PEOPLE : Distress Signals

Picture this: An arm with a clenched fist thrusts out of a billboard. Beneath it, the words: “Violence at home is war against women.”

It is just one of almost 200 images debuting on billboards in San Francisco today. Commissioned by the Liz Claiborne Co., the signs focus attention on domestic violence, a health crisis that reportedly injures more women than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

The signs--in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean--and a 24-hour, multilingual hot line are part of a new philanthropic direction for Claiborne. Specific communities are targeted; civic leaders suggest the need, and Claiborne provides the funds and people to get started. “Just handing over a check doesn’t show true commitment. Helping people find new solutions does,” says Wendy Banks of Claiborne.

Chicago was the first recipient of the company’s largess. Earlier this year, in conjunction with the opening of the Harold Washington Library Center, Claiborne published “A Million Moms and Mine.”

Banks says there is a real dollar return for the company from these programs: “It’s important for our customers to feel good about themselves and feel prosperous. Then we benefit from them. It’s all interconnected--the health of our customers and our social responsibility.”