Casa Teresa Helps Make Survivors of Abuse Victims

Some of the boldest words ever spoken on the charity circuit were served up with the hazelnut souffles on Monday when the Founder’s Guild of Casa Teresa held its annual holiday luncheon at the Ritz restaurant.

Taking her place before a gussied-up crowd, Traci Asare haltingly told a tale of childhood abuse, of how a family member always demanded sexual favors from her in the car on the way to school.

The experience made her feel like “a nothing,” she said during the Newport Beach event. And there were other factors that contributed to her low self-esteem: the painful divorce of her parents, the denial of her abuse by family members, the isolation.

A few years ago, Asare met a man and married him. But the relationship followed a pattern already established in her life. He was domineering, abusive. Again she felt like “nothing.”

A month after they filed for divorce, she learned she was pregnant. “I’d had a miscarriage of twins during my marriage,” she said. “So I thought: ‘Oh Lord, why now? I’m by myself. This is the worst time.’ ”

Asare was also without money. “I’d had a job at UCI Medical Center, but I got caught in one of their big layoffs,” she said. “Everything just started turning bad for me.”

Enter Casa Teresa, a temporary shelter in Orange for single pregnant mothers age 18 to 25. “They taught me about the power of self-respect,” she said. “I don’t feel like a ‘nothing’ anymore. I feel really blessed.

“I’ve had some hard years, but I think God put (daughter) Alexis in my life for a reason. Now I have the power to stand on my own and stand up for her.”

After Asare and fellow Casa Teresa graduate Kathy Hoy spoke, James Pugh, the shelter’s psychologist, addressed the crowd. “These women have learned that they do count in the world, that they are somebody, that they are no longer victims, but survivors,” he said.

“Once, they were ruled by fear. Now they use that fear as a tool to go forward. This is what the front line of Casa Teresa is all about--sending them out into the world with power.”

During their stay at the shelter, residents are given individual and group counseling and are taught about nutrition, parenting and financial planning. The shelter also provides assistance with job placement.

Asare isn’t sure where she and her 5-month-old daughter will spend Christmas. “But I’ve made so many friends at Casa Teresa, I’m sure I’ll be welcome somewhere,” she said. “All I really want for Christmas is a job and affordable housing.”

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Food for thought: Word’s out that singer Bonnie Raitt will join Vicki Lawrence, Ed Begley Jr. and Phyllis Diller at “The Battle of the Bulge,” the food-eating faceoff between Roseanne and Tom Arnold, Hulk Hogan and Robert Earl on Sunday at Planet Hollywood. Earl is president of Planet Hollywood.

Tickets are still available for the $200-per-person event, which will feature dinner and an auction of items that include walk-on roles in “Roseanne” and “Tom”--Tom Arnold’s newest show. Also on the block: a diamond necklace and sketches by celebs such as Jay Leno and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The event marks the first benefit for the Tom and Roseanne Arnold Foundation, which was recently organized to raise funds to assist young victims of sexual abuse.

For tickets, call (714) 668-1440.