FARMINGTON – Franklin County’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services is holding the 17th annual March for Violence-Free Communities on Wednesday, April 29.
Participants will gather outside of the University of Maine at Farmington’s Student Center building on South Street at 5:30 p.m. Marchers are invited to carry signs to raise awareness, make noise, and have fun.
The March will lead to a Speak Out in the North Dining Hall of the UMF Student Center. The Speak Out is an opportunity for attendees to talk about their experiences, feelings, and thoughts about the issues surrounding all forms of violence. It is a safe space for people to say as much or as little as they like.
This is a free event, and it is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We hope you will join us on April 29 in honoring survivors of sexual assault, and helping us put a stop to violence in our community.
SAPARS (historically known as SAVES in Franklin County) helps people recover from the trauma of sexual violence. Through school and community based programs, we work to raise awareness, educate, and prevent sexual violence.
Please visit our website at www.sapars.org. You can find us on social media by searching the URL/user name: SAPARSmaine. The statewide, toll free, 24-hour Helpline is 1-800-871-7741.
the wording of “the march will lead to” conjures in the imagination a procession of colleges students walking through the student center to the dining hall. but i’m assuming the march will actually be making a circuit through the town as it has in the past, correct? it would be a shame if somebody mistakenly identified the umf student body–who seem to only come out to view their shadows–as the sum of our community.