Violence against women will not be shied away from but rather discussed in full during an event hosted by the United Way of Chatham-Kent.
The local organization will be hosting a community conversation on October 1 called Let's Talk: Ending Violence Against Women in Chatham-Kent.
"In our busy world, important local social issues can often be ignored or go unnoticed," the United Way said in a media release. "We know as Canadians, we absolutely want to love the places where we live and raise our families, but issues like violence against women are hurting our community."
A panel of five women will lead the discussion on how to recognize the signs of violence against women, how to help, and what is being done on a local level to address the issue.
Panelists include Constable Meredith Rota, who works in the CKPS Human Trafficking Unit; Terry Marchand, CKPS domestic violence coordinator; Karen Hunter, executive director of the Chatham-Kent Women's Centre; Emily Spagnolo, partner assault response counsellor at Changing Ways; Karyn O'Neil, director of community engagement and operations at the United Way of Chatham-Kent. The event will be moderated by Shari Margolese.
Following the panel discussion, there will be a questions and answers period involving the audience.
The event will be held at St. Andrew’s United Church in Chatham in the Fellowship Hall, from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. The event is free but donations will be accepted at the door to support programs in Chatham-Kent who work with women.
