Our “Zonta Says No” activities begin in late October to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month and then tie in to Zonta Says Not and the “16 Days.” This year we coordinated a collection of projects with our Z Club, and local community partners and our club members.

We began with our Boulder High School Pantherz Z Club which created a Silent Witness display in their school library to advocate against sexual assault and domestic violence. They trace large life-sized silhouettes on construction paper which then post a story of a victim killed by violence. These 20 plus silhouettes are on display in the school for a month along with materials about “Zonta Says No” and community victim resources.

A similar display was also created by students from Front Range Community College’s Feminist Club. Here the silhouettes (all with the Zonta Says No logo) were hung throughout the halls of the student center and support materials are provided. We then sponsored a 2-hour presentation by Dr Amy Bonomi, who presented the findings of her recently published book” Recantation and Domestic Violence: The Untold Story.” Co-authored with David Martin, the book illustrates the precise interpersonal dynamics of recantation in criminal cases in which felony-level abuse has occurred.

Finally, each year our club members join our criminal justice community to fund the Beth Haynes Memorial Award and participate in the selection process. As our District Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence Response team describes it:

“That great time of year again where we get to recognize and honor all the amazing work that our law enforcement partners do for the safety and dignity of domestic violence victims in our community. The Beth Haynes Award is given to a select individual among our law enforcement partners who has demonstrated excellent skills, commitment, and passion in addressing intimate partner violence as a significant public health issue.”

Officer Beth Haynes was shot and killed in 1994, upon arriving at the scene of a domestic dispute. This Award is funded by our club, honors her memory, and encourages continued awareness and response to this prolific public health challenge. We are honored to partner with The Boulder County Domestic Violence Task Force to recognize those who have demonstrated excellence in handling DV cases and protecting victims.

Finally, to have our voice heard in the community, our Advocacy Committee submitted a Guest Opinion entitled Guest opinion: Sheila King: This month, raise awareness to prevent domestic violence and this letter to the Editor Ranelle Randles: Help raise awareness about domestic violence in Colorado.