The House of Hope, a domestic crisis shelter, marked it's 16th annual candlelight walk and vigil with guest speakers and support from the community of Douglas.

Hide Caption (Use arrows above to view more photos)

Thursday, October 7, Douglas citizens gathered at the City Hall to show their support with candle light and walked to the 10th Street Park to continue honoring the programs that help victims of abuse and their continued well-being.

The Douglas House of Hope is operated by Program Coordinator Elsa Varela, who has been with the program for the past 14 years. Varela and dedicated staff and volunteers make the House of Hope an oasis for those in need.

Varela stated, "I would like to thank the community of Douglas for their continued support over all these years, we wouldn't have done it without them. I am very impressed at how the general public has respected the needs of the victims. Domestic Violence is a serious problem and should never be pushed under the rug because children are dying and it's our responsibility to take action and make a difference and with God's will together we can help make this horriffic issue stop."

The mission statement of the House of Hope is to provide a safe haven to female victims of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The purpose of it is to maintain and strengthen families in crisis by total practical support and education. The feeling of being in a safe environment allows the residents to grow and learn things about themselves that they never knew they had until arriving at the house. They were constantly frightened and had very low self esteem. However, support such as this annual candlelight walk and vigil, lets the victims know that they are not alone and with the help of the public, they will thrive and come out of this a stonger individual.

At the city hall, Mayor Dr. Michael Gomez read the proclamation and officially proclaimed that October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Mayor Gomez stated that the "health, safety and well-being of women and children is now and must always continue to be one of our communities highest priorities." Mayor Gomez walked with his young granddaughter, 5 year old Isabella Smith.

Susan and daughter Katy Kramer are supporters of the program as well. Kramer has been actively participating for the past 6 years. "This is a way for our citizens to acknowledge that abuse occurs everyday and we, as people who care and want this abuse to end, are doing this for a good cause," Kramer said.

During the ceremony, Varela announced special recognitions to members of the community. Officer Gilbert Aguilar has been with the Domestic Violence investigation task force since 2003 and with the Douglas Police since 1986. He was presented with a plaque of appreciation for his hard work and dedication for all these years and also as a way of saying good bye to him because he will retire in March of 2011.

Recognition was also presented to the SAMC, which was received by the hospital's employees Maria Moreno and Maria Felix. The hospital was acknowledged because they have donated Thanksgiving dinners to the House of Hope over the years. The City of Douglas is very appreciated for their part in lending the city hall and the park to conduct these ceremonies.

Guest speaker Joe Stemple has been very involved in being a supporter of the House of Hope. Stemple works for Department of Corrections and has been involved for 16 years even before the house opened.

Stemple said, "Together we stand as a group to break the cycle of this abuse, these vigils leave a legacy that conitues to grow as long as we are committed to working together and stopping this abuse from continuing."