ST. GEORGE — To support victims, advocates and survivors, Utah Tech University’s Student Resource Center is partnering with the DOVE Center to host A Light in the Darkness domestic violence awareness and prevention event.
The event is set to take place Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in front of the clock tower on the Utah Tech campus. The program will include presentations from domestic abuse survivor Beth Lube and Utah Tech’s Interim Chief of Police Ron Bridge as well as a musical number from Brodie and Melissa Perry. A candlelight vigil will be held following the program.
“This event is a great opportunity to raise awareness about domestic abuse and the resources offered to both UT students and the local community,” said Dru Bottoms, director of the Student Resource Center at Utah Tech, in a news release. “We hope all who attend feel empowered with the tools needed to be an advocate and notice the signs of domestic abuse.”
According to the DOVE Center, domestic violence happens in all types of relationships – married couples, families, intimate partners living together, roommates and dating couples. The abuse can be physical, mental, sexual, emotional, financial, verbal or digital.
UT’s Student Resource Center and the DOVE Center encourage people to wear purple on Tuesday to support those affected by domestic violence. The organization’s goal is to raise awareness by removing the stigma around domestic violence and help people become advocates, the news release said.
In addition to the event, an Empty Shoe Exhibit will be installed in the Holland Centennial Commons lobby from Monday through Oct. 21. The shoes in the exhibit represent Utahns who have died due to domestic violence. The event and exhibit are free and open to the community to attend.
“The Empty Shoe Exhibit is intended to increase awareness of the potentially tragic consequences of intimate partner violence,” said Elizabeth Bluhm, education program manager at the DOVE Center, in the news release. “The too prevalent belief that domestic violence is a private, family matter best ignored puts a lot of people at risk.
“Within this exhibit is education on why survivors may not leave their abusers, red flags of ongoing abusive behaviors, suggestions for helpful responses to disclosures of abuse and the services and resources available to survivors locally.”
Utah Tech’s Student Resource Center is committed to promoting student achievement and retention through inclusive access to resources and services that remove barriers for all students, the news release said. Assistance is provided for a broad range of issues that may impact academic performance including those related to food insecurity or basic needs, advocacy, technology assistance, childcare connections and general student support and direction.
The DOVE Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing shelter, advocacy and counseling to survivors of domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking and stalking in Washington and Kane counties.
Click here for more information about the DOVE Center.
Click here to learn more about Utah Tech University’s Student Resource Center.