Newburgh Press Conference to Commence Domestic Violence Awareness Month

NEWBURGH, N.Y. - Sept. 15, 2015 - PRLog -- Newburgh, NY, September 15, 2015—Officials from Orange County, the City of Newburgh and the New York State Assembly will join Safe Homes of Orange County in Newburgh on Friday, October 2, for a Press Conference at 12:00 noon to commence the observation of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) throughout Orange. Anticipated officials and speakers include Steven M. Neuhaus, County Executive, David M. Hoovler, District Attorney, Carl E. DuBois, County Sheriff, Darcie M. Miller, Commissioner for the Department of Social Services, and New York State Assembly persons Aileen M. Gunther and James Skoufis.

Concurrently, The Clothesline Project, a visual display of T-shirts bearing the stories of victims and survivors of domestic violence, will be on view from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Newburgh Resource and Business Center, 280 Broadway in Newburgh, Safe Homes’ headquarters. Following the official ceremony at noon, Safe Homes will host an Open House from 1:00 to 3:00 PM and invite the community to visit with the agency’s advocates and leadership.

Nationwide, 1-in-4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. In Orange County, 22 women have been killed by intimate-partners, since 2004; one woman is still missing. “Over the course of 2014, Safe Homes’ advocates answered 3,438 hotline calls and provided 7,250 victim-advocacy services.  This is but a numerical glimpse into the tragic reality and impact of domestic violence right here, at home in Orange County.  This October, while honoring survivors and remembering those taken from us, we want to continue to focus on the responsibility of bystanders.  To that end, we will appeal to various professionals, communities, businesses, and individuals to play a role in addressing domestic violence.  We invite everyone to take the challenge and find their place within this movement of change,” said Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier, Safe Homes’ Executive Director.

Among other DVAM events, Safe Homes’ annual fundraising and awards dinner, The Celebration of Hope on October 22, will honor Paula Ray, Principal, Patricia Zang-DeClue, Guidance Counselor and Andrea Oldfield, Educator, all with Career and Technical Education at Orange-Ulster BOCES; Sgt. Guy Farina with the Town of Montgomery Police Department; Suzyn Barron, President of the Warwick Valley Humane Society; and the 1^st Lt. Louis Allen Scholarship and Community Foundation.  The Celebration of Hope is sponsored by Orange & Rockland Utilities, Inc., Crystal Run Healthcare, Mediacom, Orange Regional Medical Center, KeyBank, Police Chiefs’ Association of Orange County Police Academy, Sharon Lee Henderson, M&T Bank and St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.  The event will be held at Villa Venezia in Middletown. For tickets ($90 p. guest) and information, contact Eunice Cunha,  ecunha@safehomesorangecounty.org, 845-562-5365 ext. 101 (tel:845-562-5365%20ext.%20101). All proceeds benefit Safe Homes of Orange County.

Other October highlights include “Domestic Violence: Empowerment Through Intervention,” a conference with Lundy Bancroft, author, workshop leader, and consultant on domestic abuse and child maltreatment, on Thursday, October 8, 9:00 AM to 4 PM, at Graham M. Skea Recreation Center, Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Montgomery. For a conference brochure and to register, contact Todd VanMinter, tvanminter@safehomesorangecounty.org, 845-562-5365, ext. 124.  Registration fee is $30.

New this year is an “Evening of Music and Giving Back,” a benefit concert at the Sugarloaf Performing Arts Center Pavilion on Saturday, October 17, at 8:00 PM.  Singer/actor Jim Kirk, along with musicians Lou Balascio, Vito Petroccitto and Paul Beretta, will bring together an eclectic mix of pop, rock and show tunes from and 1980’s to today.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling the SLPAC Box Office at 845-610-5900. Doors will open at 7:00 PM for an Art Raffle sponsored by the Wallkill River School of Art.  The first prize features a Shawn Dell Joyce painting of the Bear Mountain Bridge at night, valued at $2,500. Raffle tickets are $5. Donations of gift-cards to supermarkets or superstores are encouraged to help provide for emergency needs of families seeking safety with Safe Homes.

A complete list of the agency’s awareness-raising programs and fundraising events throughout October is available under the News/Events (http://www.safehomesorangecounty.org/NewsEvents.aspx) tab of www.safehomesorangecounty.org  They will include interactive programs such as “In Her Shoes” and “Escalation Workshops”; additional Clothesline-Project displays in Newburgh, Port Jervis and Middletown; the free screening of “Dreamworlds 3” followed by Q&A at the Newburgh Public Library; and Orange-Wears-Purple Day on October 21 (wear purple in honor of victims of domestic violence).

Safe Homes works toward the end of all forms of intimate partner violence and human trafficking by offering confidential and comprehensive support services to survivors, and by increasing public awareness through education and prevention programs.  For help, call Safe Homes’ 24-HOUR-HOTLINE at 845-562-5340 or Toll-Free at 1-888-503-4673 (HOPE).

endit