From Safe Berks
Safe Berks will mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month with its 25th annual Silent Witness March & Dedication on Tuesday, Oct. 13. This event brings the Berks County community together to honor lives lost to domestic violence homicide and highlight the continued need for prevention, support services, and community action. This is an opportunity to stand together in support of survivors and those impacted by domestic violence.
Community members are invited to gather at Safe Berks, 255 Chestnut St., Reading, at 11 a.m. The march begins at around 11:15 a.m., followed by the Silent Witness Dedication at 12 p.m. and a free luncheon. Participants will carry life-sized red silhouettes as they walk to the Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College. Each silhouette represents a life lost to domestic violence homicide and carries a shield sharing part of that individual’s story. Six new shields will be dedicated this year: four adult males, one adult female, and one male infant.
“The addition of these five male lives is a devastating reminder that domestic violence does not discriminate,” said Stacey Reilly, Chief Program Officer at Safe Berks. “Each 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.”
Safe Berks encourages individuals, families, businesses, organizations, students, and community leaders to attend the March & Dedication and stand together in remembrance, awareness, and hope for a future without domestic violence.
For more information about the Silent Witness Project, visit SafeBerks.org.
If you or someone you know needs Safe Berks services, please call the free, confidential 24-hour hotline at 844-789-SAFE (7233) or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.
About Safe Berks
Founded in 1976, Safe Berks began when 12 women in Reading came together to provide hotline support, counseling, and shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Originally known as Berks Women in Crisis, the organization became Safe Berks in 2016 to reflect its commitment to serving all survivors. Today, Safe Berks provides free and confidential lifesaving services including emergency shelter, counseling, legal and medical advocacy, and prevention education.
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