 Hello, my name is Lea Weisevic and I'm the Executive Director of Sister Care. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we're proud to partner with the City of Columbia during this important time. Sister Care is a non-profit organization located right here in the Midlands that's been around since 1981. We provide many direct and clinical services to survivors of domestic violence and their children. And we also provide community education and awareness. We serve approximately 4,000 survivors of domestic violence each year right here in our community. That is why October is such an important month for us to raise awareness, share our advocacy, and inform the community about the great need that we see. Unfortunately, approximately 42 percent of South Carolina women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime and one out of ten children will witness domestic violence in their home. The work we do at Sister Care is so important to provide services so that survivors and their children can live a life free from fear. We provide many services free of charge, including emergency shelter, crisis line advocacy. We have children's counseling, individual counseling. We have community support groups throughout our five county service area. We have assistance to be provided to help get orders of protection. We have a rural outreach program to best serve those that live in the more rural areas of our community. We also have a teen outreach program where we work with youth and teens in our community to teach them about healthy relationships and dating violence to help break that intergenerational cycle of violence. October is an important time to share that community support is so needed that we can continue helping these survivors and their children that rely on us for safety and confidentiality and building a life free from violence. We remain thankful to the City of Columbia for their amazing partnership over the years. They've been such great supporters. The City of Columbia has been such great supporters and we remain thankful for all that you do for Sister Care. I hope you'll join us on October 7th for the Mayor's Walk Against Domestic Violence. That information is on the City of Columbia website and also on Sister Care's website. Domestic violence is a crime, but it's also a public health issue. Survivors of domestic violence do often experience physical effects of violence such as bruising, cuts, and broken bones, but there are many, many other symptoms of domestic violence that survivors experience, including substance abuse, anxiety, depression. It can lead to problems later in life like diabetes. The work we do at Sister Care is so important that we can provide our wraparound services to best support those in need. My biggest message today to you if you're watching this or experiencing domestic violence or if you know someone in your family or perhaps a friend or a neighbor or someone in your faith-based community, please know that you're not alone. Sister Care has advocates standing by 24-7 on our crisis line, 803-765-9428, ready to help and provide services. Nobody deserves to be abused. Nobody deserves to live in fear. We're here for you and you're not alone.