Tuesday, September 30th, the Betty Griffin House Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Luncheon called “Runway for Safety” was held at Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa. It featured lunch and a fashion show.
I was asked by Betty Griffin House to be the guest speaker. What an honor to represent such an impressive organization that helps both domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Betty Griffin House not only has a safety shelter, but also serves the community by offering free services such as: confidential counseling, legal advocacy, and a rape crisis unit.
I spoke to about 180 guests. Yes, 180 people!
I am a member of the Community Action Team (CAT) for Betty Griffin House and focused my speech on community awareness and education to prevent domestic violence. I also discussed the heartbreaking statistics of the prevalence of domestic violence in our country.
My upcoming book, Drowning, portrays an abusive relationship and the mental anguish the victim endures. Many people do not understand why a victim stays in an abusive relationship for as long as they do. During the speech, I discussed eight reasons why women stay, including the fear to leave because of additional violence. If are interested in reading the list of the eight reasons I blogged about, click here.
It is important to understand the dynamics of an abusive relationship in order to help prevent it in the future.
Remember if we can help just one woman, we’ve done our job!
Katelin Maloney