"Would you have the courage to leave an abusive situation? "Would you have the courage to leave with nothing? To start a new life for you and your children?'' Those were questions with which Kellianne Gibbons, director of human resources at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, opened her speech at a luncheon celebrating the beginning of an ongoing partnership between the Physical Abuse Centre and the Fairmont hotels in Bermuda.

The `Adopt-a-Shelter' programme has been in place in Fairmont hotels in Canada since 1997, when the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts took a formal stand against domestic violence.

Yesterday, `Adopt-a-Shelter' officially arrived in Bermuda.

The programme is based on the fact that luxury hotels are constantly disposing of items that can be of use to shelters.

According to Ann Layton, vice president of public affairs and communications for Fairmont: "We have 30,000 rooms in 70 hotels across North America, which means that on any given day we have a lot of things that are suitable for donation.

"This programme simply puts a framework in place that lets our hotels contribute to the community, and make a meaningful difference to families in need.'' The Royal Gazette learned that the programme was an ongoing relationship between each hotel and their adopted shelter.

In the case of the Fairmont Princess hotels in Bermuda, the shelter is the Physical Abuse Centre.

The Physical Abuse Centre offers individual counselling and support groups, and provides a safe haven for abuse victims and their children.

It also provides support for victims as they leave the shelter to begin their lives over again in a new state of independence.

Ms Gibbons noted that there are families in need in Bermuda.

"The facts are shocking,'' she said. "Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 45.'' She added that children who grow up with domestic violence in their lives are 74 percent more likely to commit crimes, 55 percent more likely to abuse alcohol, and four times as likely to become domestically violent themselves.

The number of calls for help received by the Physical Abuse Centre went from 240 in 1991 to 649 in 1999.

The number of adults admitted to the safety of the centre increased from 49 to 77 during that time.

Ms Gibbons concluded: "The time is always right to do right.'' Nina Jones, from the Physical Abuse Centre, then stood and thanked the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

"We cannot express enough gratitude and pride in being adopted by Fairmont.'' Shirlene Bascome talked of `Suits for Success', another arm of the Physical Abuse Centre.

`Suits for Success' is an individual suit donation for interviews for women who are in need of employment.

Ms Bascome asked the ladies present: "Please take a week and think about what suits you need in your closet and what suits you need to get rid of.

"Give those suits to the Physical Abuse Centre.'' Anyone who is interested in doing so can contact the Physical Abuse Centre for more information at 292-4366, or fax 292-9280.

June Ann Furbert, daughter of June Augustus, the managing director of the Physical Abuse Centre, also stood in order to express gratitude on behalf of the Centre.

"You are helping to make a difficult time a little more pleasant,'' she said.

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