DENISE BROWN TO SPEAK AT BLUFF

POPLAR BLUFF -- The Haven House, a Poplar Bluff shelter for battered women and their children, will mark its 10th anniversary Saturday with a dinner featuring Denise Brown as the main speaker.

The event will take place in Fellowship Hall at the First Baptist Church at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 a person.

Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown-Simpson, will discuss how her life changed after Nicole and Ronald Goldman were murdered June 12, 1994.

In the days following the killings, Denise Brown discovered Nicole's personal diaries and notes. Upon reading accounts of her sister's life, Brown realized her sister was an abused woman.

Seeking further information on family violence from a local shelter, Brown learned how much education is still needed about domestic violence.

She has dedicated her life to educating herself and others about family violence. She and her family have established the Nicole Brown-Simpson Charitable Foundation. The foundation's mission is to educate the national and international communities about the perils of family violence and what is involved in aiding victims.

Annabeth Miller, spokeswoman for the Haven House, said Brown was contacted to speak at Saturday's dinner through her affiliation with the Missouri coalition of domestic violence.

"We're expecting upwards of 250 to 300 people," Miller said. "We feel fortunate to have someone like Denise Brown to help us celebrate our 10th anniversary."

Haven House Executive Director Mary Ann Allen said, Denise knows firsthand the repugnance of domestic violence and the devastating effects it can have on families.

Allen said that when the Haven House opened its doors to battered women in 1985, there were few other programs of its kind in rural Missouri.

"The women and men who were instrumental in the opening of Haven House really were responsible for blazing a new pathway away from violence and toward a safe and secure future," Allen said, adding that hundreds of volunteers have worked to make the Haven House programs successful.