The Tri-County Council knows firsthand how prevalent domestic violence is in our community.
The domestic violence and sexual assault organization serves survivors in Forest, Oneida, and Vilas Counties.
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it’s working to make sure people know what resources are available.
In 2021, 65 people in Wisconsin were killed in what were considered domestic violence-related homicides. About a quarter of those were victims from rural areas of the state.
“We really want to just raise awareness within our communities. We've got some very small communities in our Tri-County area,” said Katey, the Domestic Violence Program Coordinator at Tri-County Council. “We want to let people know that there is support available and really be here to support one another as we're working towards prevention as a whole.”
There is a 24/7 crisis line people can call for help at 800-236-1222. You can also find more resources on the Tri-County website.
To help raise awareness and remember the victims of domestic violence, Tri-County Council is holding its annual candlelight vigil on October 6th.
“We really want to commemorate those names and those families and really let the communities know that this is something that happens everywhere. Those that might be struggling silently, we really want to be there to support them,” said Katey.
New this year, following the vigil, Tri-County Council is holding a burn ceremony and fire.
People are encouraged to bring a letter, words, or small paper article representing an instance that harmed them in the past.
Everyone will also have a chance to talk about the contents of what they’re burning if they want to share.
“We want to let people know that it's okay to talk about what has happened to them in the past and how they want to move past to kind of heal from that,” said Katey.
Katey says because of the seriousness of topics that may come up, it may not be a good event to bring young children.
The candlelight vigil is from 7:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at the Hodag Park amphitheater. The burn ceremony follows at 8:00 p.m. at the Hodag Park boat landing.
