Domestic Violence Awareness Day Planned for Oct. 27

Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College will observe Domestic Violence Awareness Day on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

HOPE, Inc., Student Government and the Wesley Foundation are hosting the Light the Night Candlelight Vigil at 7 p.m. in the Education Building lobby and the lawn in front of the building. The ceremony is intended to remember and reflect the lives devastated by violence in the home. The guest speaker will be Miss West Virginia 2009 Talia Markham.

Markham chose preventing and eliminating child abuse as her 2009 platform for the Miss West Virginia Scholarship Program. She is spending her reign as Miss West Virginia speaking throughout the state about the prevalence, warning signs, prevention and treatment of child abuse.

The Clothesline Project will also be on display from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Main Street located on the second floor of the Falcon Center. The project is a display of T-shirts to raise awareness about crimes and to draw attention to community resources that may assist victims. 

The Clothesline Project began in Massachusetts in 1990 as a way to raise awareness about domestic violence in communities and to provide an artistic outlet of healing for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Victims and survivors decorate a shirt, focusing on their feelings of anger, hurt, sadness, triumph and healing related to their experiences with violence or sexual assault. The shirts displayed at FSU were made by victims in West Virginia. 

There are 14 licensed domestic violence programs in West Virginia that serve all 55 counties. 

HOPE, Inc. is a non-profit, United Way agency which provides free and confidential services to victims of domestic violence in Marion, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis and Gilmer counties. Services include shelter, court advocacy, a local 24-hour hotline (304-367-1100), counseling, children's program, information and referral and community education. Also, when a victim of sexual assault goes to Fairmont General Hospital for treatment, HOPE's Sexual Assault Victim Advocate will meet the individual at the hospital to provide support and advocacy.

"It is critical that Marion County citizens come together, especially during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to show our unity and commitment to eliminating domestic violence and promoting the safety and happiness of families in our communities," said Kylie Evans of HOPE, Inc.

Last year, HOPE, Inc. in Marion County provided 2,717 shelter nights to 88 victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Throughout HOPE's five county service area, the agency served 971 individuals, including 81 children. HOPE, Inc. serves male, female and child victims. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that as many as 1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime.

 "Across the country we are seeing increased concern in 'relationship abuse' among college students," said Dr. Ann Shaver, a Psychology faculty member at FSU. "The dynamics are very similar to what we see in regards to spousal abuse. These events help us better understand the devastating nature of abuse while more importantly providing the message of HOPE. Awareness is the first step in providing the support, empowerment and encouragement that may be needed -- whether we are helping to support a friend or whether we are beginning the courageous journey of addressing these issues in our own relationships."

For more information or assistance, call HOPE, Inc.'s 24-hour hotline at (304) 367-1100.

For counseling, support and advocacy, Fairmont State and Pierpont Community & Technical College students can also contact Kat Stevens, Student Services Counselor, at (304) 367-4792 for counseling or support.