October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Locally, the Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center serves hundreds of domestic violence survivors in its 20-county coverage area. Between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, D/SAOC served 991 clients, including 591 in the emergency shelter, which totals 6,094 bed nights in the shelter. D/SAOC also received 354 crisis calls during that time.

To remember those who have been affected by or lost their lives due to domestic violence over the years, D/SAOC is hosting its annual Domestic Violence Awareness Candlelight Vigil and Remembrance Ceremony on Thursday at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The vigil will start at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The guest speaker will be Jennifer Shulke, a Grand Junction woman who was shot in the back of the head by an intimate partner in February of this year.

“She really should not be alive right now,” said Marie Harvey, program director of D/SAOC’s Homicide/Other Violent Crimes Program. “She should not have survived. I think her story is very empowering.”

-Messenger file photo by Hans Madsen
An orange rose was left in memory on Gina Pirie Abens’ red silhouette at the 2022 Domestic Sexual Assault Outreach Center Domestic Violence Awareness Candle Light Vigil at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge.

Shulke has had a long road to recovery and late this summer, her attacker was convicted of attempted murder.

There will also be music, a reading of the names of those lost to domestic violence and a candle-lighting during the vigil. Around the room will be red silhouettes of women, children and men with a shield on each that tells the story of a domestic violence victim in the area.

The vigil is a bittersweet event for family members of domestic violence victims, Harvey said. It gives them a place to memorialize their lost loved ones and share their memories, but it’s also a reminder of how they lost those loved ones.

“It’s a really sad event, but it’s also so needed,” Harvey said. “They remember they’re not alone, and I think it’s kind of comforting to them.”

In Iowa, between Jan. 1, 1995, and March 1, 2023, 385 women, men and bystanders have been killed in domestic violence murders, according to data collected by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Local businesses will have the opportunity to contribute to D/SAOC’s mission on Friday with Jeans Day.

“Lots of area businesses that typically have to dress business casual will participate and let their employees wear jeans if they donate $5 for D/SAOC,” said program development director Leah Bair.

In previous years, Jeans Day has raised between $2,000 and $3,000 for D/SAOC.

Checks can be mailed to D/SAOC at P.O. Box 773, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

Every day, 20,000 calls are made to domestic violence hotlines across the country. Every minute, 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner.

Domestic violence affects people of all ages, all genders, all races and all socioeconomic backgrounds.