The month of October has seen people and organizations across the country standing together to raise awareness of Domestic Violence (DV) and Breast Cancer.

AAPCI teams were encouraged to wear either purple (for domestic violence) or pink (for breast cancer) or both to show their support.

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is a time to honor victims and raise awareness about the devastating impact of domestic violence. According to NYC.gov, “The NYPD responds to approximately 230,000 domestic incidents annually, or nearly six-hundred calls a day.” AAPCI supports homeless survivors of domestic violence and their children at our two DV shelters, Serenity House and Renee Steedley.

During a celebration at Serenity House, one of our DV Counselors read a poem by Alexandra Vasiliu, author of BLOOMING:

Dear Woman,
fight to rise from your ashes.
You are strong.
You are a phoenix.
You deserve to bloom again.
You deserve to love again,
so fight,
just fight to rise from your ashes.
It resonated with so many of our residents and was a very moving moment for everyone.

The Department of Health states that “Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in New York State. Each year in New York, over 16,800 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and about 2,500 women die from the disease. It is estimated that one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her life. Men also get breast cancer, but it is very rare. About 160 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in New York State”