The Springfield Women’s Commission announced plans for a Domestic Violence Awareness Month program on Oct. 1 at 11:30 a.m. in City Hall’s Room 220, City Councilor Katie Reuel, the commission’s chair, said at a meeting to organize the event. “We are planning a special event for October 1, which is recognition of October as domestic violence awareness month,” Reuel said.

The event will honor Brenda Lopez, the city’s first domestic violence awareness coordinator, and will feature brief remarks from the district attorney, Anthony Gallooney, and Elizabeth Deneen of the YWCA. The commission also plans to include students from Libertas Academy, representatives from Wayfinders and other community organizations, and former officials including Mayor Albano and former Police Chief Paul O’Meara.

Commissioners said the program will focus on services for victims, coordination among law enforcement and community providers, and prevention topics tailored to younger attendees. City Councilor Tracy Whitfield said the panel should address why some victims stop pursuing charges and how the criminal-justice system and community organizations can better support survivors. “I wanna say that I think it would be very important to touch on that,” Whitfield said.

Organizers agreed to limit individual remarks and asked the district attorney and Deneen to speak for about five minutes each so the program remains focused on information and resources rather than a long series of presentations. The commission decided not to provide refreshments because it has no budget and instead will open with a moment of silence rather than a formal invocation or benediction.

Discussion at the meeting identified several specific topics for the program: how the district attorney’s office pursues charges when victims are hesitant to testify; what happens when charges are dropped; how police, probation and community organizations coordinate responses to domestic violence; bystander roles and options; and the effects of digital technology on abusive relationships, including tracking and circulating intimate images.

The group also discussed outreach and visibility for the event. Organizers plan to send invitations to the district attorney’s office and community partners later in the week, include a contact number for domestic-violence resources on the invitation (the YWCA was suggested), and ask attendees to wear purple. The commission will distribute stickers and a banner at the program and will present Lopez with a city vest and flowers.

Attendees asked staff to provide basic local statistics for the program. A participant reported that one-year call volumes for domestic-related incidents had reached about 11,000 calls; commission members said they would ask crime analysis for a time series and for counts since Lopez’s start in the mid-1990s to provide historical context during remarks. The organizers also discussed posting a short, recurring reminder about available services on city social media and the commission’s website.

Public participants raised the wider issue of unsolved killings of women in Springfield and requested clearer public information about cold cases. Participants were advised that some cold-case records are maintained by the district attorney’s office and that specific names or cases should be provided to police or the DA’s office to allow staff to look them up.

The commission said it will finalize and send the invitation and program outline to speakers and partners, and will provide email addresses and contact lists collected by members to help confirm attendance and logistics. The subcommittee adjourned after the group confirmed the program’s time, location and principal speakers and volunteers to complete invitations.