Domestic Violence Awareness Luncheon Featuring Nancy Tyler April 1

 
New London – The Power of Purple campaign, founded by the Rose Conrad Memorial Fund of Safe Futures in partnership with Hadassah American Affairs of Eastern Connecticut, will present a special awareness Luncheon featuring special guest speaker, attorney and domestic violence survivor, Nancy Tyler on Wednesday, April 1, at Langley's Restaurant at the Great Neck Country Club in Waterford from Noon to 2:00 P.M. The cost for the event is $36.00 per person. Sponsorships are available to businesses and Angels. Individual and organization tables are encouraged and groups are welcome. For more information, visit www.SafeFuturesCT.org or call (860) 884-8945.
 
The Luncheon featured speaker, Nancy Tyler, is an accomplished Connecticut attorney, domestic violence survivor and advocate. She has been an attorney since 1980. She started her career as a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas J. Meskill, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, then went into private practice in Florida. She returned to Connecticut to continue her practice in the defense of medical malpractice claims and has worked with health care clients on administrative, regulatory and licensure matters. She is a partner in the law firm of O'Brien, Tanski and Young in Rocky Hill. After she and her children survived their own domestic violence experience, she became active in helping women facing similar challenges. She serves on the board of directors for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and does presentations and other appearances addressing domestic violence issues.
 
In addition to Attorney Tyler, the Luncheon will feature the musical talents of singer, songwriter and domestic violence survivor, Vanessa Stevens. Vanessa's journey of breaking the cycle of abuse and domestic violence in her own life led her to create The Purple Song Project to provide hope, healing and awareness for other survivors, through song. Inspiring others to heal and break the cycle of abuse in their lives, she composes and co-writes theme songs for related television films and events, helping abuse survivors to thrive and create.
 
The Power of Purple campaign takes action against domestic violence by raising awareness and by educating the general public and the professional community of responders to domestic violence. Three women are killed every day in the U.S. by their intimate partners and one in four American women will be abused in her lifetime. Millions of our children are victims and bystanders of domestic violence and still many more victims are left in the shadows, paralyzed by fear, terror and shame and by the failure of our institutions to adequately recognize and respond. The Power of Purple Campaign brings domestic violence out of the shadows and into the open through awareness, education and action.
 
Purple is the color of Domestic Violence and is a reminder to honor and give hope to battered women and their children who are living in violent homes. The Power of Purple Campaign strives to put purple on the map of our consciousness so it will be a recognizable symbol of the education and action needed to end domestic violence.
 
As Chair of American Affairs for the Hadassah chapter and founder of the Rose Conrad Memorial Fund of Safe Futures, Sheila Horvitz is chairing the event with a committee made up of representatives from both sponsoring organizations as well as many community organizations. "As our "Power of Purple" campaign goes from strength to strength, we will continue to engage our community with programs of awareness, education and action. We look forward to a beautiful and meaningful luncheon with a powerful speaker who can inspire and empower us to work together toward the elimination of domestic violence in our community," says Sheila Horvitz, founder of the Rose Conrad Memorial Fund.
 
The Special Power of Purple Luncheon will be the fifth awareness raising event presented by the Power of Purple Campaign. The campaign, which began in 2013, has presented two community forums, and two annual Hot Cider Walk & Rallies. The Power of Purple Campaign has won awards state-wide for its community outreach and advocacy and a National Hadassah Advocacy Award presented at the Annual Convention in Las Vegas in July, 2014.
 
The Rose Conrad Memorial Fund was founded by Sheila Horvitz in 2005. As a matrimonial attorney in southeastern Connecticut for over thirty years, she saw the problem of domestic violence first hand, most dramatically in the murder of her client, Rose Conrad, at the hands of her husband during their divorce case. Out of that tragedy, the Rose Conrad Memorial Fund was born to bring awareness and education to the victims and their responders in the health, education, legal and criminal justice communities. Since its founding, the Fund, under the umbrella of Safe Futures, has mounted educational conferences, programs for children affected by domestic violence and fundraising events.
 
Hadassah is the largest women's organization in America and is committed to unwavering devotion to Zionism and American ideals. In the U.S., through its American Affairs branch, Hadassah reaches its goals by advocating for issues of importance to women and to the American Jewish community. Its advocacy includes policy statements, direct advocacy, legislative initiatives, and lobbying political leaders on the local, state and national level. Hadassah has been outspoken in support of initiatives to end domestic violence and is a strong supporter of the Violence Against Women Act, advocating for its passage in the current Congress. In its policy statement on Violence Against Women, Hadassah "reaffirms its long-standing commitment to women’s rights and women’s health needs. To these ends, we actively condemn all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence. Hadassah therefore pledges to work directly to educate its members and their communities about violence against women, both inside and out of the Jewish community. Hadassah will also continue to advocate for legislative initiatives aimed at ending this violence and supporting the needs of battered women and their families."
 
Safe Futures, founded in 1976 as the Women’s Center of Southeastern CT, saves lives, restores hope and changes the future for those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault throughout New London County. Annually, Safe Futures provides free, confidential services to over 5,000 women, children and men. During the last year, Safe Futures saved the lives of 168 women and children who fled abuse and were sheltered at Genesis House, the safe house; restored hope by providing housing, training and support for 51 individuals in families living in its Phoenix House transitional living program; and change the future for over 3,700 students, who participated in violence prevention education programs, including the popular VIP (Violence is Preventable) program. Hotlines and the women-and-children-only emergency shelter are staffed and operating 24/7/365, providing round-the-clock accessibility to Safe Futures’ services.
 
     

• The following partners are available for interview:
• Sheila Horvitz
• Emma Palzere-Rae, Director of Development & Communications, Safe Futures

 

• More information can be found at:
• www.SafeFuturesCT.org for information on domestic violence services
• Rose Conrad Memorial Fund Facebook page
• www.CTCADV.org and www.NCEDV.org for state-wide and national statistics
• www.Hadassah.org

 

• Additional documents available upon request:
• Rose Conrad’s story
• Sheila Horvitz op-ed pieces in the New London Day and Norwich Bulletin
• Hadassah Advocacy policy statements on domestic violence

 
Safe Futures is part of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV).  Safe Futures is also a Partner Agency of United Way and its programs are funded in part by the State of Connecticut’s Departments of Social Service, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Office of Victim Services, Judicial Branch.