SIDNEY - The DOVES Program invites community members across the Nebraska Panhandle to stand with them to "shine a light on domestic violence" during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

DOVES was founded in 1979 in Scotts Bluff County and now serves Cheyenne, Morrill, Kimball, Banner, Box Butte, Dawes, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties with free and confidential crisis lines, safe shelters, and supportive listening to those who experience behavior intended to isolate victims and tear them down verbally, emotionally, and physically.

The Sidney chapter is hosting a "Shine a Light on Domestic Violence Walk" to remember those who have died as a result of abuse, celebrate those who have survived, and show victims they're not alone.

"It's important, because we don't want people to suffer in silence," Sidney DOVES spokesperson Arianna Nouragas said. "It's something that is not really talked about and we want to make sure we're bringing the awareness to it. We're saying, 'we know it's happening and we're not going to let it continue." 

The event on Saturday, Oct. 15 will be held in Legion Park at 6:30 p.m. and will feature purple glow sticks, a walk together, and a photo on the pond bridge.

Nouragas says the DOVES Program has served more than 800 adults and children affected by domestic violence in just their nine-county service area since January 2022. According to the DOVES Program, one in 4 women report ever experiencing intimate partner violence, and one in 7 men have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.

To learn more about the DOVES Program, and the Domestic Violence Walk this month, log onto www.dovesprogram.com.