In donating blood yesterday at the regional Red Cross chapter house at 703 Whitney Avenue (where every Friday afternoon there is a blood drive at which both scheduled appointments and spontaneous "walk-in" donors are welcome), I saw the following message:

"Every two seconds someone in America needs blood. . . . The American Red Cross is encouraging eligible donors of all blood types to give blood to help strengthen the community’s blood supply.  If you are unable to donate, please consider asking a friend or family member to donate in your place.

As a special thank you for donating blood, all presenting donors will have the chance to win a pair of theatre tickets. Show details: Annie  - Friday, March 5th 7:30pm at the Shubert Theatre. Tickets are courtesy of the Shubert New Haven.

Call 1-800-GIVE LIFE now to schedule your appointment to donate blood or go to givelife.org . . . . Your next local donation opportunity:  

First & Summerfield United Methodist Church
425 College Street, Sanctuary
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
1:00 PM to 6:45 PM"

The New Haven Public Schools’ website has this news of the curriculum units that 2009 Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute Fellows developed in seminars working as colleagues with Yale faculty members.

The publication online of these curricular resources comes in the context of an encouraging evaluation report.

Related to the September 24 and earlier postings below, an October 2 article by Melinda Tuhus described a regional Domestic Violence Task Force event marking the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Survivors Chantel Corcino and Madeline Osorio spoke there, along with New Haven Police Lt. Julie Johnson – together underscoring the scope of this crime, its horrors, and the need to prevent it through continuing community education.  Tracey Parks and Sandy Koorejian of Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven highlighted intimate partner abuse amid teens and young adults, among others. 

Police Lt. Johnson: “Police officers respond to more calls for domestic violence in the span of their career than any other type of call. This year, domestic violence accounted for one murder in New Haven.” According to Melinda Tuhus, Lt. Johnson noted that children are often both victims and witnesses and said, “More officers, by far, are assaulted or injured during domestic disturbance calls than in any other circumstances.”

New Haven’s Mayor DeStefano and the City made the October 1 event a priority by listing it atop the City’s website this week.  The mayor made remarks on the occasion, held at City Hall.  Also participating was artist/educator Ras Mo Moses, who with the mayor was among the presenters at a local Men Against Domestic Violence effort in 2005, among other such past events.

The Courant ran a September 26 editorial, "Women Helped by 1994 Domestic Abuse Law," recognizing the 15^th anniversary of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  According to the editorial, “Violence directed at women is about power and control by men demanding subservience. It will take educators, ministers, neighborhood leaders, coaches and others to send the message to boys and young men.”

Then U.S. Senator, Joseph Biden authored that legislation.

Another man in the cause against domestic violence, Ronald Herron of Southern Connecticut State University, was mentioned in the September 24 post below and in this October 2 New Haven Register article about a new federally funded program to help colleges in Connecticut counter violence against women.