About Us

About Breaking Away, Inc.

Breaking Away, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that was founded on December 3rd, 1996.

 

The number of domestic violence cases increased drastically in the mid-1990s.  Victims of domestic violence were reaching out to police in the middle of the night.  More importantly, they did not have a safe place to live.  There was no place to shelter them locally and it was too difficult to transport victims (including their children) to a shelter in another city or county at inconvenient hours.

 

Rose Marie Bell, former Grundy County Circuit Clerk, addressed the need for a temporary domestic violence shelter.  She partnered with community leaders to raise money and establish a local safe shelter for domestic violence victims.  Since then, we have a 20-year track record of providing temporary shelter for domestic violence victims in Grundy County.

Board of Directors

We are grateful to the Board of Directors who graciously volunteer their time, support, and encouragement so that victims of domestic violence are provided opportunities to have safe shelter in times of crisis and are linked to services to attempt to escape and break the cycle of violence.

  • President & Director

    Russ Baker

  • Secretary & Treasurer

    Angela Baumeister

  • Directors

    Debbie Bols
    Nancy Bjelland
    Ken Briley
    Jim Maskel
    Julie Peterson
    Ryan Wharrie
    Marilyn Yuhas
    Christine Mendez
    Ashley Jurkas