Safe Haven Board meets
volunteers,one barred
and accused of treason
PHILIPSBURG--Volunteers associated with Safe Haven, the shelter for battered/abused persons, were briefed Monday night by members of the board of Safe Haven Foundation about the latest developments within the Foundation and at the shelter, but the session has left one long-serving volunteer furious and perplexed.
The volunteer, who is also a former member of the board, said she had not been permitted to attend the meeting and was accused of “treason” by a member of the board.
A representative of the board confirmed that a meeting of volunteers had been held Monday night, but declined to comment on the reported incident involving the former board member and long-serving volunteer.
The former board member/volunteer told The Daily Herald she had not been personally invited to the meeting, but had been told about it by other volunteers so she turned up at the venue shortly after 7:30pm. On arrival, she was told by the security guard on duty that he had instructions not to allow her to enter the premises.
She said she had been taken aback by the guard’s disclosure and after some further enquiries a senior member of the board had come to the gate and informed her that the board had directives from its lawyers and from the government not to allow her to enter the premises.
Her reported close association with Safe Haven Director Lorraine Lopez-Daniel, one of four Safe Haven employees placed on non-active duty last Friday pending investigations by auditors, was given as the reason for her being barred from the premises and from attending the meeting of volunteers.
“I was told, ‘We have a directive not to allow you in because we have found your name on file along with Lorraine’s assistant and that is considered treason,’” the barred volunteer told this newspaper.
According to the barred volunteer, she resigned from the Safe Haven board last September because of the serious infighting that was taking place, but decided to continue working as a volunteer by putting in about four hours every Sunday.
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