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The second annual vigil, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Pathway to Self-Sufficiency, was organized by the former Shelter Our Sisters — which changed its name this month to Center for Hope and Safety.
“In recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we gather to honor and remember survivors, victims, and families affected by domestic violence,” said Elaine K. Meyerson, the center’s executive director.
The Pathway has individual bricks honoring domestic violence survivors, remembering those who have died and recognizing the efforts of others to offer safety, strength, and hope.
The first vigil, held in December 2013, honored several Bergen County women and children killed by abusers.
“We need to keep raising awareness and remind people that domestic violence happens right here, in our own neighborhoods, often with devastating results,” Meyerson said. “We need to ensure that we all keep working hard to create a world in which violence in the home is simply not tolerated.”
Shelter Our Sisters, founded 38 years ago in Bergen County, changed its name “to reflect the growing array of both emergency and non-emergency services it offers to local families,” the agency said.
It focuses “not only on providing shelter in the moment of crisis but also offering support and guidance to help people lead independent, vibrant, self-confident lives, free of violence and the fear of violence.”
Earlier this year, the agency moved into a newly renovated building at 12 Overlook Avenue in Rochelle Park, consolidating all non-emergency services in one location for the first time.
MORE INFO: (201) 498-9247 / http://hopeandsafetynj.org/
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