LEWISTON — Four local and state leaders will be recognized at Safe Voices’ annual Fall Mixer and Community Partner Awards.
The event takes place at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Bates Mill Atrium.
Safe Voices is the domestic violence resource center serving Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties. Each year, the agency honors residents and organizations who have made remarkable contributions in support of victims and survivors, as well as those engaged in abuse and violence prevention and awareness.
This year’s awardees include: Francine Garland Stark, executive director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence; Alexandra Winter, prosecutor with the Oxford County District Attorney’s Office; Jessica Lemay, a student at Central Maine Community College; and Angela Desrochers, coordinator of the Batterer Intervention Program at Safe Voices.
Stark, who has been a leader in the anti-domestic violence movement in Maine for several decades, will receive the Kimberly Wilson Community Transformation Award in recognition of her statewide leadership.
She has made anti-domestic violence advocacy and the rights of women her life’s work. As the executive director at the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, she supports the work of eight domestic violence resource centers and partner agencies to align advocates in best practice and represent the experiences of survivors within all Maine systems.
Winter will receive the Community Partner Award for her contributions as the domestic violence and sexual assault prosecutor for Oxford County. She brings a victim-centered and trauma-informed perspective that validates the experiences of survivors while generating better outcomes and sentencing in criminal cases.
Lemay will receive the Volunteer Impact Award. Since joining Safe Voices in January, she has provided valuable consultation on accessibility issues for survivors with disabilities, helped co-facilitate trainings for new staff and volunteers, and provides leadership support to fellow volunteers on Safe Voices’ 24-hour Helpline.
Desrochers has coordinated Safe Voices’ Batterer Intervention Program since 2014. In the past year she has overseen 50 percent growth in enrollment, working with the highest number of participants in the program’s history. She will receive the Shining Star Award, an annual staff honor.
In addition to the awards ceremony, the Fall Mixer and Community Partner Awards will include networking and a silent auction, catering by Jasmine Cafe and cash bar. Pediatric Associates of Lewiston, P.A. is the 2018 Fall Mixer and Community Partner Awards presenting sponsor for this event, which is open to the public.
Tickets are $25. To register, contact Victoria Stanton, director of development and engagement, at vstanton@safevoices.org or 207-795-6744.
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