The ARK Domestic Violence Shelter (The ARK) invites the public to attend their annual Candlelight Vigil, on October 20th from 6:30pm to 7:30 pm. The Candlelight Vigil will be held inside the Betty and Robert Girling Center for Social Justice at Howard Payne University (HPU). The Candlelight Vigil will honor the victims that have lost their lives to domestic violence, will celebrate the progress survivors and advocates have made, and will connect with the local community to help end domestic violence.
The names of the Texas victims will be read and the twelve victims from our tri-county area of Brown, Coleman, and Comanche will also be remembered. Guest speakers will talk about Domestic Violence in the community and how the community is responding to it. The Candlelight Vigil will end with the lighting of candles and a moment of silence to remember the victims.
Throughout October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, The ARK will present the Empty Shoe Display at local schools, courthouses, medical facilities and public places in our tri-county area. The display honors local victims that have lost their lives to domestic violence. The display is a sobering reminder that domestic violence is happening here in the local area. It is a tragedy that each name and pair of shoes represents a mother, sister, friend, and child that were taken by violence at the hands of someone they cared about.
Each year over 100 victims in Texas alone are murdered by an intimate partner. 1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. October is the month that these issues are observed and a pledge is made to end domestic violence in local communities. This month is set aside to remind everyone what they personally can do to help stop the violence.
The ARK along with local police, court officials, and community agencies work together to make communities safer and to end the violence that is happening in too many homes. The ARK is reaching out to the community and asking for help to end this epidemic of violence. For more information about the ARK’s services or about the Candlelight Vigil please contact the ARK at 325-643-2699 or visit www.arkshelter.org.