EAST WINDSOR: Township recommits to curbing domestic violence

By Christina Whittington, Special Writer
   EAST WINDSOR — The township is getting ready to light candles for a good cause.
   At the Nov. 12 Township Council meeting, Mayor Janice Mironov and the council recognized October 2012 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and presented proclamations to Womanspace Executive Director Patricia Hart and East Windsor resident Rita Teubner, a charter member of the East Windsor Township Domestic Violence Victims Response Team, declaring Dec. 10 as Communities of Light Day.
   ”In East Windsor we have always been on the forefront and very proud of the fact that we have been in the forefront of supporting Womanspace and establishing early on a domestic violence victim response team,” Mayor Mironov said.
   According to the organization’s website, Womanspace is a “leading not-for-profit agency providing a comprehensive array of services to individuals impacted by domestic and sexual violence and dedicated to improving the quality of life for women and their families.”
   East Windsor’s was the first domestic violence victim response team established in Mercer County. The collaborative effort between the East Windsor Township Police and Womanspace was designed to increase the safety and decrease the isolation of domestic violence victims living and working in the township.
   The Communities of Light, now in its 11th year, will begin at dusk on Dec. 10. This candle lighting serves as a symbol of hope for women and children who have been effected by domestic violence and sexual assault.
    “We like to use October, November and December as a time to focus the light on the good works of Womanspace and Communities of Light celebration on Dec. 10 and ask all of our community, residents and businesses, to join together to support this effort which is both an opportunity to raise money and also an opportunity to raise awareness of an issue that sadly continues in many corridors, many times too silently,” Mayor Mironov said. “Communities of Light is an opportunity for us to shine a light, literally and figuratively on an issue that is all to quiet sometimes,” Ms. Hart said.Ms. Hart also said the goal of the Communities of Light is to let victims know that they are not alone, that the neighbors and community support them.
   The luminary kits used for the Communities of Light Day are produced by Womanspace and can be purchased for $10. In East Windsor, Gold’s Gym has the kits available for purchase. All proceeds of the luminary kit sales and donations made to the Communities of Light fund Womanspace programs. that, according to the organization’s website, serve over 10,000 adults and children each year, who are impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault.
   East Windsor Township will participate in the Communities of Light Day on Dec. 10 at the Municipal Building.
   ”We will light up the building. It’s a pretty awesome sight and we do make it a party. There’s good food and good folks around and we encourage people in the community to buy the kits, but also to join us,” the mayor said.