October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

Our Goal
DVAM’s purpose is to unite our community in efforts to end domestic violence and abuse. It’s a time for all of us to step forward – to create a safer world and to work toward a culture that supports victims and holds assailants accountable.

How You Can Help
We can all play a role in ending domestic violence. In partnership with community allies and the Kent County Domestic Violence Community Coordinated Response Team (stopkentviolence.org), we’re making sure everyone has an opportunity to participate in DVAM. Click on the links below to find out more.

Throughout October

• The Paint Grand Rapids Purple-Campaign
• Purple Porch Light Project

October 11th

• Annual Candlelight Vigil

October 11-15 & October 18-22

• Memorial Art Installation

October 18-23

• National YWCA Week Without Violence 

Year-Round

• Make a commitment to domestic violence awareness throughout the year. For information and resources, please visit: Domestic and Dating Abuse | YWCA West Central Michigan 

Behind the Numbers

Domestic violence knows no race, no class, no age. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (CDC, National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey). Those statistics reflect our local reality. The Kent County Sheriff’s Department reported a 35 percent increase in domestic violence calls at the beginning of the pandemic (WOOD TV8, April 17, 2020) and calls to the YWCA’s own 24-hour helpline have doubled.

Learn more.