Safe at home: Vegas entertainers put on benefit for SafeNest

Friday, March 26, 2004 | 8:45 a.m.

When the Scintas were growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., they sometimes saw victims of spousal abuse.

"A lot of our family back East was in law enforcement," Frankie Scinta noted. "Our brother, Tony, was in law enforcement for 30 years, so we got to see firsthand what spousal abuse is."

The Scintas, headliners at The Rio, are among 15 musicians and comedians who will perform between noon and 6 p.m. Saturday at the Clark County Amphitheater for "Vegas Unites," a fund-raising event for SafeNest, a local agency that provides shelter for victims of abuse.

In addition, there will be photo opportunities with dancers from The Thunder From Down Under, karaoke and activities for children.

Tickets are $20 and include one raffle entry. Advance sale tickets also include $5 in concession coupons. Children under 10 are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased in person at any Station Casino or at the door Saturday.

The performing Scintas are Frankie, Joe and Christine Scinta and honorary Scinta Peter O'Donnell (the group's drummer).

"It is wonderful that Las Vegas has a place, like SafeNest, for abuse victims, and that at the same time the agency is doing something to change things," Frankie Scinta said.

O'Donnell added that victims of abuse often feel lost.

"Sometimes, when someone is in the situation, it seems like there is no way out," he said. "SafeNest helps victims to see they are not stuck in the tur-moil, that there is someone they can go to and find support."

"Nobody should ever be abused," Scinta said. "It's good for victims to know that they can get out."

Among the other entertainers scheduled to perform are magician Lance Burton, Elvis tribute artist Steve Connolly, rocker Franky Perez of Las Vegas, cast members from "An Evening at La Cage" and comedians Steve Young, Jeremy Flores and Ali Zachary.

"I'm very much against any kind of violence," Burton said. "But especially in the case of domestic abuse. That is especially bad because in many such cases children tend to be the victims, both physically and emotionally.

"SafeNest offers a haven where they can go and be cared for, physically and mentally, while the wheels of justice turn and solutions for this specific crisis are found."

Burton said he was happy to participate in the fund-raiser for SafeNest, not only to help bring in badly needed funds, but also "to raise the awareness of the problems of abuse."

"It's a good cause," Connolly said. "It raises awareness that violence is something that sometimes takes place when people are at their wit's end.

"No one should stay in a relationship like that."

United state

"Vegas Unites" was organized and funded by Elementary Solutions Inc., an events marketing and production company.

Lu Ann Wall, head of the company, once was a volunteer for SafeNest's crisis response team.

"I thought I could better utilize my talents by planning and promoting fund-raising events," Wall said.

She said the event has grown larger than expected.

"It's going to rock," she said.

Co-host of the event is comedian Shelly McCarty, who also is a community outreach worker for SafeNest. Her duties include speaking to schools and other organizations about domestic violence. John Jones, a dueling pianist at New York-New York, also is host.

McCarty has been with SafeNest for almost four years.

"I love my job," McCarty said. "Domestic abuse is a hard topic to talk about. I tell people the facts, and it shocks them. I tell them what's really happening to friends and neighbors. One in three Americans will be a victim of abuse in their lifetime."

McCarty says Las Vegas has among the highest incidents of domestic abuse in the country.

"This is a high-stress city," she explained. "We tend to cater to addictions, which are stressful behavior, such as gambling, drinking, prostitution."

She said the transient nature of Las Vegas helps abuse go unnoticed in many cases. No one knows their neighbors.

"I'm from Ohio, where everybody knew everybody," she said. "But we were used to minding our own business here."

McCarty says the primary clients of SafeNest are women, "But we offer help for everyone. Males certainly may be a victim of abuse."

She said funds raised by Saturday's event will go into the budget.

"We're always looking to upgrade our services," McCarty said.

The organization has two locations, one site in Las Vegas and one in North Las Vegas. There are several houses at each location, with a total of about 100 beds.

There is a 24-hour hot line at each location, as well as mental health counselors and other staff members.

A haven

SafeNest has been in existence since 1977. The first year its hot line received about 1,100 crisis calls. Now it receives more than 24,000 calls annually.

According to national statistics provided by SafeNest, about 95 percent of domestic abuse victims are women, and there are more than 870,000 violent crimes against women each year.

SafeNest provides shelter services for the rural and urban areas of Clark County. Residents receive such services as parenting classes, vocational counseling and housing assistance.

Children's services include a therapist and children's programmer, structured playtime and other activities.

For men who are in need of emergency shelter, SafeNest provides shelter at undisclosed locations apart from the shelter location.

McCarty notes that there seems to be an increasing number of cases in which violence is committed by teenagers against other teens.

"We're seeing dating violence at 14 and 15 years old," she said. "Adolescent abuse is a learned behavior. When we go into the schools, we talk to the kids about what to look for in a dating situation and how to guard against abuse."

SafeNest has an Adolescent Batterers Group, which was developed for teens who have witnessed violence in their families, who are or have been abusive toward family members and who are or have been in a dating relationship.

SafeNest also provides clothing and other items for victims.

"We send out trucks all day, picking up donations," McCarty said. "If you use it on a daily basis, we are probably about out of it and could use it -- pajamas, panties, bras, socks, kids' stuff, diapers. We are always in need of stuff like that."

Mary Lou Fineman, who is Wall's mother, has been a victim's advocate for SafeNest for four years. She describes her job as being a "jack-of-all-trades."

"We do what needs to be done for the victim," Fineman said.

That includes accompanying them to court for moral support, looking for jobs for the victims and helping them to relocate if they wish.

Or, they may help the victim return to the abuser, if that is the victim's desire, after offering counseling services.

She said women stay in abusive situations for a variety of reasons, from financial to the fact that the victims are isolated.

"Batterers do a systematic isolation of their victims," Fineman said. "They keep them away from friends and family, which is especially a problem in an area like Las Vegas, which has a large transient population. So many are without a family here."

She said there is almost a murder a week in Las Vegas Valley.

"It is often said by people not in this field, 'Why does the victim stay?', " Fineman said. "Staying is not a crime, battery is."

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