SHOP A MILE to Support Ctr. for Family Justice Services

Trumbull—The Trumbull Police Department, in cooperation with The Center for Family Justice and the Westfield Trumbull shopping mall, will hold its second annual Shop A Mile In Her Shoes event on Saturday, Sept. 30, the eve of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Sponsored by the Trumbull Rotary Club, Shop a Mile was launched in 2016 by Trumbull Police Chief Michael Lombardo as a way to highlight the important work The Center for Family Justice is doing locally to break the cycles of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse. By staging an awareness event at the busy shopping mall, the chief hoped to draw attention to programs and services available to victims locally.

As part of the Shop a Mile event, shoppers will receive tote bags packed with special shopping discounts as well as information on the free, confidential services CFJ provides to victims in the communities of Trumbull, Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe and Stratford.

“Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we want to begin by raising awareness of the tragedy of domestic violence and the way it impacts more than the targeted victims,” said Lombardo. “Families, and in some cases, entire generations, are affected for years to come.” 

National statistics show that one in three women and one in five men are somehow impacted by domestic violence during their lifetime.

Shop a Mile in Her Shoes begins at 2 p.m. in the courtyard outside JC Penney in the mall’s lower level.

There, Chief Lombardo and Debra A. Greenwood, CFJ’s President & CEO, will make brief remarks to kick-off the event. Participants, including members of the Trumbull Police Department, will then join them to walk the mall’s perimeter in a show of solidarity with victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse.

“Westfield Trumbull is proud to partner with the Trumbull Police Department and The Center for Family Justice for the second annual Shop a Mile in Her Shoes event,” said Katherine Bolas, Westfield Trumbull’s Marketing Director. “We hope our shoppers and the local community will join us to walk and bring awareness to the important services The Center for Family Justice provides to domestic and sexual violence and child abuse victims.”

CFJ’s President & CEO Debra A. Greenwood expressed her gratitude to Chief Lombardo, the Trumbull Rotary and the team at Westfield Trumbull for their support. “It is so important for us to partner with Trumbull Police and community and business leaders in our efforts to support victims in need of safety and support,” said Greenwood. “We are especially appreciative of the leadership and commitment Chief Lombardo has shown in creating this important awareness event which we hope continues to be annual tradition.” 

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FAMILY JUSTICE

The Center for Family Justice Inc. (formerly The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County Inc.), brings all domestic, sexual and child abuse services – crisis intervention, police, prosecutors, civil/legal providers, counseling – under one roof, in our headquarters in Bridgeport, CT. Together, we work to break the cycle of violence by helping those in crisis restore their lives. Although our name has changed, we continue with the work we have provided for 12 decades, providing free, confidential, bilingual crisis services in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. It is the comprehensive services our partners are providing that are streamlining the road to healing and self-sufficiency.  

Within the past year, The Center answered more than 1000 calls on a 24-hour crisis hotline; assisted with the civil and criminal court processes for more than 2,500 survivors of domestic violence; responded to more than 500 survivors of sexual assault and their families; provided a safe home for more than 150  women and children fleeing domestic abuse; coordinated the investigations of more than 283  cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse, developing service plans for the young survivors and their families; and provided psycho-educational support to more than 1,200 survivors of domestic violence, planning for their safety and promoting self-sufficiency. 

As part of our mission, The Center educates approximately 4,600 members of the community about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse to prevent future violence and spread the word that about the services we offer at The Center for Family Justice. Annually, we teach more than 3,000 children and teens about building healthy relationships, bullying prevention and dating violence.

For more information, visit www.CenterForFamilyJustice.org.

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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