Portia Anderson is a former secretary and board member of the Eastside Domestic Violence Program. She reminds us that October is National Domestic Violence Month.
In 1996, I attended a fundraising luncheon for the Eastside Domestic Violence Program (EDVP). At the time, I assumed that women who were suffering abuse had little education and little financial ability. I had a lot to learn.
Of the three victims who spoke at the luncheon two had college degrees and one came from a fairly wealthy family. After this event, I became involved with the EDVP Board and learned that domestic abuse and violence affects people in all walks of life. In fact, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 54. You can read more about domestic violence and its devastating effects on our society at the EDVP website –
www.edvp.org.
My second misconception concerns Rob McKenna. When I first got involved with EDVP, there was little interest from the Attorney General's office in working on this problem. So when I joined the committee that put on the annual fundraising luncheon, I groaned when Rob was appointed chair of the committee. I felt we did not need a figurehead who did little or nothing on the committee. But I was wrong about Rob being a figurehead. He was a real asset. Rob conducted well-organized meetings, brought in many sponsors, was well-informed about the extent of domestic violence and abuse, and was dedicated to finding solutions. It is rewarding to know that as Attorney General he is adamant about working to reduce domestic abuse and violence. And it’s great to have an Attorney General who is concerned about the problem of domestic violence and is working to find ways to penalize abusers and coordinate efforts statewide to reduce the problem.
Portia Anderson