CoyPullaraDuring the Candlelight Vigil for victims of domestic violence on October 20th, the Coy Pullara Unsung Hero Award will be given to a person or persons who have exhibited the same sort of hard work and compassion that Coy Pullara embodied during her lifetime.  A passionate advocate for victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, Mrs. Pullara was instrumental in establishing The ARK Domestic Violence Shelter (The ARK) in Brownwood. She volunteered her time, talent and money to establish this safe havens for victims of family violence.

The ARK invites the public to their annual candlelight vigil which will be held on October 20th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. inside the Betty and Robert Girling Center for Social Justice at HPU.  The event honors the victims in Brown, Coleman and Comanche Counties that have lost their lives to domestic violence and also celebrate the progress survivors and advocates have made, and will help connect with the community to help end domestic violence. Guest speakers will talk about domestic violence in our community and how The ARK Domestic Violence Shelter responds to it. The presentation of the Coy Pullara Unsung Hero Award will be during the candlelight vigil.   Previous Coy Pullara Award Recipients were Dick and Viola Williams and Bob and Ann Beadel.  The candlelight vigil will end with the lighting of candles and a moment of silence to remember the victims.

A diminutive woman in stature, Coy Pullara was a giant among her peers.  She served as associate professor at Abilene Christian University (1978-1985) and while there, steered that nascent Bachelor-level Social Work program to national accreditation. She was director of the accredited program for two years (1983-1985). She successfully lobbied the Texas Legislature to enact a Social Work Certification law in the early 1980s and represented Texas social workers in writing a national model social work licensing bill. She also served as president and treasurer of the Texas Society for Clinical Social Workers and was appointed chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee (1990-2001) and Managed Care Committee (1990-1992).  Ms. Pullara was instrumental in securing the Noah Project’s first United Way grant in 1986 and in persuading the Brownwood Housing Authority to provide a duplex that was this community’s first shelter.  Today, the ARK can house as many as 32 victims and their family members.  It also gives shelter to the victims’ pets.

Each year over 100 victims in Texas alone are murdered by an intimate partner. October is the month to observe this serious issue and pledge to end domestic violence in our communities. This month is set aside to remind residents what they can personally do to help stop the violence.

The ARK, along with local police, court officials, and community agencies, work together to make our communities safer and to end the violence that is happening in too many homes. The ARK is reaching out to the community and asking for help to end this epidemic of violence. For more information about the services that The ARK provides or about the candlelight vigil, please contact the ARK at 325-643-2699 or visit www.arkshelter.org.

Pictured above is Coy Pullara, the founder of the ARK Domestic Violence Shelter.