Special to the Aroostook Republican
The candles may have been taken down, but there is still a banner tied to the porch balustrade of the Family Chiropractic office on High Street that reads “Domestic Violence Has No Place in Our Community.”
Contributed photo/Amanda Greenfield
The Family Chiropractic office on High Street was hosts this year to an impressive display drawing attention to the ongoing tragedy of domestic violence in Caribou, the state of Maine and the world. The business is owned by Chad Bouchard and his family.
According to property owner Chad Bouchard, the business was approached by the Battered Women’s Project and asked to decorate their 50-foot blue spruce with purple lights in commemoration of Purple Light Night, a vigil held in October to raise awareness for the victims of domestic abuse.
“It’s a community effort,” said Bouchard. The business acquiesced, and on Sept. 30, firefighters Tim Guerrette and Steve Corbin spooled the lights around the evergreen tree using the boom of a fire truck. The tradition of decorating a tree in preparation of the vigil was observed in Washington State last year and represents a nationwide unity against this societal problem.
The Family Chiropractic is now accepting gifts on behalf of the Battered Women’s Project, which has been operating with diminished funding since the government reduced its federal aid.
“We’ve made a lot of headway on the wish list,” said Jennifer Glidden, who has worked with the project for three years. This support comes at a crucial moment for the Battered Women’s Shelter, which has been seeing a swell in the influx of beneficiaries despite their lessened resources.
Those involved in Purple Light Night agree that the shelter is an important facility in this community and that steps must be taken in order to ensure its preservation.
“[I see] the women that come through here and see them become empowered and become independent,” said Glidden. “There’s no service really out there like this now.”
Glidden says that she believes awareness is the key to bringing violence in the home to an end.
“There are numerous reasons women stay,” she said. “They’re isolated, they don’t know the resources out there — that’s why the vigil is important.”
Though the night may have been only a small victory against domestic abuse, hopefuls believe that if even one woman was helped to find the strength to walk away, their effort was not wasted.
