Event to Spotlight Public Health Crisis, Partnerships that Save Lives
HARTFORD – Interval House—Connecticut’s largest domestic violence agency—will wrap up its 2023 observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at the annual Breakfast with Champions, held Wednesday, Oct. 25, at The Riverview in Simsbury. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for registration and networking; program begins at 8 a.m.
Thanks to the generosity of The Riverview, Breakfast with Champions is free to attend. One hundred-percent of any donations made to Interval House that morning will directly support the agency’s work with victims and survivors. Advanced registration is required at www.intervalhousect.org/dvam to reserve a seat or host a table of 10.
This year’s event will continue the agency’s focus on domestic violence as a public health crisis, and will celebrate the partnerships Interval House has with the healthcare community and other local organizations to reach victims in crisis and provide critical, preventive education to youth.
“Domestic violence checks off all the boxes of a public health crisis,” says Mary-Jane Foster, President and C.E.O. of Interval House. “It directly impacts 12 million Americans every year, impacting not only victims—but their families, friends, colleagues and neighbors. The tragedy of it all is that it is predictable and therefore, it is preventable. We are grateful to our partners in the health care field who work every day to identify those who need our help and refer them to us.”
According to the CDC, over 12 million people a year experience domestic or intimate partner violence. Children who witness abuse between adults in the home are at serious risk for physical and psychological trauma, and are likely to perpetuate the cycle of abuse as adults. Intimate partner violence costs the United States more than $9 billion each year in direct care, law enforcement, and judicial services costs. On top of that, victims of domestic violence miss nearly eight million days of paid work every year, curbing productivity and costing American employers $13 billion.
Interval House recently received a grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation to support its preventive education and training for schools, organizations and healthcare partners in its 24-town service area. In addition, a new partnership with the Boys and Girls Club in Hartford will ensure that 1,200 city youth will receive information about healthy relationships during their after-school programs. Additional outreach in the 24 towns that Interval House serves ensures a higher level of awareness in the community and swift connections for those who need help.
Anyone struggling with an abusive relationship may call Interval House’s 24/7 hotline at 860-838-8467. All services are confidential and free of charge.
About Interval House
Founded in 1977, Interval House is the largest agency in the state of Connecticut dedicated to preventing and breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Through direct and life-saving intervention services for victims in 24 towns and cities both East and West of the Connecticut River, Interval House helps to change the lives of thousands of people experiencing intimate partner abuse. 24-Hour Hotline: (860) 838-8467. To support: www.intervalhousect.org/donate. Follow Interval House on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok @intervalhousect.