Marlene Clowers

[ Calming voice ] [ Counselor ] [ Future missionary ]

She knows about domestic violence first hand, and she’s dedicated her life to ending it.

“I was a formerly battered woman, and I saw a need,” Marlene Clowers said. “I saw, truly, that domestic violence needed to be stopped.”

Clowers started volunteering with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program in 1987 and has done just about every job there is with the agency, which shelters and counsels victims of domestic abuse in Iowa City. She was hired there in 1994 and has been the full-time shelter coordinator for nearly six years.

Besides routine duties of answering the phones and doors, she keeps supplies stocked and ensures the safety of the residents. But as a victim of domestic violence herself, her greatest contribution may be in counseling those in need.

“I’m a calming voice,” she said. “I’ve been able to break free from the violence. I can see there’s hope for other people to go forward. And women need to know that they have a place to stay.”

She’s seen abusive patterns continue down the generations, and breaking the cycle is her goal.

“I really care so much about this because of my children,” she said.

Clowers works three 12-hour, overnight shifts a week at the shelter, which has 16 bedrooms and has housed as many as 50 people overnight. But her work extends well beyond her hours.

“Having a domestic violence shelter is very needed in this community,” she said. “We receive thousands of calls a year. And with outreach, we’re working with at least 100 people a week.”

Clowers also works hard to keep her certification as a domestic abuse advocate up to date.
“I think women are becoming stronger,” she said. “They’re seeing earlier on that this is wrong.

“My heart and soul truly has been in this work…. It’s important to me. It’s my mission now.”

— Jon Klinkowitz