October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the town of Wilton bears the purple ribbons marking the cases of violence that occur here. The aim of the Wilton Woman’s Club’s fundraising efforts this year was to sponsor programs to reduce the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence, and the club raised $44,000 to this end with its spring fashion show fundraiser.
The WWC donated $20,000 of this total to the Domestic Violence Crisis Center for the excellent work it does in providing a safe house for victims, medical and legal advocacy, counseling, and job support.
In addition, the club donated $24,000 to the Wilton Domestic Violence Task Force (WDVTF). With these funds the Task Force intends to hire Jeffrey Bucholtz from We End Violence, to present and implement the “Agent of Change Curriculum” in our schools, to challenge gender roles and stereotyping and to help create a more open and respectful cultural environment. In addition, the WDVTF in conjunction with Wilton Youth Council and Weston Youth Council, will acquire a speaker to educate parents within the two communities about sexting and pornography. The WWC looks forward to partnering with the WDVTF in 2018-19.
The WWC will hold its annual spring fashion show fundraiser on April 4, 2019 next year, again at Rolling Hills Country Club, and it is open to all. The beneficiary for 2019 will be announced in December.
The goals of the Wilton Woman’s Club are community service, philanthropy, and education. For more information or to join, visit the Wilton Woman’s Club website.
Pictured above are former WWC philanthropy co-chair Dianne deWitt and past co-president Lorraine Winsor presenting a check for $24,000 to Jennifer McNamara, chairperson of the Task Force and Margaret Creeth, secretary of the Task Force.