Well, we've started October now, so I want to remind everyone that October is DOMESTIC ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH. The color ribbon that you can wear to show your support is PURPLE.
Also, please remember that InterAct's candlelight vigil is coming up on the 19th (two weeks from today!). The event will take place at 7 o'clock in the evening at Downtown Raleigh's Crime Victim Memorial Garden at the corner of Lane St. and Wilmington St. If you need directions, please click here. I'm aware that a lot of people have extremely busy schedules, and they can't make it to any of the events Raleigh is planning for the awareness month. Fortunately, there are things you can do that don't take any time at all. I have put together a list of things you can do to show your support without going out of your way to any of the events.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:
- Wear a purple ribbon all month long, and carry a small bag of them around with you. If someone asks you about the ribbon, explain its meaning and ask if they'd like to wear one to show their support.
- Put a jar at your work/school desk. Let your co-workers and/or classmates donate any loose change to the jar; at the end of the month, send it to a local domestic abuse shelter (I suggest InterAct).
- Light a candle in honor of domestic abuse/rape/sexual assault victims and survivors.
- Recycle a used cell phone to Verizon-- the recycled cell phones go to battered women. Click here to read about how Verizon uses the recycled cell phones to aid victims of domestic violence.
- Put a stack of printed statistics about domestic abuse on your desk-- hand them out to the people who walk by. This might not sound like a big deal, but being aware of a problem is the first step to finding a solution.
- E-mail (or text) your contacts list a brief summary of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, and ask them to wear a purple ribbon.
Sincerely,
Chrisleigh
