October was first declared as National Domestic Violence Awareness month in 1989. Its goal is to shed light on interpersonal violence and honor those affected by it.
Kendra Wyckoff is the executive director of Peace House, a Park City domestic violence shelter. She said, historically speaking, domestic violence has been a private issue. Domestic Violence Awareness month helps to bring the issue out of the shadows and into the light.
“And nationally, we have been really working to highlight and have awareness around this issue so that we can ensure that victims of domestic violence know that there are resources available,” she said. “And that we have an opportunity to destigmatize being a victim of domestic violence and letting victims know that there is support available.”
Wyckoff said the number of people who need services at Peace House has increased over 40% in the last year. She said the uptick is due to a few factors including Peace House visibility and the national attention around the issue.
“I think increased awareness, we are seeing more people come and connect to services and that means that less people are suffering in silence and that's really what's important to us,” she said.
Sally Tauber is the director of development for Peace House. She said almost half of homicides in Utah are domestic violence related.
She said the annual “Be the Light” march Sunday is a good opportunity for the community to come together and show solidarity for domestic violence victims and survivors.
Tauber said one of the speakers, along with Mayor Nan Worrell and Wyckoff, will be Melcine Pollock, sister of Julie Ann Burns, a victim of domestic violence. Burns lived in Heber with her two daughters and was found dead in her home on July 13, 2022, with a single gunshot wound.
Tauber said the event will also be a great opportunity to financially support Peace House.
“We have some peer-to-peer fundraisers going and we encourage people to donate to those and to help support our efforts with domestic violence and decreasing domestic violence in our community.”
The event is Sunday, Oct. 8. It starts with speakers at 3 p.m. at Town Lift Plaza, followed by a candlelight walk to the top of Main Street and walk back to the plaza for closing remarks and live music.
The event is free, and registration is required. For more information visit kpcw.org