In a pair of proclamations that shed light on some of society’s grimmer realities, the Flagler County Commission on Monday recognized National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the county’s Family Life Center as well as “Red Ribbon Week,” an annual effort to bring attention to alcohol and drug abuse–or misuse, as professionals in the field prefer to call it–which has nevertheless only grown since the inception of Red Ribbon Week in 1988.
“Just so you know, in the state of Florida in 2023 there were 80,493 crisis hotlines for the year and 613,583 nights of sheltered victims throughout the state of Florida,” Candice Wilkie, the domestic violence services coordinator with the Family Life Center, told the County Commission. The Family Life Center is the county’s only domestic violence shelter.
“Domestic violence doesn’t stop with hurricanes, with Covid or anything,” Wilkie continued. “So as we know it transcends through all economic and racial, all of the populations. October is an opportunity to raise awareness.” The shelter is asking the community “to help us light Flagler County and purple by changing the bulbs on your porches to purple or getting spotlights that are purple.”
Wilkie, a 2018 Victim Advocate of the Year in the county, recognized the victim’s advocates in local law enforcement and recognized Flagler Cares, the social service coordinating agency, as “huge help.”
“As law enforcement, we respond as first responders, we respond to many calls for domestic violence, but unfortunately, we are a commanding presence, the uniform, the whole thing, ” Dave Williams of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said. “A lot of times, we can’t get a thorough investigation completed because victims are reluctant to really come forward to us with all of the information that’s necessary. But our victim advocates are awesome, and they’re the soft face of the sheriff’s office.”
As for Red Ribbon Week, “Flagler Cares, along with businesses, government entities, parents, law enforcement, medical professionals, religious institutions, schools, senior citizen service organizations and youth are all encouraged to demonstrate their commitment to promoting healthy, drug free living by wearing and displaying red ribbons during this week long campaign,” Commissioner Greg Hansen read from the Red Ribbon proclamation.
“Red Ribbon Week is really about connecting with our youth and bringing forward the conversation around substance use prevention,” Flagler Care’s Kristy Amburgey said. “Prevention is important, and for us, it’s powerful. So just being open to those conversations and parents and caregivers of our young people–have conversations around substance use, and Red Ribbon Week is the perfect time to do so.”
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