The Advocates' Voice
OCTOBER 2010

DCADV Logo w/Name

In This Issue
DV Awareness Month
VAWA is 16 Years Old
Purple Ribbon Ties for Sale
PR Campaign and Preventing DV
Empowering Survivors
Training DVDs Available
Text Message Campaign, PSA, and Cell Phone Drive
Purple Cell Phones
It's United Way Time
 
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Upcoming Events
  
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The Purple Ribbon Event on
October 28 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, DE - DCADV's annual awareness event will honor Governor Jack Markell and Geri Lewis-Loper and feature "A Call to Men" co-founder Tony Porter and DCADV's The 15 Men. Registration is now open! Click here to register. Click on the image above for more information. 
Save the Date!
Friday, October 29th
9:00am to 3:00pm
 
"A Call To Men" Roundtable led by Tony Porter 
Part of DCADV's ongoing efforts to organize local male community leaders to take a stand against domestic violence.  Featuring keynote speaker Tony Porter from "A Call to Men" and DCADV training staff.  
 
Participants will learn more about the national movement and meet and network with Delaware men who have taken the initiative to address this core human rights issue. Seating is limited and is open to men interested in learning how to be part of the solution in their communities.  
 
If interested, contact training@dcadv.org.
"Check Yourself" campaign
Strong PR campaignDCADV is unveiling a PR Campaign this month to help raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence and the role each of us can take to model healthy behaviors and promote non-violence.  
 
We've created flyers, business cards, posters, and 30 second radio PSAs (which will air on WDSD and WILM throughout October).  The flyers are available electronically below and on our website.  Please print and hang them in any public space you have access to.  Contact us if you would like printed materials sent to you.
We thank PR Campaign Sponsors Verizon Wireless, Ben-Dom Printing, 1450 WILM and 94.7 WDSD for their generous support of this important public awareness effort!
Texting Campaign Kicked off with a Dr. Phil PSA
The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) is kicking off a texting fundraising campaign, with a portion of the proceeds raised to benefit state coalitions including DCADV. Hopeline by Verizon Wireless will match all donations received up to $50,000.
 
To participate, text HOPE to 41010 to make a one-time $10 donation to NNEDV
 
NNEDV worked with Dr. Phil to create a 30-second public service announcement announcing this campaign. The PSAs will begin airing on Oct. 1st.  Watch PSA 
Letter from the Executive Director
DVAMOctober is Domestic Violence Awareness Month! Each year DVAM provides an opportunity to focus on raising public awareness about domestic violence. We have only to look at the numbers to understand the impact on our communities and our state. Here in Delaware, police annually respond to over 14,000 reports of intimate partner violence and Family Court receives some 3,000 petitions for Protection From Abuse. Our shelter hotlines answer approximately 3,000 calls and the five domestic violence shelters house nearly 600 women and children. These numbers are staggering but we also know that most domestic violence goes unreported and unchallenged.
 
This October, DCADV is hosting events such as The Purple Ribbon Event on the 28th and "A Call to Men" Roundtable on the 29th that are aimed at engaging and educating community members about what they can do to help end this pervasive social problem. We are also launching a public awareness campaign that asks us to examine our own behaviors and beliefs about gender and violence. The "Check Yourself" campaign is part of DCADV's continuing prevention efforts focused on changing the social norms and values that support domestic violence.
 
See the list below of all of the activities going on in Delaware this month. To view what's happening this month throughout the country, visit http://dvam.vawnet.org/ and http://www.nnedv.org/.
 
I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely, 
 
CP Signature             
Carol Post                               
Executive Director    
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
VAWA's 16th Anniversary
On September 22nd, Carol Post at Biden'sDCADV Executive Director Carol Post was invited to Vice President Joe Biden's home on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, DC to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the passage of VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act. Read more about the event and VAWA
 
Carol Post is pictured with Sue Else, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence and Patti Seger, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Purple Ribbon Ties to Recognize DV Awareness Month for Sale
Purple TieBuy this beautiful 100% silk Brooks Brothers tie for a man in your life to help recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month and support DCADV.  The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence worked with Brooks Brothers, the icon of men's fashion, to design a tie for their Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities.  We are fortunate to have the opportunity to sell this attractive tie here in Delaware at the great price of $25 each.  A special thank you goes to Board Member Shannon Fioravanti and her husband Paul Fioravanti Jr. for their generous sponsorship of this initiative. Quantities are limited, so click here to purchase yours today!
Delaware is One Step Closer to Eliminating Domestic Violence
This fall, DCADV and community partners across the state will unveil a statewide plan that focuses on preventing domestic violence before it starts.  Delaware's Plan for Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence was created through the collaborative efforts of the Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Consortium, a statewide strategic planning group of community stakeholders and leaders who are working towards a vision of safe and healthy relationships for all of our citizens. Read more... 
Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors
Whether a survivor of domestic violence is struggling to eat, find a safe place to live, hold a job, support children, protect assets or repair their credit, it's important to learn financial empowerment options. Sara Mersch, DCADV's Policy and Economic Justice Specialist will present a workshop entitled Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors at the From Purses to Portfolios: Delaware Women Take Charge of their Money Conference on October 23, 2010 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. This workshop will help participants to recognize the signs of a financially abusive relationship and will provide knowledge and skills related to financial security and economic independence. For more information on the Purses to Portfolios Conference, click here.
 
Self-Defense & Predominant Agressor Training DVDs Available
The "Grants to Encourage Arrests Project" (GTEAP), is a partnership between DCADV, People's Place II, and three local police departments: Delaware City, Elsmere, and New Castle City to better support victims and successfully identify the true aggressor when called to a domestic incident.  Read more...

Cell Phone Drive to Benefit DCADV

cell phone driveDCADV collects used cell phones year-round to raise unrestricted funds.  Our partnership with Shelter Alliance raises around thousands of dollars each year just from friends like you holding your own drives or dropping off old cell phones and batteries that then get recycled or refurbished.  
 
This month we will be sponsoring a "Cell Phone Drive" in the Community Service Building in Wilmington (located at 10th and Orange Streets).  Wilmington University students from the Delaware BETA champter of the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society will also be holding a cell phone drive on their New Castle campus.  If you have an old phone, please drop it off so we can recycle phones and raise needed funds.  No cords or other accessories are necessary.
 
 
Students can earn community service hours by participating in a cell phone drive!  Click the link for more details about how to get your teen or school involved in supporting DCADV.
Purple Cell Phones for Domestic Violence Awareness Month
To honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a limited edition of the simple and sleek Samsung Gusto will be available in the color purple online at www.verizonwireless.com on Oct. 1 and will be free after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement for the month of October. 
Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
A purple Domestic Violence Awareness wristband will be included in the box with every purchase.
It's United Way Time!
As you are making your United Way pledges this year, please consider supporting the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This unrestricted funding helps us achieve our mission
to end domestic violence in our state. Write in: DCADV  #9264
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Please also consider supporting our member organizations: 
Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.