Holtville City proclaims October 2024 Domestic Violence Awareness Month; local advocates speak on intergenerational harm

Holtville City read a proclamation declaring October 2024 Domestic Violence Awareness Month and urged residents to participate in scheduled events and programs to improve victim safety and accountability.

Mayor Maya Murray Anderson read the proclamation’s language, citing family violence’s impacts on privacy, dignity and community safety and noting local advocacy work. Judy Klein, introduced at the meeting as representing Woman Haven (also referenced as the Center for Family Solutions), described the group’s services — emergency shelter, crisis counseling, legal services and a wellness program — and said the organization’s first emergency shelter was founded in Holtville by Virginia Samaha and Alice Armstrong. “Our programs include emergency shelter, crisis counseling, and legal services,” Klein said, and noted the group’s emphasis on serving men, women and children with a commitment to inclusivity.

Verna Wildwright, identified at the meeting as a past recipient of an award given to a survivor, spoke about personal experience and the long-term effects of family violence. At the meeting she and Klein highlighted a commonly cited statistic from their work that “50 percent of children grow up in homes where there is domestic violence,” linking childhood exposure with later risks of becoming victims or perpetrators.

The proclamation, signed by Mayor Maya Murray Anderson and the council, urged citizens to participate in local activities supporting victims and to recognize the broad social harms of family violence. The city arranged a group photograph with the proclamation and invited attendees to join outreach and awareness events during the month.

The city did not record in the meeting packet any new funding or legislative action tied to the proclamation; the statements at the meeting were ceremonial and intended to raise awareness and point residents to local services.