Natchez once again is preparing for the arrival of a first-time event.

Ballet Magnificant Omega is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m., Aug. 21 at the Natchez City Auditorium.

Ballet Magnificat Omega is the premier Christian Ballet Company in the United States. It was created in 1986 by Kathy Thibodeaux, who was a silver medalist at the second USA International Ballet Competition. This performance will be an exciting and wonderful opportunity for us to experience the world of ballet.

The event, which is being sponsored by Parkway Baptist Church, will benefit The Guardian Shelter for Battered Women and Children. The Guardian Shelter provides safe shelter and a wide range of services to the families of domestic violence in 11 counties of Southwest Mississippi and Concordia Parish.

Domestic violence wears many faces as families struggle to flee their homes and then struggle to relocate to areas they are very often strangers to. Victims of domestic violence are estranged from their immediate families due to the abuser’s insistent isolation from family and friends.

The abusers need for total power and control often prevents women from having jobs. They arrive at the shelter with little or no monetary avenues. Obtaining a job is one of the first steps a woman needs to make to be able to live independently. The Guardian Shelter provides families with food, shelter, clothing, transportation, day care services, personal supplies, parenting, domestic violence education, individual therapy and individual referrals to needed resources.

Domestic violence continues to be a part of our communities — as recently as last week a victim was shot and killed by her spouse in a nearby county.

National statistics report an estimated 1.5 million women are assaulted each year by their intimate partner. There continues to be many victims in rural Southwest Mississippi that are uninformed as to the resources available to them and to the location of shelters.

Our present economic stressors impact both the public and private support we rely on to provide services to our consumers. With our service delivery increasing, we rely now more than every on support from the community.

This will be our second fundraising event of the year, and I cannot express the gratitude that we, as the staff of the Guardian Shelter, have for the Natchez Community. Ms. Carolyn Ridley, Ms. Beatrice Owens, Ms. Dorothy Sylvester, Mr. Robert Sylvester and Dr. Akinremi Alinwale with Parkway Baptist Church have given endless hours for the organization of this event. Ms. Ridley has organized this event with the expertise of a seasoned entertainment organizer.

This group has supported our program for some time, and we appreciate all of their hard work and dedication.

The Guardian Shelter is a program of Catholic Charities and we are committed to be a visible sign of Christ’s love in all of our outreach endeavors.

If you have questions regarding the upcoming event, please contact me at 601-442-0142.

We hope to see you at this wonderful event.

Donna Miller is the director of the Guardian Shelter.