Safe Berks will host its 25th annual Silent Witness March.<\/p>\n
Timed to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the event will be held Oct. 13 to honor lives lost to domestic violence homicide and highlight the continued need for prevention, support services and community action.<\/p>\n
The group will gather at Safe Berks in 200 block of Chestnut Street at 11 a.m., then silently march to Reading Area Community College\u2019s Miller Center for the Arts. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for noon, followed by lunch.<\/p>\n
Participants will carry life-sized red silhouettes as they walk. Each silhouette represents a life lost to domestic violence homicide and carries a shield sharing part of that individual\u2019s story. Six new shields will be dedicated this year \u2014 four men, one woman and one infant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe addition of these five male lives is a devastating reminder that domestic violence does not discriminate,\u201d said Stacey Reilly, chief program officer at Safe Berks. \u201cEach shield represents a life that mattered, a family forever changed and a story that deserves to be remembered. Honoring these victims continues to remind our community that anyone can be impacted by domestic violence, and every life deserves to be remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Safe Berks encourages individuals, families, businesses, organizations, students and community leaders to attend the march and dedication ceremony to stand together in remembrance, awareness and hope for a future without domestic violence.<\/p>\n