Friday, April 23, 2010

Telling Amy's Story - Raising Awareness of Domestic Violence

Telling Amy's Story follows the timeline of a domestic violence homicide that occurred in central Pennsylvania on November 8, 2001.  Amy's parents, co-workers, law enforcement officers, and court personnel share their perspectives on what happened to Amy in the weeks, months, and years leading up to her death.

Amy was a Verizon Wireless employee, and the Verizon Foundation is a sponsor of this documentary. I think it is a wonderful tribute to her that they are honoring her memory in this way, and finding a way to reach others to share that domestic violence is, indeed "Everybody's Business."

And while the documentary cannot change the ending to Amy's story, it is the hope of those involved in making the documentary and the accompanying toolkit that telling her story can change the outcomes for the millions of victims, survivors, and loved ones affected by domestic violence everyday.

You can help in the fight to end domestic violence. SHARE this film, DISCUSS it with others, and REFER those in need to the film’s companion online toolkit at http://telling.psu.edu.  If you need to know how to create a program to help create a safer workplace for employees like Amy, visit our website at http://www.caepv.org.

To find out more about Telling Amy's Story, visit http://www.facebook.com/tellingamysstory.  You can view the trailer at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pt0qoqFV6g. The documentary will be available on Public Broadcasting Stations beginning June 1, 2010.

I hope you will share and learn.  And I hope you will also tell Amy's story.

6 comments:

KWG said...

Thank you, Kim. I will share and spread the word. Look forward to viewing it and discussing it.

Kim Wells said...

Thank you so much Kevin. You are such a wonderful example of a person who strives to make domestic violence "everybody's business." Kim

Anonymous said...

Not enough background was given about Amy's husband's problem - why did he drink ? Was he PTSD?
If his problem could have been solved, then Amy would not have been killed. Also, the U.S. needs to ban handguns and take steps to prevent or cure alcoholism. A handgun in the hands of an alcoholic is a disaster waiting to happen

Anonymous said...

My former landlord was recently released from jail for Domestic Violence for the 5th time. We had a brief and fleeting affair, he became obsessed with me and both my teenage daughter and younger son. I have moved 23 times and been in 5 shelters. I have left the state and the country. He has shown up at my workplaces (I cannot keep a job) and harassed my friends and elderly parents. Upon his release, he gained permission to attend church across the street from my church. Her life meant a lot to those of us still living it. He worked in social services, so I cannot get into anymore shelters, they consider me a risk to the other women and children should he show up

Anonymous said...

There is now a companion classroom curriculum to the documentary. It was developed in partnership with the Centre County Women's Resource Center and is called "A Day in the Life: The Workplace Response to Domestic Violence." This comprehensive training program for the workplace is designed to help employers and employees recognize and respond to co-workers who might be experiencing domestic violence.

See http://telling.psu.edu/ and scroll to the bottom for a link to the training package.

Anonymous said...

I am a Victim Advocate at a DV shelter. I think there is a lack of information about abusers. Most people think abusers have an anger problem, but this is not true. They use anger as a weapon to make the victim feel threatened and intimidated, to get power and control. If they have an alcohol problem, that is separate. Alcohol is NOT the cause of abusive behavior, although it could make it worse. The same with PTSD.