Alpha Chi Omega takes a stand against domestic violence
One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and women aged 20-24 are at the highest risk.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the women of Alpha Chi Omega are passionately taking a stand against it.
“The Alpha Chi Omega Chapter is so passionate about this cause because we know that awareness is the first step in aiding survivors and victims," said Illinois junior Ally Gajsiewicz. "Our goal is to educate the community on what domestic violence looks like and how to respond to it.”
According to the Alpha Chi Omega National Headquarters website, the sorority adopted domestic violence awareness as their national philanthropy in 1992. The national sorority knows “This issue is one we stand behind as something that affects women all over the world. Together, we work to fight against unhealthy relationships and build healthy relationships.”
Chapters around the nation support this month in a multitude of ways. At Central Michigan University, Alpha Chi Omega supports it with their annual spaghetti dinners and awareness weeks to raise money and educate the community.
This year the spaghetti dinner was Oct. 8 and 9 and was held at the Alpha Chi Omega house on Main Street. The proceeds from this dinner went to the Isabella County Women’s Aid Shelter.
Later on in the month the chapter will be bringing Jessica Yaffa to campus who will be presenting “Filling the Void”, this presentation is geared toward young adults to ensure healthy and fulfilling relationships.
Although those will be the chapters two biggest events this month, they will also be spreading awareness throughout campus by handing out ribbons and statistics, as well as displaying a pledge banner outside of the Bovee University Center.
This is not a cause that is going away or something that can be hidden. It is prevalent across the world. According to NotAlone.Gov, President Barak Obama on January 22, 2014 stated “Perhaps most important, we need to keep saying to anyone out there who has ever been assaulted: you are not alone. We have your back. I’ve got your back.”
The women of Alpha Chi Omega are living this quote. The motto being ‘Real Strong Women’ they understand the importance of the issue and fight daily to create as much awareness as possible. To see what the national chapter of Alpha Chi Omega is doing you can follow the hash tag #AXODVAM.
