Carson City Advocates to End Domestic Violence honoring Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Advocates to End Domestic Violence is painting the town purple to raise awareness and show support for victims of domestic violence.

The group annually takes part in honoring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It tied purple bows and ribbons to downtown structures to catch the attention of anyone traveling the streets through Carson City. Purple is the color representing domestic violence awareness.

Another way the group is raising awareness — purple ribbon window vinyls can be seen throughout town on cars, office windows, and public restroom mirrors.

Advocates is also initiating a purple campaign in several local bars by providing them with purple cocktail napkins with a purple ribbon and information about the organization.

New this year, the group is introducing Paint It Purple, a campaign in which participants are asked to paint one fingernail purple, then tag Advocates to End Domestic Violence on Facebook and share a photo hash tagged #paintitpurple.

But the group isn’t stopping there.

Advocates is asking Carson City and surrounding areas to sport purple clothing on Purple Thursday, Oct. 22, the day the National Network to End Domestic Violence is holding its campaign to raise domestic violence awareness.

Advocates is a private, not-for-profit organization, formed in 1979 by two formerly battered women who saw a need for a domestic violence program in Carson City. The agency has grown from a small two-bedroom apartment to a full service program that operates a 51-bed shelter and provides a wide variety of services designed to protect and support battered women and their children in the community.

The group, which has benefitted from more than 36,000 hours of volunteer service, has provided nearly 4,000 nights of shelter to victims of domestic violence and their children. Its average client is 36 years old with two children under the age of 5 and half have an average stay of more than 46 nights. More than 700 clients and community members have been supplied with support group services.

For more information, call 775-883-7654.