Waterford ― The granddaughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz has gotten behind efforts by Safe Futures to help survivors of domestic violence – including women, men, children and pets – find justice and peace.

Julia Arnaz of Milford was the special, unannounced guest at Friday’s Safe Futures Light the Way breakfast in front of roughly 225 people at Langley’s Restaurant.

Arnaz, who identified herself as a survivor of a six-year abusive relationship, said her dream of establishing a pet-friendly shelter led her to search out like-minded advocates. She described Safe Futures as a “needle in a haystack” in her search for a cause to get behind.

The organization advertises itself as the first emergency shelter in the State of Connecticut to welcome pets.

“I want to make some noise,” Arnaz said from the podium, her energetic delivery underscoring the sentiment. “I want to go national with this. I have a platform with my family name and I’m prepared to use it for the better good.”

An article in People Magazine said Arnaz didn’t have a relationship with her birth father, Desi Arnaz Jr., until a DNA test came back in the early 1990s after Ball and Arnaz had died.

Arnaz credited her father for helping her escape her abusive relationship with her three cats and a lifetime restraining order on her abuser.

Until that point, she said, “I didn’t go anywhere because I wasn't going to leave my pets. I wasn’t going to do it.”

Safe Futures CEO Katherine Verano said the organization has been focused on removing all barriers for victims seeking services since she was hired seven years ago.

“We immediately started accepting pets in every one of our seven housing programs, because pets are part of your family,” she said.

The annual fundraising breakfast drew speakers including former state Rep. William Petit and domestic violence survivor Jennifer Zubeck.

Petit, who survived the Cheshire home invasion that ended in the death of his wife and two daughters, told the crowd about a cousin who was killed by her husband. He said she had escaped an abusive situation, but went back to get her dog.

“That was the one big mistake she made, and it cost her her life: going back in her home to get her dog,” he said.

Zubeck, executive director of Groton’s Riverfront Children’s Center, spoke about three years of active abuse and the ensuing years spent living in fear as her attempts to get help from the police and courts left her feeling unprotected.

She said she wasn’t truly able to escape the situation until her abuser died last month in a motorcycle accident.

“It’s been seven years since I left him. Since I left,” she said. “And I can only now begin to feel safe. And it shouldn't have been this way. He shouldn’t have had to die in order for me to feel safe. We need to do better by our victims.”

The pet theme permeating the event was carried through in a story she shared about her abuser when he came to visit their son before a full restraining order was issued.

“He decided he was going to show him how to train our dog, and picked up our dog and threw him into the electrical fence that we had set up,” she said.

Center for Safe Futures

The organization at Friday’s event touted the $8.5 million Center for Safe Futures planned for a former tree farm at 994 Hartford Turnpike in Waterford. Chief Operating Officer Margaret Soussloff said close to $7 million has been raised so far and she is hopeful construction could begin this year.

The family justice center will bring multiple agencies together under one roof to streamline the process for those trying to get out of abusive situations. This means victims will not have to tell their story over and over again to police, prosecutors, counselors, victims’ advocates and others.

Verano cited plans for a virtual courtroom “so a victim doesn’t have to walk into a courtroom to face their abuser.”

The group lauded state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, for her work securing $5 million for the project from the State Bond Commission.

Cheeseman was choked up when she rose address the crowd.

“If I never do anything again in my career as a state legislator, I will be so proud I was able to be part of the creation of the Center for Safe Futures,” she said.

Zubeck in her remarks wondered how different her life might be if the center was there when she needed it.

“Everything I needed in one place,” she said. “Everyone I needed in one building would come together to support a common goal that should be a common right: safety for families.”

e.regan@theday.com