Mary Byron Project News and Information

Mary Byron Project announces "Celebrating Solutions" winners; Introduces new award for 2012 Agencies rewarded for innovative domestic violence prevention efforts

Louisville, Ky. — The Mary Byron Project, fostering innovations and strategies to end domestic violence, has named four programs, as recipients of the prestigious Celebrating Solutions Awards. This is the ninth year for the annual recognition, which showcases innovations that demonstrate promise in breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Local and national experts help select programs they believe serve as models for the nation.

 

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Lt. Wynn conducts law enforcement training on domestic violence

On Thursday, July 28, 2011, in Primrose, PA, Mary Byron Project National Advisory Board Member Lt. Mark Wynn led a seminar on domestic violence for professionals in law enforcement and response.  The seminar covered threat assessment, responding to children at the scene, techniques for building and preventing a domestic assault case, investigating incidents of strangulation, and stalking and counter stalking. 

Read more: http://republicanherald.com/news/law-enforcement-gets-training-on-domestic-violence-1.1181661

Expect Respect, Safeplace Teen Dating Violence Prevention program headed to Lubbock, TX schools

July 20th, 2011—The 26-week “Expect Respect” curriculum designed by 2009 Celebrating Solutions Winner SafePlace will be implemented in Lubbock high schools to teach students about the dangers of teen domestic violence.
http://www.kcbd.com/story/15116950/domestic-violence-curriculum-headed-to-local-schools

In other news, SafePlace is taking a leadership role in the Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationship Initiative

Start Strong is a collaboration of school and community partners working together to promote safe and healthy teen relationships and prevent teen dating abuse.  The initiative is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
http://www.startstrongaustin.org/about/ 

Stalking Victims Highlighted During U.S. Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Privacy and Mobile Technologies

On Tuesday, May 10, the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, chaired by Senator Al Franken (D-MN), held a hearing entitled "Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy." The National Center for Victims of Crime, who received a 2007 Celebrating Solutions Award for their Stalking Resource Center submitted written testimony focusing on stalking and mobile technology.
Press release: http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/AGP.Net/Components/documentViewer/Download.aspxnz?DocumentID=48564

Mary Byron Project Executive Director Comments on Steve Nunn Sentence

Marcia Roth, the Executive Director of the Mary Byron Project, was interviewed by the Courier-Journal and the Lexington-Herald Leader in regard to the sudden conclusion of the case against former Kentucky State Representative Steve Nunn. Nunn, who pled guilty to the 2009 murder of his one-time fiancée Amanda Ross, received a life sentence, affirming, Roth said, the "incalculable loss" of Ross' life and demonstrating that high-profile abusers can no longer use plea deals to dodge severe penalties.

2003 Celebrating solutions winner Paula Lucas talks to WBUR's Robin Young

In 2003, we granted a Celebrating Solutions Award to the American Domestic Violence Crisis Line, which provides domestic violence intervention and crisis services to American women and children living overseas. Since receiving our award, the Crisis Line (now renamed the American Domestic Violence Crisis Center) has continued to grow, receiving 2,289 calls, emails, and live chats from 481 families in 68 countries in 2010.

On March 30th, 2010, founder and Executive Director Paula Lucas was interviewed by Robin Young of WBUR at a convention held by The Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas. Their conversation, which covers the formation of the ADVCC and Lucas's own story of survival and escape from an abusive husband, is available on the radio station's site here: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2010/03/30/rundown-330-2

 

Advocates for Domestic Violence victims to Celebrate Success with National and Local Awards

Mary Byron Project President Emeritus Pat Byron and Program Coordinator Kathy Paulin will travel to San Antonio, TX on August 5th, 2011, to present the 2010 Celebrating Solutions award to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for their Legal Alliance for Survivors of Abuse (LASA) program.  The program partners legal aid attorneys with domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers so that victims can receive legal advice as soon as they seek help.     
http://trla.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/advocates-for-domestic-violence-victims-to-celebrate-success-with-national-and-local-awards/