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Also sponsored by the Trumbull Rotary Club, Shop a Mile was launched last year by Trumbull Police Chief Michael Lombardo as a way to highlight the important work done by The Center for Family Justice to break the cycles of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse.
“Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we want to begin by raising awareness of the tragedy of domestic violence and the way it impacts more than the targeted victims,” said Lombardo. “Families, and in some cases, entire generations, are affected for years to come.”
By staging an awareness event at the busy shopping mall, the chief hopes to draw attention to programs and services available to victims locally.
As part of the Shop a Mile event, shoppers will receive tote bags packed with special shopping discounts as well as information on the free confidential services CFJ provides to victims in the communities of Trumbull, Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe and Stratford.
National statistics show that one in three women and one in five men are impacted by domestic violence during their lifetime. Shop a Mile in Her Shoes begins at 2 p.m. in the courtyard outside JC Penney in the mall’s lower level.
There, Lombardo and Debra A. Greenwood, CFJ’s President & CEO, will make brief remarks to kick off the event. Participants, including members of the Trumbull Police Department, will then join them to walk the mall’s perimeter in a show of solidarity with victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse.
“Westfield Trumbull is proud to partner with the Trumbull Police Department and The Center for Family Justice for the second annual Shop a Mile in Her Shoes event,” said Katherine Bolas, Westfield Trumbull’s marketing director. “We hope our shoppers and the local community will join us to walk and bring awareness to the important services The Center for Family Justice provides to domestic and sexual violence and child abuse victims.”
Greenwood expressed her gratitude to Lombardo, the Trumbull Rotary and the team at Westfield Trumbull for their support.
“It is so important for us to partner with Trumbull Police and community and business leaders in our efforts to support victims in need of safety and support,” said Greenwood. “We are especially appreciative of the leadership and commitment Chief Lombardo has shown in creating this important awareness event which we hope continues to be annual tradition.”
For more information, visit www.CenterForFamilyJustice.org.
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