Wise Hope hopes to raise DV awareness

Jacksboro will turn purple for another reason this month. The Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center is spreading purple ribbons and more as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Victim Advocate Karen VanderKaay said the Wise Hope Jacksboro Outreach office has much planned for the month including visiting the schools as part of the national campaign that began more than 30 years ago.

Wise Hope opened the doors to its Jacksboro office in February, since that time, VanderKaay and other Wise Hope staff members have worked to provide safe shelter, crisis intervention, counseling and more to men and women who are victims of domestic violence.

But for VanderKaay addressing a crisis situation is not what she prefers to do.

“You don’t have to be in a crisis but if you need help with something, we have a licensed counselor in Decatur,” she said. “We deal with the prevention, not just the crisis. I’d rather deal with prevention.”

VanderKaay works to educate those in Jacksboro on healthy relationships, not just in October, but year round. 

Wise Hope offers classes on the topic available to all.

“The classes are for anyone recovering from a relationship or who is recognizing certain behaviors in themselves and who they’re attracting or to get over a certain situation,” VanderKaay said.

Those classes take place in Jacksboro and the next round is set to begin soon, she added.

At the Jacksboro schools, the morning announcements have incorporated public service announcements provided by Wise Hope about bullying, relationships and respect.

During this week’s National Night Out, VanderKaay and others offered literature, temporary tattoos and a game “Duckies Against Violence” to help educate children with age-appropriate questions about spotting abusive behavior.

Wise Hope will also be at the Jack County Health Fair next Friday, Oct. 13.

To raise further awareness, Wise Hope encourages all to participate in “Put a Nail In It” by painting their left ring finger purple, snapping a photo and sharing on social media. 

One place to share could be the brand-new as of Wednesday Facebook page Wise Hope Crisis Center Jacksboro Tx Office.

For more information on the services Wise Hope offers, call VanderKaay at 940-507-5025.