CONTACT: Beth L. Lorow
Assistant Director of Public Relations
Office: (717) 691-6027
E-mail: blorow@messiah.edu

"Hope and Healing Vigil" for domestic violence to be held at Messiah College

GRANTHAM, Pa. (Oct. 6, 2005) — The Gender Studies Project at Messiah College will hold the “Hope and Healing Vigil” for those affected by domestic violence on Oct. 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Alexander Auditorium in the Frey academic building on the college’s Grantham campus. Community members are invited to attend this free and public event. Planned in conjunction with the Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties, the vigil will include speakers offering a thoughtful look at domestic violence, its victims and survivors, as well as options the public has to combat this issue.

Nancy Chavez, a victim and survivor of domestic violence, will share her experience, including the story of her daughter, who was killed by her husband. The Rev. Eldon Fry, the college pastor at Messiah College, will present a faith-based perspective on domestic violence and what should be the Christian response to this devastating issue. The Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties will also present its Silent Witness Project, which includes free-standing, life-sized wooden figures created to memorialize women who have died as a result of domestic violence. Each figure displays the name and story of a woman killed from domestic violence.

The Gender Studies Project at Messiah College strives to support the college’s mission of preparing women and men for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation by developing awareness of gender issues and facilitating change through education and advocacy.

Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties is a private, non-profit organization that provides 24-hour a day services to victims of domestic violence in Cumberland and Perry counties. The organization seeks to provide services and support to those who are experiencing domestic violence and to foster social and system changes through education and advocacy.

Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,900 undergraduate students in 50 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.

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ARTICLE DATE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2005
ARTICLE NUMBER: MC-109-05