Two area shelters will receive much-needed funding thanks to several UW-Stout students and Stones Throw, 304 Eau Claire St., this Friday night. “Hope for the Holidays,” a benefit concert featuring Epic Hero and three other bands, will hit the stage at 7 p.m.

The $5 minimum cover charge will go to Bolton Refuge House in Eau Claire and The Bridge to Hope in Menomonie.

Through this event, the coordinators said they hope to draw awareness to domestic abuse and put people in those situations in touch with the resources available to them.

“It’s really hard to spread awareness of domestic violence,” said Wade Brost a 2006 Stout graduate and the coordinator for last year’s benefit. He is now acting as a consultant for event’s organizers.

Susan Wolfgram, assistant professor of human development and family studies at Stout, said the students in her “Abuse & the Family” course are required to complete social-action projects. Brost and his group organized the first “Hope for the Holidays” event last year, she said, and it was picked up by different students this fall.

Green Mountain Rebel, a “Bob Dylan on steroids meets acoustic Rolling Stones with soulful female harmonies” band, and Radio On, a Minneapolis-based group, will open the show with energetic and upbeat music to “get the night going right,” Brost said.

Thomas Built the Wall is returning after supporting the cause last year, he said, and Epic Hero, a nationally touring light rock band, will take the stage as the headliner.

All four groups present a “different twist of rock ‘n’ roll,” Brost said.

Last year, “Hope for the Holidays” generated more than $600 for The Bridge to Hope. Brost said with an increased cover charge and Epic Hero’s appearance, they will hopefully generate at least $1,000 to split between the two refuge houses this year.

The entire cover charge will go to the charities, Brost said, since the bands and venue are offering their services for free.

“These shelters are amazing,” Brost said. “(They) help to make a better community.”

Centers such as The Bridge to Hope and Bolton Refuge House are a safe place for victims of abuse, said Sarah Harless, a domestic violence support services advocate volunteer for the Women’s and Gender Equity Center.

“One of the reasons domestic violence is so pervasive . is the silence surrounding the issue,” she said.

Jolene Remarcik, senior at Stout and the benefit’s project manager, said that domestic abuse in small-town Wisconsin is not discussed because many people think it doesn’t happen.

According to the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, almost 30,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported each year in Wisconsin. The availability of domestic violence support services, however, has caused this number to decline in the last 25 years, according to the report.

Bolton Refuge House offers free, confidential services to men, women and children who are affected by domestic abuse and sexual assault, said Jackie Steinhoff, the Sexual Assault Victims Services coordinator at Bolton. The Eau Claire shelter helps more than 1,000 people each year.

Donations are especially crucial for Bolton, Steinhoff said, since the center suffered a 66 percent cut in funding from the county this year – down from $45,000 to $15,000.

“It comes at a great time,” Steinhoff said. “It should be a pretty good Christmas for all of the women.”

The refuge sees a big influx of clients right after Christmas, she said, since many victims “keep things together” during the holidays and seek help soon after. The money will be used to keep the shelter running all year, she said.

“Everything helps,” Steinhoff said, “even if we only get $20.”

Information about the refuge homes will be available at Stones Throw on Friday night, Remarcik said.

“We just wanted people there that (know) the process, in case someone did want to talk about something,” she said.

The size and reputation of Stones Throw draws more people than any Menomonie venue would, Wolfgram said.

The Eau Claire bar is the ideal venue, Brost agreed, because it already features live, local music several nights a week. He said he aims for the event to get bigger every year, including more well-known bands.

“I love doing this event,” Brost said, “because you see so many people willing to donate their talent and time to better the community.”