Archive for September, 2010

Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2010

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and there are many opportunities for you to get involved this year in raising awareness and working to end abuse.

Thursday, October 1st
Community vigil in Millinocket| 5:30pm in the Veteran’s Park. Please join us as we especially remember men, women and children who were killed in domestic homicides in the state of Maine during the past year. We will also take time to remember Reverend Lyn Bradly who worked for peace and who passed away last spring.

Friday, October 8th
Jewelry Artisans of Maine Fundraiser for Spruce Run| 6:00- 8:00pm at 586C Main Rd. North in Hampden. Come purchase gorgeous handmade jewelry in support of Spruce Run’s work. Check out the Jewelry Artisans of Maine website for pictures of this amazing jewelry and artist biographies.

Saturday, October 16th
Community Day at the Bangor Mall| 9:00am- 9:00pm in the Bangor Mall. We encourage the public to come out and see our table at this semi-annual event meant to connect mall shoppers with good work going on in our community!

Wednesday, October 27th
25^thMaryAnn Hartman Awards of the Women’s Studies Program at the University of Maine| 5:00 pm in the Buchanan Alumni House on the University of Maine campus. Former Spruce Run staff member, Francine Stark, is being honored at this awards ceremony recognizing Maine women of acheivement along with Shenna Bellows and Candace Austin. Daniella Runyambo and Heather Sawyer are recieving the Young Women’s Social Justice Award at this event as well. Admission is free but please preregister with Angela Hart at 581-1228.

Thursday, October 28th
Spruce Run Annual Luncheon| 11:30am- 1:00pm at the Dyke Center of Husson University. Tickets are $20 per person or $150 for a table of eight. We hope you will join us for a reader’s theatre about reproductive coercion performed in collaboration with Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center!

October 1st- 31st
Paint Penobscot County Purple Campaign| We encourage the public to participate in this awareness-raising campaign.

October 1st- 31st
Knowledge Empowers Campaign| Since 2003 Spruce Run has donated books to libraries throughout Penobscot County in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Look for displays in your local library and check some books out. We’ve donated books for children, teenage readers and adult readers, so there’s sure to be something for everyone.

University of Maine’s Take Back the Night and Empire Beauty School’s National Day of Beauty, more information TBA. Watch our facebook page for details of these events as they are announced.

Want more information about any of these events? Please call our office at 945-5102. Hope to see you there!

And if you want to observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month in a less formal way…

… talk with your kids about healthy relationships
… commit to educating yourself more by reading a book on domestic abuse
… come by our Resource Center and pick up some “wooden nickels” with our hotline number on them, and then leave them in bathrooms and waiting rooms wherever you go throughout the year
… write a letter to the editor of your local paper with your message about domestic abuse
… “like” Spruce Run’s page on facebook
… invite someone from Spruce Run to speak at your workplace, church, synagogue, school or community group
… or come up with your own idea!

Thank you for observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month with us!

Posted in Spruce Run news

This October Help Us Paint Penobscot County Purple

Spruce Run Association and the Penobscot Nation Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program are inviting you to help us Paint Penobscot County Purple during Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October! Purple is the color of domestic violence awareness and the Paint Penobscot County Purple Campaign is all about raising awareness of domestic abuse in a way that works for you. It’s also about taking a stand for healthy, respectful and joyful relationships.

Here’s what some community members did last year:

The Grasshopper Shop and Epic Sports displayed their purple merchandise and prominently featured purple ribbons. Display our “Why Purple?” poster so that your customers know what all that fabulous purple is about.
Grace Methodist Church printed their church bulletin on purple paper!
The Town of Milford had a dress purple day at town hall, as did Microdyne in Orono and Miller Drug in Bangor. Mert Enterprises turned their dress purple day into a lively competition.
The University of Maine’s Go Purple! day included purple “flash mobs” on the campus quad, and Umaine Marketplace staff making purple whoopee pies!
Milford Town employee Barbara Cox wrote an article about domestic abuse awareness for the Penobscot Times.
Bangor Letter Shop printed statistics about domestic abuse on purple paper and put them in their front window.
Janyce of Sojourn Quilts put a bunch of exquisite purple merchandise on her etsy site.
CPA Solutions displayed purple ribbons in their office and students at SAD 67 in Lincoln put purple ribbons on lockers. You can get your purple ribbon here.
As well as wearing purple ribbons, Modern Woodmen of America, Lincoln Branch, put purple ribbons on all of their correspondence for a week.
Sebasticook Family Doctors, Neurology Associates of Eastern Maine, Penobscot Community Health Care, and Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center all got purple ribbons for their staff to wear and made Spruce Run materials available at their offices.
And Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln went all-out offering four Lunch and Learns on domestic abuse and healthy relationships, advertising Domestic Violence Awareness Month in their newsletter and on internal monitors, and wearing purple ribbons on their identification cards.
Many of you bought a $3 purple light bulb for the outside of your home or workplace. We are selling these light bulbs again this year. Give us a call (Bangor- 945-5102; Lincoln- 403-1390; or Millinocket- 723-4400) so we can be sure we’ll be there to greet you.

Not enough ideas? You could also:

Decorate a prominent bulletin board in purple, and let people know you are doing it to support healthy relationships and to end domestic violence. Go to our materials page to request free Spruce Run posters and brochures.
Incorporate purple into your restaurant’s Weekly Special. Maybe you could include Spruce Run’s hotline numberon the board.
Hang a purple ribbon from your car’s antenna, or get a purple ribbon magnet to display on your tailgate.
Work with a group of children to make a purple banner, then hang it for your community to see. Check out the picture of our Hands are Not for Hurting Banner for just one idea about what yours could look like.
Decorate your desk, cubicle, office, register, window, classroom, or any other place you have creative control over!
Take in a purple treat to your child’s daycare or school classroom and explain that you are bringing it in celebration of healthy families.

These are just some suggestions. The options for participating are endless. To assist you in your decorating, we’ve provided a purple ribbon–print it and use it!–and a poster that explains the significance of your purple displays.

Feel free to participate for a day, a week, or the entire month! Just be sure to let us know what you’re doing so we can recognize you. Send us an email at sprucerun@sprucerun.net explaining your contribution so we can post it here, on our website. Make sure you include a digital photo if you’d like everyone to see!

We also want to send you a “Proud Supporter of Spruce Run” window cling, so be sure to include a mailing address where we can reach you. And as always, we would also love to provide you with Spruce Run materials to display and distribute. We have posters, brochures and “wooden nickels” with our hotline number on them. Just let us know if you’d like us to send you some free materials.

Thanks for helping us Paint Penobscot County Purple. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call 945-5102, and ask for Kati.

Working together we can change attitudes, save lives and end abuse.

Posted in Spruce Run news

Updated: Artists Raffle Paintings to Benefit Spruce Run

Maine Valley Artists have joined with six Tim Horton’s Restaurants in the greater Bangor area for an art benefit for domestic violence awareness. During the month of September, six local artists will display their work area Tim Horton’s locations: Bangor (Main Street, Odlin Road, and Broadway), Old Town, Newport and Skowhegan. Visit your local location, or check out the photos of the paintings, below.

One framed and signed print from each participating artist will be raffled off at each restaurant. The drawings will be held on September 30^th ; ticket sales close on the 27^th. 100% of the proceeds from the Penobscot County locations will be donated to Spruce Run. Raffle tickets are $1, or 6 for $5, and may be purchased at the restaurants or directly from the artists. Tickets are also available at Spruce Run.

You can also attend a Meet the Artist event and talk with the artists themselves about their work and their efforts to end abuse. The times and locations:

Saturday September 18^th:

Tim Horton’s in Bangor on Odlin Road between 9 am and 11 am
Tim Horton’s in Newport between 12 noon and 2 pm
Tim Horton’s in Skowhegan between 3 pm and 5 pm

Sunday September 19^th:

Tim Horton’s in Old Town between 9 am and 11 am
Tim Horton’s in Bangor on Broadway between 12 noon and 2 pm
Tim Horton’s in Bangor on Main Street between 3 pm and 5 pm

If you’d like more information, you can contact Deborah Ellingwood at 355-0001. Thanks so much to Maine Valley Artists for finding such a creative way to help end abuse.