October proclaimed ‘Domestic Violence Awareness Month’ in Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A special proclamation was made by Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun as he was joined by the Terre Haute Council On Domestic Abuse.

After the proclamation, a large purple banner advertising the Council On Domestic Abuse, or CODA, was unveiled in the rotunda at the Vigo Co. Courthouse. CODA executive director Emily Murry says it will help bring light to a sensitive subject.

“It puts domestic violence front and center, which is something that tends to make people pretty uncomfortable to talk about,” Murray said. “You know when that banner is hanging down in the courthouse, it’s going to make people think, at least during this whole month, about domestic violence, that it happens, that it happens all the time, and it’s part of our reality because of the work that we do, but it’s no always a part of everybody else’s reality.”

CODA will be hosting a series of events to promote awareness in October. Director of legal services Holly Spence says the support from the local community continues to grow.

“It’s always very emotional every year, and it seems like the crowd is getting bigger and bigger with the supporters up here,” Spence said. “Every year when we kick it off, it’s just very emotional and that’s my favorite part in doing the banner and watching it fall, and then I work up here, so seeing it hang all month long, it means a lot to us.”

CODA says that the banner will also bring attention to the fact that they have an office in the courthouse as well. They will be hosting a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. on October 2 to remember family and friends lost to domestic violence. It is located at the Fairbanks Park Amphitheater.

For more information about CODA, click here .

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