Play dodgeball to fight teen dating violence

As part of February’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Intervention, Inc. is hosting a dodgeball tournament for teens.

The tournament will be Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. in Venturacci Gym. Teams must be comprised of six people with a minimum of two females.

Registration costs $20. As part of sign up, teams must create a Teen Dating Violence Awareness poster.

To register, call DVI at 423-1313 or register the day of starting 1 p.m. DVI also will be going to Churchill County High School to register teams at the start of February.

Prizes will be available for teams to win as first and second place, most spirited and most creative theme. According to Suzette McCusker, an advocate with DVI, prizes were donated from companies and members of the community — included are movie tickets from Fox Peak Cinema, a pizza party at Pizza Barn, car washes, sub sandwiches and more.

“I want to acknowledge everyone who came forward to speak out and show they care,” McCusker said.

Though October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, February is a time to focus on teenagers and educating them about dating violence among teens. According to McCusker, approximately 1 in 4 teens either experience or know someone who has experienced violence in a relationship.

“Sadly it happens a lot these days,” she said.

The hope is that by reaching out, groups like DVI can spread awareness and let people open up about their experiences or be there for someone who has experienced violence. During their trips to the high school, DVI will also hand out information about teen dating violence and the services available to victims.

“The goal is to get more kids involved and more kids talking,” McCusker said. “I’m hoping if we promote something like this, where it’s fun and goofy, it’ll get more kids interested and involved.”