The GFWC Plant City Woman’s Club paid tribute to the victims of domestic violence in honor of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Three members, Judy Wise, Sherry Scheitler and Karen Griggsby, performed a skit highlighting the reality of elder abuse and domestic violence in the form of both physical and emotional abuse.
Five female officers of the Plant City Police Department were in attendance and Detective Tiffany Lindsey outlined how PCPD handles domestic, dating, sexual and repeat violence and stalking cases.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women have been the victims of some form of physical violence by a partner within their lifetime. On average, there are more than 200,000 phone calls placed daily to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
Nancy Miller, a member of the Woman’s Club, is hoping to start a program at Plant City High School that deals with dating abuse for teenagers. The program is currently in the planning stages and anyone with interest should email her at nancymiller.womansclub@gmail.com.
Judy Glorioso, the moderator of the event, encouraged those in attendance to be aware and not to hesitate to reach out if they see something.
“Folks, don’t be afraid to care. Don’t be afraid to stand up when it’s happening,” Glorioso said.