COLUMBIA, S.C. — Permico Myers is a domestic violence survivor. She said that when she called the police for help, they connected her with an organization called Sistercare.
"Being a survivor, it's just really important to me to let survivors know that they're not by themselves," Myers said.
Now, she works with Sistercare, helping others affected by domestic violence.
"That's just so important, to let them know that you know the abuser does not win," Myers said.
Sistercare Executive Director Leah Wicevic said the nonprofit has served over 140,000 people since 1981.
"We have a 24/7 crisis line where we have advocates standing by all the time; that number is 803-765-9428. And then we also have emergency shelters available for those needing a safe and confidential space. We have a wide array of community-based programs like counseling for children, mother counseling. We have rural outreach. We have a teen outreach program as well, and many different housing programs."
Wicevic also has a personal tie to the work Sistercare does.
"My sister is a survivor of domestic violence," Wicevic said. "She was in an extremely abusive marriage that we knew nothing about until it almost ended with a domestic homicide."
Columbia has partnered with Sistercare for a toiletry drive throughout September. They're hoping to get hygiene products for women escaping a situation or trying to rebuild their lives.
"Oftentimes, they're scared," Wicevic said. "It could be in the middle of the night. It could be when their abuser is at work or at- out with friends. So, it's usually quick. They just grab their kids if they have children and sometimes they don't grab anything at all. They just have the clothes on their back."
There are 11 drop-off locations throughout the city for the toiletry drive:
Columbia City Hall, 1737 Main St.
City of Columbia Payment Center, 3000 Harden St.
Columbia-Richland Fire Department Headquarters, 1800 Laurel St.
Hyatt Park, 950 Jackson Ave.
Greenview Park, 6700 David St.
Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 2300 Greene St.
Woodland Park, 6500 Olde Knight Pkwy.
Swiff Brand, 736 Harden St.
All Good Books, 734 Harden St.
A Little Happy, 707 Saluda Ave.
Mast General Store, 1601 Main St.
Along with the toiletry drive, the city and Sistercare are partnering for Sistercare Saturdays in September.
"They're having two Saturdays in September called Sistercare Saturdays," Wicevic said. "Sept. 16 and Sept. 23. At Boyd Plaza in front of the Columbia Museum of Art. There'll be a dunk tank and you can make some donations and be able to dunk, for example, Mayor Rickenmann, and then also some members of city council and some local celebrities."