CLINTON, Iowa — YWCA has launched its nationwide campaign to stand up against abuse. It's called "Week Without Violence."
The week-long event lasts from Oct. 21-26 and seeks to raise awareness about the prevalence and impact violence has on communities, along with promoting peaceful and nonviolent solutions.
Employees at the Clinton YWCA Empowerment Center kicked off the week by pinning shirts to a clothesline that are penned with statistics on local violence.
"Just because they seem fine doesn’t mean they're fine," Sara Vegter, a case worker at the Empowerment Center said.
In 2010, Vegter said she and her children stayed at the Clinton YWCA for two nights because of domestic violence.
"It was very helpful but it was not a situation you really ever want to be in."
Although the Empowerment Center is no longer the regional provider for domestic violence, the group serves many people in difficult situations by redirecting them to the resources that can help. It's a job Vegter said she finds rewarding.
"That has affected me immensely," she said. "Because it brings back things I’ve experienced and the feelings that I had. I am very passionate about it.”
Empowerment Director Michelle Plasschaert said a big part of their role in the community is providing homelessness services. The group said domestic abuse is the number one cause of homelessness in Iowa.
"We get a ton of calls from folks on the verge of homelessness or in homelessness because of domestic violence situations," she said.
Plascchaert also said that financial abuse is a topic the group will discuss this week.
"A lot of domestic violence stems along power and control," she said. "A lot of ways folks can control another person is taking control of the finances."
For more information on Clinton's YWCA and events planned for the week, visit their website here. And for more information on the Quad Cities' YWCA, visit their website here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text "START" to 88788.