The Clinton County Women's Center and the Hilton SAFE House is proud to announce two additions to staff of our center.
Aimee Grugan-Long is the new outreach coordinator and will be assisting the community in becoming aware of the dynamics of domestic and sexual violence.
Barbara Dussaman has worked in the field of victims advocacy, and is one of the Options and Empowerment Counselor/Advocates at the center.
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GRUGAN-LONG
Both women are excited to assist those in the community and help others work on issues surrounding domestic and sexual violence.
With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month and with the color associated with that awareness being purple, we at the Clinton County Women's Center look for all to enjoy the purple that has been splattered around our area.
All around our county and through the streets of Lock Haven, purple is displayed proudly. Although the exact history of the purple ribbon is difficult to pinpoint, families and friends of victims have adopted the purple ribbon to remember and honor their loved ones who have lost their lives at the hands of a person they once loved and trusted.
It has sometimes been said that the color purple is associated with the bruises sustained by victims of domestic violence.
Shelters and local battered women's programs use the purple ribbon to raise awareness about the crime of domestic violence in their communities.
Over the years, a number of sources have been credited with originating the use of purple ribbon as a unifying symbol of courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending domestic violence.
In addition to the demonstration of support for victims and advocates, the display of purple ribbons conveys a powerful message that there's no place for domestic violence in the homes, neighborhoods, workplaces or schools.
On Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. our annual Candlelight Vigil is scheduled in Triangle Park, Lock Haven. The keynote speaker for the evening will be Clinton County District Attorney Michael Salisbury. There will also be various musical selections and perhaps testaments by those whose lives have been affected by domestic violence.
Please come and join us to honor the memory of those who have died as a result of domestic violence, to honor those who have freed their lives from violence and to support those who still live in the violence and seek peace.
Those interested in placing a luminary in memory or in honor of a loved one, or you placing a purple light in an outside light during the week of our Vigil, please contact the Clinton County Women's Center at 570-748-9539.
Our mission is that we believe that all people have the right to live a life free from violence. We believe in the resiliency of the human spirit and the ability of individuals to control their own lives. Please join us.
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Cindy Love is executive director of the Clinton County Women's Center
