To culminate its campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness month, the Haven of Northeast Arkansas will hold a Candlelight Vigil Saturday night for the victims of domestic violence statewide during 2010.
A street-side memorial will be set up outside St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Willow Street, with candles and flowers. According to Angie Trotter, community outreach project coordinator for the Haven, the inside of the church will be sparse, to emphasize the atmosphere of loss. The service, which will be held at 6 p.m., will be based on the Episcopal Church's Litany for the Dead, and will attempt to acknowledge the darkness of domestic violence in all its forms, as well as embrace hope for survivors and those touched by domestic violence.
Names of survivors and silent victims of domestic violence will be read. In 2010, 21 women and eight men died at the hands of an abuser. The vigil will begin in the solemnity of death, then move to the community's promise to end domestic abuse, and also to prayers for abusers and those who work with the abused and their families.
For more information, contact Angie Trotter at 870-532-6669.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com