Empowerhouse Hosts Annual Candlelight Vigil in Honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Event gives survivors an opportunity to share testimonies.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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One of the two testimonies delivered Tuesday night at Empowerhouse’s annual candlelight vigil in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month came by proxy.
“I would be there with you tonight, but I’m in school,” said the woman, who is studying to become a phlebotomist, in her message. “I now have hope for my future, and there was a time in my life when I never expected to have a future.”
The woman and her brother experienced years of often daily physical violence at the hands of their mother’s boyfriend. The case recently went to trial in Stafford County and the abuser was sentenced to more than 200 years, Kathy Anderson, Empowerhouse’s executive director, told the Advance.
“Survivors, when they give testimonies, are always doing it in the hope that it helps someone else,” Anderson said. “I feel like it’s their gift to the people they care about, but they also want people to know there is hope, there is healing.”
Empowerhouse has sponsored an annual vigil in October honoring, supporting, and remembering those affected by domestic violence for at least 30 years.
“[The event] is themed differently every year, but what’s consistent [about it] is the ability to hear raw, very poised testimonies from survivors of domestic violence,” Anderson said. “They lay everything wide open in the hopes that people who hear their testimony will never forget it and care to do something about it.”
This year’s event was held at Stafford Hospital. More than 100 people attended to hear from survivors, as well as from Stafford Sheriff David Decatur and Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen.
Cody Blankenship, site administrator for Stafford Hospital, also talked about the hospital’s forensic nurse program.
Forensic nurses working at Stafford and Mary Washington Hospitals provide medical care to survivors of domestic violence and collect evidence related to crimes—and they are often “the first stop for in a survivor’s journey and towards healing,” Anderson said.
The forensic nurse program at the two local hospitals is made possible by a grant from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Empowerhouse partnered with the Stafford Sheriff’s Office and Mary Washington Healthcare to obtain the grant, which is an example of the strong partnerships the annual vigil also celebrates.
“The work that we do alongside Victim Witness, the Sheriff’s Offices, the hospital—all of those systems working together is impressive,” Anderson said.
As another example of the regional partnerships, Empowerhouse has a staff member on site at the Sheriff’s Offices in Stafford, Spotsylvania, and King George. This helps build bridges between survivors of domestic violence and the law enforcement system, Anderson said.
A newer partnership this year is with Fredericksburg Christian Health Center, which brings its mobile health clinic to Empowerhouse’s shelter once a week. Women and children can visit the mobile clinic for wellness exams, treatment of minor ailments, gynecological care, and other concerns, and then can be connected with the clinic for future free care.
Anderson said those affected by domestic violence often do not or cannot prioritize their own health.
“They might be worried about their children or about when the violence is going to happen again,” she said. “Some aren’t allowed [by their abusers] to seek care. One client had all her births at home because she wasn’t allowed to go to the hospital. Another woman had never seen a doctor in her life. So bringing healthcare on site is a great opportunity.”
Empowerhouse also works with local school divisions to bring programs about healthy relationships, communication skills, and bullying prevention to K-12 students.
Anderson said that last year was “really rough” for the organization and that it is seeking financial support from the community “more so this year than any year.”
The shelter also always accepts donations of household supplies. “Anything you use in your own home, we always need at the shelter,” Anderson said.
Empowerhouse is the only provider of 24 hour free and confidential domestic violence services to those in Planning District 16—Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George.
Find out how to support the organization here.
If you, or someone you know, need help, please call Empowerhouse’s confidential 24-hour hotline at (540) 373-9373.
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