October 2024 Newsletter
Observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Since 1981, the observance has been an appropriate time to support victims, call out abusers, encourage legislators to enact laws to protect victims, and change the culture of violence that permeates our society. There are many ways for us to support survivors and educate the public about domestic violence. Consider these activities: *Attend a PurpleOne Training, our award-winning domestic violence awareness and prosocial bystander intervention program. *Wear purple, the color that denotes domestic violence awareness. Your purple attitude can open doors to frank discussions about domestic violence. *Domestic violence long has been portrayed as a private matter that should be left behind closed doors. Don’t believe it. Bring domestic violence into the open by initiating conversations with friends and family. *Donate to Safe Journey at www.mysafejourney.org. Contributions help provide direct services to victims. *Statistics indicate 85 percent of victims are women. To change our culture, we need more men to step up. Gentlemen, how about this October?
Generosity fuels Erie Gives Day
Thank you, donors!
Erie Gives Day, the annual one-day charitable event sponsored Aug. 13 by the Erie Community Foundation, was another success. Safe Journey received $3,671 from generous donors during the 2023 event. That’s a $1,416 increase over the $2,245 donated during the 2023 event. Safe Journey uses donations to finance direct services for the increasing number of clients served by Safe Journey. Donations are always welcome. To donate, visit mysafejourney.org and follow the prompts on the “Donate” menu. Contact Fundraising Development Coordinator Scott DeBruycker at (814) 438-2675 or by email at scottd@mysafejourney.org.
Sign Up for PurpleOne!
The final PurpleOne Training for 2024 will be held via Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon. The training educates individuals to recognize and respond to domestic violence, to refer survivors to Safe Journey’s free and confidential services, and to safely act as prosocial bystanders. Since February 2019, about 1,050 people in Erie County have been trained. About 80 locations have been approved as Safe Places, where survivors can obtain DV information and be referred to Safe Journey. To register for a training, or to find a Safe Place, visit purpleone.org.
3rd Masquerade Ball to honor survivors on Oct. 19
Safe Journey’s third masquerade ball, titled “Unmasking the Faces of Domestic Violence,” will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m., at Enchanted Beginnings, 18700 Conelway Road, Corry. Tickets are $35 per person and may be purchased online at mysafejourney.org. Scanning a QR code on promo materials will take you to the website.
The ball is being held during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is observed each October to educate the public about domestic violence, support survivors. and honor victims we have lost.
The BYOB event will feature a buffet dinner, a DJ, dancing, a gift baskets auction, a mask tree, a lottery tree, and a demonstration of Irish dancing. Ball-goers are encouraged (but not required) to dress up in their finest purple-themed attire. Casual dress is welcomed.
Lenticular artworks will depict three victims’ transformation from victim, to survivor, to thriver. To accompany the 3D artworks, each survivor wrote a personal story of her experience of overcoming domestic violence. Those stories will be available at the ball.
For information or to become a ball sponsor, call Safe Journey at (814) 438-2675.