Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the HOPE Agency in Hot Springs County is out to spread that awareness.

According to director Jennifer Domhoff and Mary Jane Norskog, their first event will be Oct. 12 with a concert presented by Jalan Crossland, the Silver Tip String Band and Eric Kay.

Tickets are available at the HOPE Agency, Broadway Bygones, Storyteller and the V.F.W. for $12 in advance. Tickets will also be available at the door for $15. Entertainment begins at 7 p.m.

Along with the concert there will be acknowledgement of Domestic Violence Awareness Month from the town council and an observance for victims of domestic violence during the evening.

There will also be a women’s gathering on the 12th at the HOPE agency from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m.

If you love to sew, a “Friendship & Heart” quilt is being crafted to honor those who have been taken from us due to domestic violence.

Blocks for the quilt are cut and bagged along with the instructions, all you do is pick one up and sew it together. The blocks are available right now and the agency hopes to have the quilt finished by the end of October.

The 2nd Annual HOPE Haunted House will be held at the agency on Oct. 27.

A drop in funding has required the agency to do more fundraising than normal this year. In the past, they have received funding from the county commissioners, but with funding cuts this year, the county was not able to contribute, so the agency is using other means to match grants they’ve received.

In addition to attending the various events, the community can pitch in in a number of ways such as volunteering. There will be a volunteer training in November for anyone who would like to help. Donations don’t have to be monetary, either. You may donate household goods such as towels and sheets, dish soap, gas cards, paper products and cleaning supplies plus non-perishable foods. Meat is another item they can always use, including wild game.

Domhoff and Norskog said they just want people to know there is help out there for women, men and even children of domestic violence.

“Education is key,” Domhoff said, “and we have that readily available here. Sometimes, it’s the little things that mean the most in domestic situations.”

Since 1987, when records began being kept, 67 women have lost their lives to domestic violence, seven men, four young boys and one girl for a total of 79 statewide. The HOPE Agency is available 24/7 through their hotline number, 864-HOPE.