End Domestic Violence Days Oct. 3
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Partners for Peace, the domestic violence resource center serving Piscataquis and Penobscot counties, will be observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a local End Domestic Violence Days event from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3 at Stutzman’s Farm Stand and Bakery in Sangerville.
“We are not doing our typical race or walk this year,” Angie Alfonso of Partners for Peace said recently at the agency’s 8 Mechanic Street resource center. “We are doing this other event in hopes of engaging a new audience.”
“We are trying to raise awareness, not funds this time around,” she added.
Alfonso said organization advocates had been thinking about how to expand the reach to residents not already involved with Partners for Peace. She said area musician Craig Stutzman of Harmony has supported the organization and its mission for years, writing his song “The Dragonflies” following the Lake family homicide in 2011 in Dexter and participating in vigils.
Observer file photo/Stuart Hedstrom
PURPLE RIBBON — Partners for Peace will host an End Domestic Violence Days event from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 at Stutzman’s Farm Stand and Bakery in Sangerville.
Stutzman will be performing on the evening of Oct. 3 as attendees enjoy a complimentary meal at Stutzman’s Farm Stand and Bakery on the Douty Hill Road and hear from several speakers throughout the evening.
“We are not only recognizing families still silenced by abuse but domestic violence homicide victims,” Alfonso said. “It is a free event, so delicious food and music by Craig Stutzman. There also are T-shirts for a donation of $10 if people are interested.”
“If people are interested, please register through our website,” Alfonso said about https://www.partnersforpeaceme.org/.
“My hope is there are going to be people coming to this event that will possibly consider becoming part of our volunteer network,” Art Jette of Partners for Peace said. “There will be people there who likely are already supporters and hopefully it will draw people that don’t already have a connection.”
“In this county we have a lot of talented individuals, and Craig is one of them with a certain following of his own,” Jette said. He said through Stutzman’s assistance Oct. 3 attendees can become “aware of who we are and what we do.”
End Domestic Violence Days events are scheduled for later in the month in Bangor and Lincoln on Oct. 5 and Oct. 24 respectively. In Bangor there will be a midday downtown awareness walk and a candlelit awareness walk will take place in the early evening in the northern Penobscot County community.
Again in 2019 Partners for Peace is carrying out a Knowledge Empowers campaign. “Books are donated to all public libraries and school, elementary, middle school and high school, libraries as well,” Alfonso said.
Partners for Peace provides three different age-appropriate books to the institutions with accompanying displays to educate about domestic violence awareness.
Alfonso said Oct. 16 will be Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day with Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light C.A. Dean Hospital both participating.
She said there is a theme of taking action to end domestic violence and there are multiple ways to do this. Aside from volunteering with or contributing to Partners for Peace, getting involved can consist of wearing purple and being a role model of healthy relationships.
Jette said the last method mentioned by Alfonso is his favorite. Jette said he lives the example “to be a man without fear of confronting each other with the fact abuse is wrong” and “encourage all people to live by example.”
More information on Partners for Peace is available at https://www.partnersforpeaceme.org.