Group plans walk with grant

A local group that joined to prevent and spread awareness about domestic violence received its first grant.

The Community Alliance Against Interpersonal Violence received a $15,000 competitive community grant June 28.

The purpose of the grant will be to support education programs, support domestic violence awareness, prevention and to provide assistance statewide, said Sarah Finkelstein, the alliance president.

The grant might also be used in an upcoming Untying the Strings of Violence 5K walk/run against domestic violence at Hampton Park in October.

The walk is months away, but the group, which meets monthly at Noisette is currently seeking sponsors and those willing to donate items that would be included in gift bags given to participants.

They expect at least 200 people to participate in the first walk, which they hope will become an annual event. They will raise funds and awareness with the walk, which is also sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women.

The interpersonal violence group launched two years ago first distributing fliers and posters to raise awareness about domestic violence and who to call for help.

The Competitive Grants Committee was most impressed with the fliers that the group distributed throughout the Lowcountry, Finkelstein said

More than 1,500 posters, which provide the signs of potential abusers, and encourage people to help the abused, have been posted in the tricounty area.

Two hundred more printed in Spanish have also been placed.

Both versions include numbers to call for help including My Sister's House, a local agency that helps abused women.