Karen Moessner, director at Domestic Violence Intervention, stands peacefully in her last year's Halloween attire for the downtown "Trick-or-Treat" event, posing in front of the CCSD school bus decorated with student handprints teaching "hands are not for hitting."
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Churchill County’s Domestic Violence Intervention team is organizing ways for the community to get involved.
The DVI group shared that domestic violence is a behavior used by one person in a relationship to control the other; partners may be married or not — living together, separated or dating.
Karen Moessner, director at DVI, said in recognition of the month, members of the Fallon community and beyond are encouraged to raise awareness about domestic violence in the area by wearing or displaying the color purple.
Moessner said the acts honor those who lost their lives at the hand of an intimate partner, celebrate survivors and support those living the life of domestic violence to seek help.
For information, contact the DVI office at 775-423-1313 or 775-423-6075. If you or someone you know is in need of emergency assistance, call the crisis lines at 775-427-1500 or 775-427-0985.
To participate in the month, the DVI team said to wear a purple shirt, outfit or incorporate a purple accessory into your day. They added one can wear purple ribbons on their clothing as well as employees and businesses can decorate their offices.
Also, family, friends and coworkers can gather for group “purple” photos and email them to dvidir2@cccomm.net, so DVI is able to proudly display your support on their Facebook page (@dvi89406).
Additionally, the Clothesline Project is underway. This program was created to also bring awareness to the issue for women and men who have been affected by domestic violence. Moessner said it’s a means of expressing emotions by decorating a T-shirt.
After the shirts have been decorated, they are hung on a clothesline for display. The intention of the display is to honor survivors and act as a memorial for victims. It’s also intended to aid in the healing process for those who were directly affected and those who have lost someone special to violence.
The office said the display also educates society. Moessner said everyone’s voice can make a difference even if they haven’t been directly affected by domestic violence but feel passionately about ending it.
The shirts will be hung for display throughout the city in October for all to see, staff said. The office added DVI staff will be bringing shirts to their community partners to decorate, but they encourage everyone to get involved. Pick up your white T-shirt today at 485 W. B St., suite 106, and complete your design by Monday if possible. The goal is to have them ready to hang the first week of October.
Other upcoming events to be part of include the following:
Oct. 3 — Dyeing of the fountain on South Maine Street.
Oct. 6 — Purple Fridays start: Wear purple every Friday of the month and tell everyone why we can all make a difference in our community regarding domestic violence.
Oct. 31 — The “Hands Are Not For Hitting” bus will be parked at the Nugget during Fallon’s “Trick-or-Treat” event downtown Halloween evening; DVI teamed up with Churchill County School District to use a bus that will go to several of the schools beforehand, when students will be given the option of taking the “hands are not for hitting” pledge then place their purple handprint on the bus.