YWCA will honor the City of Elizabeth & Mayor J. Christian Bollwage at Annual Empowering Women Cocktail Reception

Clark, NJ – On October 8th, join the local YWCA for a night celebrating survivorship at the Empowering Women Cocktail Reception: A Voice for Every Woman. As the YWCA Union County marks 95 years of serving the community, they are proud to honor the City of Elizabeth and Mayor J. Christian Bollwage for their long-time partnership and support of services to victims of domestic violence.

In building a stronger community, The City of Elizabeth and Mayor Bollwage have taken a special interest in local nonprofit organizations, including the YWCA Union County. In 2013, Mayor Bollwage was among the first group of men who took a public stand against the crime of domestic violence by joining the YWCA Union County’s “White Ribbon Campaign,” an opportunity for male allies to take a pledge to “never to commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women.”

The City of Elizabeth has been a strong partner with the YWCA Union County to support services to survivors of domestic violence. In addition to annual City grants, last year, a grant from the City was leveraged with support from a local foundation to support the installation of a generator for our Emergency Shelter to ensure the safety of our residents in the event of a power outage such as what was experienced for so many in our state during Hurricane Sandy.

Domestic violence breaks all barriers of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender and socioeconomic status. It is a crime that impacts our entire community. It is estimated that 1 in every 4 women will be effected by domestic violence in her life, which equals more than breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer combined. The monetary cost of domestic violence in the United States in dollars has been estimated to exceed 5.8 billion a year in medical and mental health services, loss of productivity, and loss of paid earnings. An average of 3 women per day in the United States are killed as a result of domestic violence.

The YWCA Union County’s Empowering Women Cocktail Reception will be held on Thursday, October 8, 2015 from 6 to 9 pm in Clark, New Jersey. Proceeds of the event will benefit the YWCA Union County’s Domestic Violence Programs. Sponsorships and ad purchases for the event program are now available. For more information or tickets, contact Tara Packard by email at tpackard@ywcaunioncounty.org.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the 24-Hour Hotline at 908-355-HELP (4357).