BUTLER COUNTY, Kansas – Mary Coleman, Jessica Davis and Blake Rebholz – together they are helping dispel the notion that welding is a man’s job.
"When I first enrolled in the program I thought I was going to be the only woman,” Coleman said. “So it kind of scared me a little bit, but I was still going to go for it."It has been nearly eight years since any women enrolled in the program at Butler Community College – let alone three.When El Dorado’s police chief heard about the trio, he contacted their instructor, Matthew Galbraith, to see if the ladies would consider working on a project to mark October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.“To let woman know that they have other options,” said Rebholz. “Like us, going into welding.”So for the last few weeks, they’ve been working on a sculpture with a simple message that in another week or so will be permanently placed in front of the El Dorado Police Department."I feel good that I'm trying to help people,” Davis said. “I don't even know the people I'm trying to help -- just them passing by and seeing it. If that helps them, great.""It will get it more out there, and that it's okay to tell somebody you've been abused in your own home,” Coleman said.Galbraith, whose mother was a welder, believes that because women constructed the sculpture it will mean so much more to women who see it, especially those who have lived with abuse."I think it's about empowerment mostly,” he said. “The type of empowerment that can help an individual gain the skills and confidence to possibly leave a bad situation.”So if you live in El Dorado, or you're just passing through, plan on stopping at the police department to check out the beautiful and meaningful piece of art. It's a piece that could end up changing countless lives. It will be in front of the police department in about another week.
