WRAP partners with community leaders to raise awareness on domestic violence
JACKSON, Tenn. — The Women and Men’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program, better known as WRAP, is utilizing October to partner with local officials in the fight against domestic violence.
As part of an annual tradition at Jackson City Hall, Jackson and Madison County leaders officially proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“We couldn’t do it by ourselves, and to know that we have the support of the community and our community partners just lets us know that there is so much more that we can do,” said Ashley Horton, Senior Domestic Violence Response Specialist, Madison County.
The event continued in Lexington at Beech Lake, where Lexington and Henderson County leaders also proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The 4th annual event featured a resource fair, vendors, food trucks, and so much more.
There was also an awareness walk where attendees honored domestic violence survivors, both present and in memory.
“I just want a survivor to know that they don’t have to go through what they’re going through alone,” said Barbara Hobson, Project Director, Family Justice Center. “We’re here to walk beside them, to ride beside them while they’re trying to decide their next steps.”
Hobson encourages anyone dealing with domestic violence to call their crisis hotline at 1-800-273-8712.
“Often times, domestic violence survivors are isolated, and they don’t come forward with them being in a toxic, unhealthy relationship and a controlled relationship, and sometimes they may not even realize it, and so we just want to bring awareness to the communities that we serve,” Hobson said.
WRAP’s mission is to prevent intimate partner violence, stop the transmission of violence to children, youth, and young adults, and build healthy relationships across generations.
“If we don’t have the buy in from the community, it’s really hard. We’re a small nonprofit, victim/service agency and so, we rely heavily on our allied partners to assist us with those resources,” Hobson said.
WRAP has several events coming up, including their second annual Purple Sand Project on October 7. Click here for more information.
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