Resilience Center of Franklin County: Perseveres for 50 Years
By Melissa Karen Sances
Sponsored By Greenfield Saving Bank
Published In Northampton Living | March 2026
It was no surprise that the headline was buried in the Morning Union. It was October 1976, and the terms “intimate partner violence” or “domestic violence” weren’t part of the national lexicon. So on a Friday morning in Springfield, Mass., an article about “battered women” appeared on page 22 of the local paper, tucked under a feature about, among other things, a recipe to remove bedbugs.
“New Center Will Help Women With Problems,” began the piece about the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), an organization founded by four women in New Salem who were worried about their peers.
The Greenfield-based nonprofit is now called the Resilience Center of Franklin County (RCFC). Executive Director Amanda Sanderson said that the culture has come a long way since her “foremothers” started speaking up, but that today, survivors of all genders still have to fight to be taken seriously – even as they are fighting for their lives.
New Name, Same Mission
RCFC’s new name, unveiled at the organization’s 50th anniversary last October, reflects the spirit of the people they serve. “Our clients are incredibly resilient,” said Sanderson. “They have been through so much and have come to us to seek out help.”
At an intergenerational celebration at Quonquont Farm in Whately, the community came together to celebrate NELCWIT’s history and RCFC’s future.
“[We] started out as a group of concerned people being laughed out of rooms filled with men,” Sanderson explained. When the founders applied for their first grant, she said, the response was, “You can’t bring this made-up problem to us and expect to use taxpayer dollars.” But the women resolved to collect data proving that intimate partner violence was real, and the next time they applied, they were approved.
In 2025, the RCFC helped more than 1,000 people with counseling and advocacy sessions, referrals to other community resources, and the supervision of children’s visitation. They took 2,235 calls and served 432 walk-ins at their home base in Greenfield and their satellite office in Orange.
Cycle of Violence, Power of Perseverance
Despite its prevalence, intimate partner violence can be hard to understand, said Sanderson. “A lot of promises are made in a cycle of violence,” she explained, when abusers can apologize convincingly and vow to change their behavior.
“No one goes up to you on the first date and says, ‘I’m going to do my best to erode your sense of self, would you like to split an appetizer?’” said Sanderson. “It’s not like you find yourself in a domestic violence situation and someone gives you a handbook. It’s very confusing.” For someone facing economic uncertainty or not knowing where they will live if they leave, their fear can be both paralyzing and self-preserving. To help victims of non-physical tactics, or “coercive control,” the Healey-Driscoll Administration added the term to the list of eligible criteria for a protective order last year.
Next month, the RCFC will hold its 17th annual Power to Persevere on April 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. Judge Laurie MacLeod will speak at Terrazza in Greenfield, where Sanderson said they will carry on their longstanding mission to elevate survivors’ voices.
Sponsors and registrants are welcome at rcfcma.org/events.
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