Post by Jonel on Apr 7, 2003 12:39:08 GMT -5
The Temptations --Special to the Savannah Morning News
It's not just your imagination
Web posted Friday, April 4, 2003
The Temptations perform tonight at the Civic Center, and for a good cause.
Eight years ago, Julia Pearce was living what appeared to be a happy life.
A nurse married to a successful accountant, Pearce and her husband had a beautiful home in Atlanta and two young daughters, ages 2 and 8.
That was the side that everyone saw. What they didn't see was the excessive drinking and violence that went on behind closed doors.
"I was in a situation where, if I didn't get out, I was going to die," Pearce said in a recent interview.
So one morning, after her abusive husband had gone to work, Pearce scooped up her two children, got in the car and drove away. She headed to the beaches of Tybee Island, where she hoped to find strength and start over.
With the help of a referral, she found her new beginning at the Savannah Area Family Emergency (SAFE) shelter, where she and her daughters spent three months being fed, cared for and counseled.
Today, eight years later, Pearce is happily remarried, working as a local nurse and living on Tybee with her husband Mallory and two daughters. And she's now a new SAFE shelter board member, hoping that her experiences can help other victims of domestic violence.
"I was there. I was living that," she said. "I reinvented my whole life."
Tonight, in fact, Pearce will be celebrating her reinvented life during The Temptations concert at the Savannah Civic Center. Not just an ordinary concert, the show is also a fund-raiser for the shelter -- one that couldn't come at a better time.
Like other nonprofits, the agency is struggling financially, operating on a $950,000 annual budget -- about 20 percent less than usual.
"As we submit applications to different foundations, we're finding that their amounts are also drying up," said Gail Reese-Wheeler, who has served as director of the SAFE shelter for nine years. "If you come out to see the show, not only will you have a nice time -- you'll also be making a difference in the lives of families."
Also attending the concert will be Kathie Anderson, another SAFE board member who has been listening to the Temptations since she was in high school. In fact, Anderson, who has seen the group in concert at least eight times, will be joined by three of her high school buddies who are flying in for the concert from out of state.
"I just love their music," she said. "Any place they're available, I go see them."
Performing with the Temptations as he has for most of the past 42 years is veteran member Otis Williams, the only original Temptation who remains.
"I'm still doing it because I still enjoy it," Williams said. "I'm still having fun, not caught up in the vacuum of a 9-to-5 job."
Williams, who said he was glad to perform on behalf of a good cause, compared the Temptations to the Yankees baseball team.
"They've been around for 100 years, and have had some of the best ball players ever," he said. "Even though Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson are no longer there, people still go to see the champs."
Likewise, people still go to see The Temptations -- and Williams plans to enjoy it as long as he can.
"I'm going to ride the hair off the horse," he said.
About the Temptations
Formed in Detroit in 1961, The Temptations are known for a long string of hits, including "Just My Imagination," The Way You do the Things You do," "My Girl," "It's Growing," "Since I Lost my Baby," "Get Ready," "Too Proud to Beg," "Runaway Child," "Cloud 9," "I Can't Get Next to You" and "Papa was a Rolling Stone."
The original Temptations were Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin. Of the original members, only Otis Williams remains.
The other current Temptations are Terry Weeks, Barrington Henderson, Ron Tyson and Harry McGilberry, Jr.
About the SAFE Shelter
The Savannah Area Family Emergency Shelter is a nonprofit organization that provides confidential services to victims of domestic violence. The program consists of an emergency shelter, three balanced meals per day, individual and group crisis intervention, a children's program, legal advice, preventative education, targeted outreach and referral services for housing, social service agencies, medical services and employment.
The shelter also has an outreach office for non-emergencies, where individuals can obtain temporary protection orders and meet with counselors for advice. For more general information, call 651-0004. The shelter's Web site is safeshelter.org.
If you need help: Call the shelter's 24-hour crisis line at 629-8888 for assistance.
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That horse needs a new wardrobe! 
