Zonta Club of the Pikes Peak Area has participated in the international organization's annual initiative, "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" for years.
This year, the 35 members of the local club have gone big, said President Lisa Rice.
The organization that helps women and girls succeed with various projects and scholarships considered buying a billboard to raise awareness about the worldwide issue of violence against women, in homes and public places.
"We started with a billboard and ended with advertising on 12 bus benches and bus shelters to reach more people in Colorado Springs and get the message out," Rice said.
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The message this year, and since 1991 when the campaign originated at the Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership, is that violence against women and girls needs to be prevented and stopped.
Local chapters do their part in different ways, Rice said. In addition to the bus stop promotion, the Pikes Peak Area chapter will raise awareness through social media and resource materials, she said.
The campaign begins Monday and concludes on Dec. 10, however the bus stop messaging will continue through December, Rice said.
The club paid $3,500 for the advertising and still has $1,500 to go toward the project. Donations can be made at zontapikespeak.org.
About one in three women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization.
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And on a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide, as per data from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
Domestic-violence hotlines see increases as the holidays approach, Rice said, likely because the time of year is stressful for many families.
"We do feel like it's having an impact locally because we hear from people, 'Thank you for sharing resources and books so I can learn more' and 'Thank you for putting up signs,'" Rice said of the upcoming campaign.
Zonta Club also provides scholarships totaling $8,000 to $12,000 annually in general areas of study as well as business, aerospace and technology.
Resources are available to anyone needing immediate assistance and more information:
* National domestic violence crisis line: (800) 799-7233
* TESSA of Colorado Springs' emergency hotline: (719) 633-3819
* Kingdom Builders Family Life Center in Colorado Springs: (719) 247-8190
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