RUMFORD — The Oxford County Domestic Violence Task Force will sponsor several community events in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

At 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, the task force will hold public memorial vigils at the information booth in Rumford and at Moore Park in Paris.

“This is an event to honor those who have lost their lives to domestic violence, to offer hope to those still facing abuse, and to support and celebrate all survivors,” according to a news release.

At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, the task force will host its fourth Every Step Matters Walk to End Domestic Violence at Hosmer Field.

Diane Gallagher of Safe Voices said Rumford Police Chief Stacy Carter and the rest of the task force came up with the idea to hold a local walk to raise awareness of domestic violence.

“We brainstormed a little bit to see how we could engage the community, and we decided to organize a walk in the Rumford area to get the community a little more active with this issue,” Carter said. “The Safe Voices organization already does a walk in May, but we wanted to expand what they did and bring it to this area.

Oct. 14 is also Wear Purple Day, when people are invited to wear purple and post pictures of their participation to social media.

Gallagher said there were 487 domestic violence complaints in Oxford County in 2014, down from 494 in 2013.

“All of our efforts make a difference in helping to end domestic violence,” she said.

For more information about the task force, call Gallagher at 364-9908 or email her at dgallagher@safevoices.com.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

 

 

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