 But judging by the efforts of the group, that won't be the case for
long.
Brooks, task force co-chair Tiffany Carvalho and the rest of the
task force volunteers are in search of funding for their ongoing
project: to create a domestic violence impact panel. Similar to the
one in McLean County, the panel would serve as part of a
rehabilitation path for offenders convicted of a domestic violence
crime.
"It wouldn't be like aggravated battery in a bar; it would be
(those convicted of) an incident in the home," Brooks said. "We're
trying to cut down domestic violence in our community, and that's
just one of the ways we're trying to show that we have services for
people to attend."
Brooks says the fund allocation from the Healthy Communities
Partnership would cover counseling certification and guest speakers
at the panel, but the funds would not be enough to promise ongoing
salaries to counselors.
Though Brooks classifies the panel as "a work in progress," there
are plenty of other projects through the task force that are already
up and going.
One is a focus on increasing the rate of extended orders of
protection. Brooks explains that many victims who seek and obtain an
emergency order of protection for an incident won't return for a
second hearing, which would increase that order.
"We don't know how much of that is fear, or some other reason,"
she said. "But it has to do a lot with education of those people --
trying to see an increase in those numbers."
Other efforts of the task force show the variety of demographics
affected by domestic abuse.
Every year the group sponsors an art project with local schools,
in which students in kindergarten through fifth grade color a
picture that promotes the theme that "hands are not for hitting;
words are not for hurting."
To increase awareness of the task force's presence in the
community, this year they hosted a carnival in the vacant lot next
to Lincoln's California Bar & Grill.
"We had rides, games, a dunk tank, face painting... and the year
before that, we had a miniature golf outing," Brooks said.
"Everything was free, and it was a chance to raise domestic violence
awareness."
Keeping in touch with the times, the task force also has a
Facebook page, where members post links to sites and surveys, share
photos from events, and connect with community members on a
different level. Currently, more than 200 Facebook users follow the
task force online.
[to top of second column] |
But despite the growing awareness of both domestic abuse and the
task force trying to combat it, Kristin Lessen, director of the
Healthy Communities Partnership, says there's a lot more that can be
done.
"(We're working on) getting people to remember what we're there
for," she said. "There are a lot more people who can benefit from
these services."
The Domestic Abuse and Violence Task Force was formed in
accordance with the mission of the Healthy Communities Partnership
to make Logan County "the healthiest community in America."
___
Online:
Healthy
Communities Partnership
[By LINDSEY BOERMA]
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