WomenSafe Inc. will host its annual Boots, Barrels & Glitz benefit on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, running from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Tall Oaks Resort in Kirtland, Ohio. The evening includes a smokehouse barbecue buffet dinner, an open bar, silent and live auctions, and bourbon and basket raffles, all supporting the organization's emergency shelter and survivor services across Geauga County and the wider region.
The event, first detailed by Cleveland.com, will be held at Tall Oaks Resort, located at 9199 Chillicothe Road in Kirtland. The venue spans a 14-acre estate anchored by a 13,000-square-foot timber-framed event barn that can hold up to 330 guests, according to Tall Oaks Resort. Admission costs $90, and additional information is available at womensafe.org, per the same report.
Guest emcee Loree Vick, a former Fox 8 Cleveland news anchor and founder of Vick Communications, will host the evening. Vick has become a public speaker on trauma recovery and mental health advocacy since losing her husband to suicide in 2005, work she has continued in appearances such as a keynote address for NAMI Richland County, as reported by Richland Source.
What the Benefit Funds
Proceeds from Boots, Barrels & Glitz support WomenSafe's Green House, the organization's primary facility and emergency shelter for domestic violence survivors and their children in Chardon. Past proceeds have funded travel assistance for survivors reuniting with family, replacement eyeglasses for children, and clothing survivors need to start new jobs, the Cleveland.com report notes. The organization also provides counseling, peer-support groups, art therapy, employment advocacy and court advocacy to clients, all delivered as part of its broader mission.
WomenSafe traces its roots to 1980, when local Geauga County citizens began housing abused women and children in private residences before opening a rental shelter attached to the county sheriff's department that November, according to WomenSafe Inc. In October 2007, the organization opened the Green House in Chardon, consolidating its emergency shelter, administrative offices, 24/7 crisis staff and community outreach under one roof — a milestone the Geauga County Commissioners commended on its 10th anniversary in 2017, per the Geauga County Maple Leaf. Beyond the shelter, WomenSafe operates a 24-hour crisis hotline, COPEline, at 888-285-5665, offering free and confidential crisis management, safety planning and intake support to survivors throughout Northeast Ohio. The agency also runs The Resale Shoppe at 12601 Chillicothe Road in Chesterland, staffed by more than 75 volunteers who help generate operating revenue from donated clothing, furniture and housewares.
Why the Need Keeps Growing
The benefit arrives as Ohio faces a sharp rise in domestic violence deaths. Fatalities statewide spiked to 157 between July 2024 and June 2025, a 37% increase over the prior year and the highest annual death toll in a decade, according to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Firearms were involved in 84% of those fatalities, or 144 of the 157 deaths recorded during the reporting period, the network's data shows.
State lawmakers have also moved to close gaps in how abusers can monitor or track survivors. Ohio Senate Bill 100 took effect under R.C. 2903.216 in March 2025, making it a first-degree misdemeanor to install tracking devices or apps such as AirTags on someone's property without consent, a charge that becomes a fourth-degree felony for people already subject to a protection order, per the Law Offices Of Cara L. Santosuosso, LLC. Even in a county with a median household income of $85,468, according to a University Hospitals community health needs assessment, advocates say shelter and crisis services remain essential safety nets regardless of a family's financial standing.
For readers seeking help or wanting to support survivors locally, WomenSafe's COPEline and the September benefit at Tall Oaks Resort represent two of the most direct ways the Geauga County community sustains that safety net year-round.
