Local Domestic Violence Awareness Month events planned
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Taking part in the signing of a proclamation at Elkins City Hall are, from left, Zandra Kelly and Susannah Crawford of the Randolph Tucker Children's Advocacy Center, Megan Phares and Jennifer 'J.J.' Johnson of Centers Against Violence, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, Kristy Kline and McKinnley Murphy of Youth Health Service, and Gillian Adams of the Randolph County Family Resource Network.
ELKINS -- With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Centers Against Violence is raising awareness about domestic violence issues.
"Domestic violence doesn't just happen between intimate partners, like boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife," Jennifer "J.J." Johnson, executive director of CAV, told The Inter-Mountain. "It can be family members who live together, like two siblings, or a grandchild and a grandparent. It covers a lot of different aspects and it's often about family, friendships and relationships."
Centers Against Violence, which was known as Women's Aid in Crisis until a name change in recent years, has several events planned for the remainder of the month.
The organization, which offers services in Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, Barbour, Webster and Braxton counties, is helping Alderson-Broaddus College, which is offering a clothesline project on Oct. 27 from 1-5 p.m.
"We already had one clothesline project in Webster County and it was a huge success with a lot of people coming out for it," Johnson said. "With the clothesline projects, what we do is have anyone, from a little kid to an adult, take a plain white t-shirt and they can put anything on it with the paint we give them.
"They can write on it, they can draw a picture on it, whatever they want to do. Then they hang it up at the location and people can stop by and look at the shirts. It's really an educational way to help people who may not have experienced domestic violence understand its impact, as well as offering a creative, expressive outlet for people who have experienced domestic violence firsthand."
CAV is also partnering with Tucker County High School to offer a Purple Out football game on Oct. 29 at TCHS. Everyone attending the game is urged to wear purple in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Johnson said the organization typically offers more events in October, including a candlelight vigil, but due to issues related to COVID-19, things had to be scaled back this year to protect everyone involved.
"COVID has impacted getting things accomplished and scheduling things," she said. "For the safety of everyone, including the public and our staff, we don't feel comfortable having some of the things we have had in the past. Hopefully this (pandemic) will all be gone next year and we can have many more activities to help spread awareness about domestic violence."
On Monday, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco signed a proclamation in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Johnson and members of her staff, along with representatives from the Randolph-Tucker Children's Advocacy Center, Youth Health Service, and the Randolph County Family Resource Network, took part in the event.
"Mayor Marco is really great to work with and he's really involved in what's going on in the community," Johnson said. "I was excited to participate alongside all of the organizations who were there and who know the impact domestic violence has on families in this county. It was great that they were there to show their support."
Marco said it was his honor to sign the proclamation and feels it's a privilege to be able to work alongside all the groups that are involved in fighting domestic violence.
"The domestic violence numbers are still an issue here in our community, so we're trying to make people aware of what's going on," Marco told The Inter-Mountain. "So I proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month for our citizens, because the men, women and children in our area should not have to live in fear because of this issue."
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is recognized nationwide and began in October 1987.