Wait ... What?

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As the winner of the River Valley Paint the County Purple Contest, Sandra Witas shares why she chose to participate and what the reactions from the community were:

"As someone who has seen the different layers of abuse first hand with very important people in my own life; when I heard about the Paint the County Purple challenge I knew that River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition would participate. RVHCC had done a window in October 2010 to show support for our partner, Safe Voices.

"The contest was a great opportunity for us to step it up a bit, who doesn't like a healthy dose of competition. RVHCC has an informational window each month themed around our prevention work and supporting our partners is always an element in the monthly message.

"Entering the contest is a great way to have our community see the different thoughts, barriers, red flags and assistance that is available when dealing with domestic violence. It's important for people to understand that violence isn't just against women.

"Men, children and seniors are affected by abuse. Not all of it is physical, but the scars can run just as deep. Communities coming together to bring awareness about this difficult and often times complicated subject is a necessary piece of the puzzle in preventing the abuse. It is the beginning of a shift in our culture; violence is not ok.

"Our agency doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic thus the only feedback that circulated was after the winners were chosen. It was said that the young men who did the judging in the River Valley considered the RVHCC window thought provoking. The phrases that were used allowed them to understand what abuse could be if it wasn’t the obvious, physical abuse.

"It is a huge compliment knowing the window was judged by teenage boys. To me it means that the window really spoke to them. I believe that using the Power and Control Wheel adapted for teenage abuse was an important element in the window and it seems as though they appreciated its value. Spiders and their web were included in the décor in an effort to keep up with the holiday ahead.

"Knowing that we are all fighting this battle together gives me hope that one day abuse will not be a norm. As a community we must be accountable to teach our children how to make good choices and not allow themselves to be abused or be the abuser. In the words of my friend and colleague, Diane Gallagher, "We all deserve to live and work in a safe environment."

"Thank you very much for the honor of this award and I look forward to next year, but in the mean time we’ll continue this journey together to end domestic violence."

Sincerely,

Sandra Witas

Project Coordinator

River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition

For more information about the Oxford County Domestic Violence Task Force contact- dgallagher@safevoices.org or call 364-9908.

For more information about Safe Voices, check out its website at, www.safevoices.org.

If you are looking for information and/or support, for yourself or someone else, you can call the 24 hr. Helpline @ 1-800-559-2927