Each year during the month of October, the Monroe County Health Council's STOPe (Standing Together Offering Protection and Encouragement) Program joins together with area organizations, state coalitions and domestic violence programs across the country to commemorate the lives of victims of domestic violence and to raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence.

"Domestic violence is everyone's business," said Monroe County's STOPe Project Director Crystal Russell. "The problem is phenomenal. It affects everyone in some way."

Monroe STOPe is a domestic violence program through the Monroe County Health Council. The goal of Monroe STOPe is to educate the public about the effects of domestic violence on families and to find ways in which we can all work together to promote safety and eliminate domestic violence in our community.

"We provide court advocacy and prevention education, offer individual and group support, make referrals to other agencies and try to raise awareness," said Russell.

Russell said the statistics on domestic violence are grim.

See full story in the Sunday, Sept. 30, edition of The Advocate & Democrat.