Candlelight Vigils Focus Attention on Domestic Abuse

Since the video of NFL player Ray Rice beating his then-fiancée surfaced, calls to The Center for Family Justice’s domestic violence hotline have increased almost 50 percent, as have walk-ins to The Center’s headquarters in Bridgeport and its four satellite offices in Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull.

This year, The Center’s seven October candlelight vigils during Domestic Violence Awareness month become even more poignant, since the issue of abuse has taken over the media. At each vigil, a bell will chime every nine seconds to remind us that every nine seconds another person becomes a victim of domestic abuse. At each vigil, the names of Connecticut’s victims of domestic violence in the past year are read.
 
“The vigils are The Center’s way of honoring the victims of domestic abuse and violence, but are also a chance for us to raise awareness about this issue and spread the word that we are here to help anyone suffering from domestic, sexual and child abuse and violence,” says Debra A. Greenwood, president and CEO of The Center. “It is our hope that the vigils will make victims strong enough to speak to us privately and learn about our free and confidential services.”
 
This year, The Center has scheduled seven vigils, all beginning at 6 p.m.:
·         Wednesday, Oct. 1: Outside City Hall Annex, 999 Broad St., Bridgeport.
·         Thursday, Oct. 2, University of Bridgeport, Student Center, 244 University Ave., Bridgeport.
·         Tuesday, Oct. 14, Stratford Town Hall, 2725 Main St., Stratford.
·         Thursday, Oct. 12, Sherman Green, in front of the Gazebo, Post and Reef Roads, Fairfield.
·         Wednesday, Oct. 22, Easton Community Center Gazebo, 364 Sport Hill Road, Easton.
·         Tuesday, Oct. 28, Trumbull Library, 33 Quality Street (next to town hall), Trumbull.
·         Thursday, Oct. 30, Monroe Green in front of the Town Hall Gazebo, 7 Fan Hill Road, Monroe.

Each vigil will feature speakers, including elected officials and staff from The Center, describing the services offered and the steps you or someone you know can take if he or she is a victim of abuse.
 
In addition, Trumbull will hold its Clothesline Project the week leading up to its vigil. T-shirts with messages and illustrations decorated by survivors or community members who wish to honor victims and survivors will be hung from clotheslines on the library’s lawn throughout the week. Residents can pick up a free T-shirt at the library. The Project is sponsored by The Center, in partnership with the Trumbull Rotary, Trumbull Library, Trumbull Cares and Trumbull Woman’s Club.