Purple peeps #1
Happy domestic violence awareness month!
Okay, so maybe finding the sex appeal in a topic like domestic abuse is a tall order (although, as the breast cancer awareness folk show, ain’t nothing impossible). Of course, unbiased observer that I am, I think anything my wife’s involved in automatically becomes more attractive, if you know what I’m saying.
Saturday we trekked up to the Mount Airy section of our fair city for a “2-mile walk against domestic violence” organized by Ana Lisa’s agency. The weather was fall beautiful. We had some local dignitaries and media personalities.
State senator Leanna Washington and city councilwoman Donna Reed Miller
Video clip showing local TV news anchor Larry Mendte and son … hey, who’s that behind him to the right? (Hi Mom!)
Then of course there was the eye cand-, ‘er, um. Oh yeah, Ana Lisa also spoke.
Wait your turn, Al.
Afterward a woman who works in another part of Ana Lisa’s agency came up to me saying, “Wow, she really speaks with authority.” I nodded, flashing to a morning discussion about whether I was ever going to get around to cleaning my desk. Indeed she does…
:-)
Here are some numbers Ana Lisa threw out to illustrate the impact of domestic violence in our area:
- The Philadelphia police department receives more than 100,000 domestic violence-related 911 calls each year.
- In 2006, 92 people in PA lost their lives as a result of domestic violence, 17 in the Philadelphia region.
- Fifty percent of the estimated 45,000 victims of domestic violence in our city have children under the age of 12 who are exposed to violence in their homes.
The four domestic violence victim advocacy groups in the city, of which Ana Lisa’s program is one, handled more than 8,000 calls to their 24-hour hotline last year. And her program alone provided counseling services to some 3,000 clients.
All I can say is I’m glad all I have to do is relate to the few abusive partners who are willing to work!
My personal favorite moment in her speech was when she said that next year she hopes to see “all of Chestnut Hill filled with purple people.” I know she was thinking it but doggone it if she didn’t stop there instead of delivering the natural punchline: “eaters.” C’mon!
(See, there’s a key difference between my dear partner and I … her humor has standards.)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=X9H_cI_WCnE[/youtube]
Finally there was the rabble, roused and restless for their 2-mile gambol along the sidewalks of Mounty Airy. Fortunately there were snacks and massage waiting when we pulled in, weary, at the halfway mark.
Regarding these last two shots, it may look like I was the one doing the chaperoning, but I assure you that the opposite was true.
Print This Post
Email This Post
