- Jackson's Fourth Annual Summit to Reduce Violence takes place Wednesday, April 23 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the American 1 Event Center.
- The goal is to raise awareness among neighbors of resources and strategies to reduce violence.
- The public is invited to participate.
- WATCH THE VIDEO for a preview of the event.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Jackson's annual summit to reduce violence turns its focus to domestic violence…and the resources and strategies available to help.
"I feel really fortunate to be working with a group of individuals and leaders in the community who want to address domestic violence," says Christi O'Neil, Executive Director of Jackson's AWARE Shelter for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
She plans to be at the American 1 Center today to raise community awareness about the issue. O'Neil says her shelter's hotline received more than 1000 calls last year.
"A thousand calls is a lot of calls," says O'Neil.
"That's why we're working together to provide assistance, support, and advocacy for survivors and ensure that we address this as a community together."
I also talked with Jackson County Prosecutor Kelsey Guernsey, who said: "This is an entire community issue, if you will, and an entire community that we need to help solve and prevent."
Guernsey says the Summit will showcase the various resources and strategies available in our neighborhood to help reduce domestic violence.
"One of the things I'm hoping to present on is to explain to the community and victims and survivors that there's really this long continuum of things that can occur," says Guernsey.
The Summit runs from 8 in the morning until 1:30 at the American 1 Center, and it is open to the public.
If you or someone you know would like to talk about domestic violence, you can reach AWARE at 517-783-2861.
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