Annual March Against Family Violence

The annual March Against Family Violence took place on Saturday, Oct. 7, held by the Advocacy and Resource Center, Uprising, and Compass Center for Families. The starting point was the Best Western parking lot at 9 AM, and participants were asked to wear purple to support National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Attendees were encouraged to bring signs with encouraging and motivating slogans on them. The march proceeded through Main St. and ended at the Whitney Commons Park.

The Bison Union Coffee Company provided coffee at the park, and snacks such as doughnuts were also provided. Information pamphlets for Uprising and the Advocacy and Resource Center were also readily available for anyone interested in joining the cause. Yvonne Swanson, Executive Director of the Advocacy and Resource Center, thanked all the attendees for attending the march and thanked every one of her coworkers, board members, and volunteers who had put in their time to help progress this cause. Swanson also shared some statistics over the past year and the Advocacy and Resource Center’s goals.

Swanson was eager to explain how domestic violence is a vast umbrella term when someone uses their power and control to put fear into somebody else to make them do what they want. This violence has many forms, including technological or financial abuse, child endangerment, and maltreatment. Swanson also got to tell attendees about their upcoming plans and their hopes to hold the Silent Witness Ceremony in the coming years.

The end of the event saw Rhonda Weber, Assistant Director of the Advocacy and Resource Center, who had the privilege of awarding Kayla Laramore the annual Advocacy and Action award. Weber said some kind words about Laramore.

The Advocacy and Resource Center has a 24/7 Crisis Line that can be reached at 307-672-3222 for help or advice on a domestic violence situation. The ARC always hopes for more volunteers and would love more people to invest in the cause. They can be reached via their email at info@arcsheridan.org or their website here.