An Introduction to Annie Warmke's Life & Career

Abstract

Annie’s early career years rescued the bankrupt project that helped her go into hiding when she was a rural Ohio battered woman. Next she moved to Florida starting over 22 battered women projects (1980’s). She raised money, made national TV appearances and introduced Pres. Clinton (for having helped in a small way to start the National Domestic Violence Hotline). She never stopped letting people everywhere she went (around the world) know that her experiences inspired her to create projects for battered women, and for men who abused. As a volunteer she created a project to gain the release of 18 battered women who killed in self-defense, establishing a program that served as the vanguard for similar projects around the world. Next came a rape crisis project, and the founding of two women’s funds. Annie built the first Earthship (house made of tires, cans and bottles) east of the Mississippi to bring economic change to her rural southeast Ohio community. This pioneering work brought 15,000 people through her living room since 2005 – all seeking to learn sustainable living (her version of peace work) through workshops and events.

Full Version

Her career spans a lifetime of working as a social entrepreneur – she received the Melitta Award for Business Woman of the Year for not only the development of non-profits that helped women and girls, but also because she understood that the community’s needs included merging business principles with social change issues. Annie has created over 22 projects that work with abused women in a variety of settings. She has worked with the Florida governor’s office to go into the women’s prisons to identify women who were convicted of murder even though they acted in self-defense. Her work with women in prison gained national and international attention, helping to gain the release of scores of innocent women. She has been an outspoken advocate for human rights in Central America, China, Russia, Europe and The White House.

Awards for her work include the JC Penney Award, The Melitta Award for Business Woman of the Year, The YWCA Special Woman of the Year – Clearwater, FL, The Battered Women’s Coalition Everyday Woman Award – two years in a row, The Florida Governor’s Peace at Home Award, Tiger Bay Club Award for impacting public policy, and The Giraffe Award for sticking her neck out for abused women. Most recently she was awarded “Annie’s Award”, named after her by RESPONSE, the Muskingum County anti-violence project.

When she was in her 20’s Annie was a battered woman living in rural southeast Ohio. After escaping to shelters 20 times, she finally managed to go into hiding with her 5 year old daughter. From that point she went on to organize shelters for battered women, found rape crisis projects, serve on think tanks, create the first clemency project for battered women, and travel around the world raising money and crusading the cause of ending family violence.

Annie’s writing has appeared around the world. For three years while she lived in Europe she wrote a column, “Life in a Small Town” for the TIMES RECORDER newspaper. She has written numerous articles for publication, which have appeared in publications produced by The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, as well as the French website, SOS FEMMES. A workbook she co-authored for non-profits, “Train the Trainers: An American Style Approach” is currently being used as a teaching tool by Women’s Peacepower Foundation. Her most noted contribution is a chapter in the book WOMEN OF SPIRIT, edited by Katherine Martin where she tells the story of her “call” to work on behalf of abused women in prison and her personal struggle as a battered woman.

Her current writing includes articles for green living magazines, and several booklets including “Natural Gardening” and “Solar Cooking Blue Rock Station Style” that have been published by Blue Rock Station Publishing.

If there is a theme to Annie’s writing it has to be “The Politics of Life”. She enjoys observing people and then jumping right in with an uncanny way of bringing out what people are thinking. Living in France, and then England for 3 years with her family, and watching America from across the pond gave her fresh fodder for her views, and an opportunity to create a business plan for Blue Rock Station with her husband, Jay, that included things like creating a map of the area from Duncan Falls to McConnelsville to demonstrate tourist-based activities. She went on to use the map to drive thousands of visitors to the area over the past three summers.

Annie currently is the co-owner, along with her husband of BLUE ROCK STATION Green Living Center, home of Ohio’s first Earthship. OHIO MAGAZINE named the tourist site “One of the 35 Best Hidden Treasures of Ohio” after just two years of operation. Annie leads workshops based on her years of teaching leadership to women who are working to make the world a better place for women and their families.

She uses her spare time to help local groups create strategic plans that will help women and girls become fully engaged in the communities of the region. In 2006 she joined up with Yvette Livers of the Girl Scout Council and David Mitzel of the Muskingum County Community Foundation to begin exploring the idea of creating a women and girl’s funding network for Muskingum, Morgan and Perry Counties. Her goal is to create innovative ways to bring women and girls up the ladder to better more productive lives.

In her own backyard she started the Blue Rock Farmer’s Market to help local land owners to use their extra produce, and goods to make extra money. Ten volunteers joined Annie in creating the market in 2006. She also organized the new Blue Rock Region Chamber of Commerce.

The Morgan County Passport Program, in conjunction with the Summer Reading Library Program was spearheaded by Annie. Her goal was to bring together a variety of interpretive sites into one little booklet that children could use to visit local history and science sites. She wanted children to begin to develop a pride in their history and their community.

Response Victim Programs have found a friend in Annie as well. She has worked with Jane Malloy to develop a gardening program for women who participate in the survivor’s group, and there are plans for Annie to assist more in 2007 with talks on gardening and canning. Jane and Annie are also working with the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department to create a one-day meeting between justice systems that are working with family violence issues to create a coordinated community response to the issue.

At the end of the day though Annie would tell you that her favorite and most important role is that of wife and mother.