 12 | Battered Women Task Force: Board of Crime Control
grant for workshop |
1979-1980 |
| 4 / 13 | Battered Women Task Force: financial |
1978-1980 |
| 4 / 14 | Battered Women Task Force: grant |
1979 |
| 4 / 15 | Battered Women Task Force: minutes |
1978-1979 |
| 4 / 16 | Battered Women Task Force: reports ("Battered Women,"
by Nancy Rae Richardson) |
1977 |
| 4 / 17 | Battered Women Task Force: reports ("Spouse-battering
in the Helena, East Helena, and Lewis and Clark County area", by Barbara Garrett) |
1978 |
| 4 / 18 | Battered Women Task Force: services available lists,
volunteers |
undated |
| 4 / 19 | Battered Women Task Force: SRS funding applications |
1977-1981 |
| 4 / 20 | Battered Women Task Force: training materials |
undated |
| 4 / 21 | Battered Women Task Force: miscellaneous |
undated |
| 4 / 22 | C.E.T.A. contract: correspondence [Concentrated
Employment and Training Act] |
1977-1981 |
| 4 / 23 | C.E.T.A. contract: financial |
1979-1981 |
| 4 / 24 | C.E.T.A. contract: procedures, agreements,
application guidelines |
1978-1980 |
| 5 / 1 | Child abuse (includes Comprehensive Child Protection
Project) |
1978-1980 |
| 5 / 2 | Child Care Task Force |
1979-1981 |
| 5 / 3 | Crisis Line: rules, instructions, etc. |
undated |
| 5 / 4 | Crisis Line: statistics |
1975-1979 |
| 5 / 5 | Displaced Homemakers |
1978-1981 |
| 5 / 6 | Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) |
1978-1979 |
| 5 / 7 | Helena Volunteer Coordinators Council |
1980 |
| 5 / 8 | Incest |
1976 |
| 5 / 9 | Lesbian/Gay rights |
undated |
| 5 / 10 | Montana Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women |
1977-1979 |
| 5 / 11 | Montana Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women:
report |
1978 |
| 5 / 12 | Montana Pro-Choice Coalition |
1979-1982 |
| 5 / 13 | Montana Spouse Abuse Task Force: minutes and
correspondence (also called Montana Battered Spouse Task Force) |
1978-1980 |
| 5 / 14 | Montana Status of Women Advisory Council |
1980 |
| 5 / 15 | Montana Women's Art Collective |
1977 |
| 5 / 16 | Montana Women's Bureau |
undated |
| 5 / 17 | Montana Women's Festival |
1976-1980 |
| 5 / 18 | National Women's Conference: resolutions |
1977 |
| 5 / 19 | Rape Awareness Program: correspondence |
1976-1982 |
| 5 / 20 | Rape Awareness Program: funding |
1977-1982 |
| 5 / 21 | Rape Awareness Program: grants |
1975-1981 |
| 5 / 22 | Rape Awareness Program: minutes |
1979 |
| 5 / 23 | Rape Awareness Program: Missoula |
undated |
| 5 / 24 | Rape Awareness Program: reports |
1977-1978 |
| 5 / 25 | Rape Awareness Program: speeches [radio interviews in
MM 9] |
undated |
| 5 / 26 | Rape Awareness Program: Task Force on Rape |
undated |
| 5 / 27 | Rape Awareness Program: training materials (includes
peer counsellor's handbook) |
1976 |
| 6 / 1-2 | Rape Awareness Program: training materials (includes
Task Force on Rape materials) |
undated |
| 6 / 3 | Rape Awareness Program: volunteers |
undated |
| 6 / 4 | Sexual harassment |
undated |
| 6 / 5 | Violence Against Women: ATR grant [A Territory
Resource] |
1978 |
| 6 / 6 | Violence Against Women: Board of Crime Control grant |
1979 |
| 6 / 7 | Violence Against Women: minutes |
1979-1980 |
| 6 / 8 | Violence Against Women: resource lists |
undated |
| 6 / 9 | Violence Against Women: self-defense training |
undated |
| 6 / 10 | Violence Against Women: SRS grant |
1979-1982 |
| 6 / 11 | Violence Against Women: training materials |
undated |
| 6 / 12 | Wall mural project: correspondence |
1977-1979 |
| 6 / 13 | Wall mural project: work plans, grants, etc. [Slide
show (audio only) by mural artist, Nikki Glenn, in MM 9] |
1978-1979 |
| 6 / 14 | Women's defense committees (includes Barbara Johnson,
Vicki Gabrini, Assati Shakur, Francine Hughes) |
1977-1978 |
| 6 / 15 | Women's studies course |
undated |
| 6 / 16 | Women's Support Line: grant |
1981-1982 |
| 6 / 17 | Women's Support Line: manual |
1980 |
| 6 / 18 | Women's Support Line: procedures, volunteers,
training materials |
1980-1982 |
| 6 / 19 | Women's Support Line: statistics |
1980-1981 |
Miscellany Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 6 / 20 | Annotated bibliography on women's issues |
undated |
| 6 / 21 | Blank forms [samples] |
undated |
| 7 / | Card file (includes bibliography/book catalog;
location file for resources; resource and referral file; role playing cards) |
undated |
| 8 / 1 | Inventory of office equipment and supplies |
undated |
| 8 / 2 | Lists of boards with functions and qualification for
appointment |
1975 |
| 8 / 3 | Lists of lawyers and social service agencies |
undated |
| 8 / 4 | Lists of women's groups |
undated |
| 8 / 5 | Office calendar |
1980 October-December |
| 8 / 6 | Phone and drop-in log |
1981 |
| 8 / 7 | Phone tree guidelines |
undated |
| 8 / 8 | Public service announcements |
1979 |
| 8 / 9 | Sign-up sheets |
undated |
| 8 / 10 | Miscellaneous (includes brochures and other materials
on many women's groups and activities) |
undated |
Clippings Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 8 / 11 | Abortion; pro-choice |
1978-1979 |
| 8 / 12 | Battered women; rape |
1975-1982 |
| 8 / 13 | Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) |
1977-1978 |
| 8 / 14 | Our Bodies, Ourselves censorship controversy at Lewis
and Clark Public Library |
1978 |
| 8 / 15 | Miscellaneous (re: a wide variety of women's issues) |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Abortion
- Abused children
- Abused women
- Art
- Censorship
- Equality before the law
- Hot lines (counseling)
- Lesbians
- Pro-choice movement
- Rape
- Women
- Women artists
- Women volunteers in social service
- Women--Societies and clubs
- Women--legal status, laws, etc.
Corporate Names
- Helena Woman's Center (creator)
Finding aid prepared by MHS staff; Edited by Lindsey
Mick
1994; Edited
2023
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
