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FCC observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
fcc purple tree
As National Domestic Violence Awareness Month draws to a close, the Family Crisis Center is continuing its push to promote healthy, safe relationships. - photo by photo by Susan Thacker/Great Bend Tribune

As National Domestic Violence Awareness Month draws to a close, the Family Crisis Center is continuing its push to promote healthy, safe relationships.

Staff have posted purple flags and ribbons at the center’s office and on the Broadway islands. A tree on Broadway is wrapped in purple letters that read, “Ask Us About Healthy Relationships — 620-792-1885,” the center’s phone number. Rocio Hernandez, the center’s domestic and sexual violence program director, said the display will remain through Saturday.

People can call the number for more information about recognizing red flags or for advice on how to help a friend in a toxic relationship, for example. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, the public can stop by Zarah Coffee Shop, 1214 Main, to “Chat with an Advocate.”

The annual observance honors victims, celebrates progress, supports survivors and raises awareness about the signs and effects of domestic violence. Purple is the official color. According to the Domestic Violence Awareness Project, this year’s theme is “With Survivors, Always,” which focuses on community action and sobriety.

Center staff have sponsored booths in several communities this month and Family Fun Day in Great Bend on Oct. 3. They also volunteer regularly at Laundry Love and the food bank.

Staff will appear at the following events:

  • Morris Smith Ford Trunk or Treat, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, 820 Ford Larned Ave., Larned.
  • Pratt Trunk or Treat, Friday.
  • Trunk or Treat on Main Street, 5-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Hoisington.

They also hosted a coffee Wednesday in Ness City.

“We continue to offer outreach and presentations to law enforcement, EMTs (and others),” Hernandez said.

Help is available

  • The center maintains a 24-hour hotline at 866-792-1885.
  • The Domestic Violence Survivor Group meets from 5:30 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday at the center, 1924 Broadway Ave., Great Bend. Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m., followed by a program at 6 p.m. Children are welcome to attend their own group. For more information, call 620-793-9941.

Photo by Susan Thacker

Changes and items to check

  • “As Us” corrected to “Ask Us” in the tree message. Please confirm this was a typo and not the actual wording.
  • Month name: the original used both “National Domestic Violence Month” and “National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” I used the latter, which is the official name.
  • Phone numbers: the center’s local number (620-792-1885) and the hotline (866-792-1885) differ only in area code, and the survivor group number is different. These may be correct, but they’re worth a quick check.
  • Mourning/”sobriety”: I changed “mourning victims” to “honors victims” for tone. The theme description mentioning “sobriety” looks unusual for this observance, so verify it against the Domestic Violence Awareness Project’s wording.
  • Pratt event: no time or location was given. Add them if available.
  • Dates: the release doesn’t say which Friday and Saturday are meant. AP style typically uses the day of the week for events within a week, so that works, but make sure the publication date makes it clear.
  • “Ford Larned Ave.” in the Larned address looks odd. Confirm the street name.
  • AP style notes: times use “a.m./p.m.” with ranges written “5:30 to 7 p.m.” in running text (I used hyphens in the event list for scanning), and “Oct. 3” is abbreviated correctly.