The ARK Domestic Violence AliciaAndTerriEmptyShoes2014Shelter is setting up the Empty Shoes Exhibit in four cities this year to highlight October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.   There will be exhibits throughout the month and a candlelight vigil to honor local victims that lost their lives to domestic violence.  In addition, each day, one of the recent tweets from the campaign #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft will be posted on the ARK’s Facebook page.  Everyone is encouraged to wear the purple, the color of domestic violence awareness, during the entire month.

The Empty Shoes Exhibit features shoes representing the 12 deaths attributed to domestic violence in Brown, Coleman and Comanche Counties within the past 20 years. Beside each pair of shoes is the victim’s name and their story.  In addition to remembering the victims, the exhibit sparks great emotions and brings awareness to the general public not to turn a blind eye to obvious domestic violence, but to speak up.

The Exhibit will begin on Monday, October 6th and run through Friday, October 31st.  There is a separate exhibit for Brownwood, Comanche, Early and Coleman.  Each week, the exhibit will move to a different location in each city.  This Friday, the exhibits will be at Brownwood High School, Coleman Interbank, Comanche High School and Early High School.  On Monday, October 13th, they will be at the Brownwood Courthouse, Coleman High School, Comanche Medical Center and Heartland Mall.  On Monday, October 20th, they will be at Howard Payne University, the Coleman County Medical Center, Texas Bank and the Early Chamber of Commerce.  The final week of October 27th, they will be at the Brownwood Regional Medical Center, Coleman Courthouse, Comanche Chamber of Commerce and F & M Bank.

On Thursday evening, October 23rd, at Howard Payne University (just outside the Girling Center for Justice Building) beginning at 6:30 p.m., there will be a candlelight vigil to honor and remember the victims. Two former victims of domestic violence will speak briefly. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this event.

The tweets from #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft campaign spontaneously emerged after the publicity arising from the very visual demonstration on television of  football star Ray Rice knocking out his fiancé in a hotel elevator.  Many of the comments were from former victims giving some insight into why they stayed in the relationship and why some of them left the relationship.  The incident sparked public comment regarding domestic violence, which is very timely for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The ARK is a shelter for victims of domestic violence and/or sexual abuse and their families in Brown, Coleman and Comanche Counties. The phone number to call for help is 325-643-2699.  For more information about the ARK Shelter, you can go online to www.arkshelter.org.

Pictured above are The ARK’s advocate Alicia Robles and Executive Director Terri Densman standing (from left to right) behind the display for Empty Shoes.