Celebrating Solutions

When working to eliminate domestic violence in our community, partnership and collaboration is key. From law enforcement and judicial branches, to schools, churches, and domestic violence advocates, a coordinated effort is vital to prevent domestic violence and to keep victims safe.

Today, such a partnership was recognized for its outstanding work: the West Virginia's Legal Assistance to Victims (LAV) Partnership. This is an innovative statewide collaboration between the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (of which the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program is a licensed program) and Legal Aid of West Virginia.

This afternoon at the Governor's Mansion, First Lady Gayle Manchin welcomed members of the Mary Byron Foundation in presenting the LAV partnership with the "Celebrating Solutions" Award. This national award showcases and applauds local innovations that demonstrate great hope in breaking the cycle of violence. Each year, the Mary Byron Foundation selects programs that serve as models for the nation and offers $10,000 cash awards in recognition of their pioneering efforts. The LAV partnership was one of only four recipients nationwide - great honor and testament to the work being done to eliminate domestic violence in our state.

The most moving part of the presentation was the personal testimony of Star Hogan - a domestic violence survivor who received help through the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program and Legal Aid of West Virginia. With the help of a YWCA court advocate, Star received legal counsel, representation, and individual and group counseling. Her Legal Aid attorney helped her understand her rights as a victim and helped her through child support and custody issues. Star and her two children all received free individual, group and family counseling through YWCA Resolve. Today, her life is free of violence.

Thanks to Mary Byron Foundation and First Lady Gayle Manchin, today we celebrated the innovative solutions that continue to provide all citizens with the right to be free from violence. I will end this post with Star Hogan's poignant closing statement - a quote from British author Albert Pine: “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

(pictured above: First Lady Gayle Manchin and Star Hogan)