Walkers try to raise awareness about domestic violence prevention
Richard Kopko, right, participates in the Peace from Domestic Violence Walk in memory of his daughter, Tierne Kopko Ewing, who was killed by her estranged husband last month.
More than 200 people attended the Peace from Domestic Violence Walk Saturday. The group walked through the streets of Washington to raise money for the Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Courtney Korpus, volunteer outreach coordinator for Domestic Violence Services, speaks before the start of the walk through Washington. Before the walk, participants could visit a variety of booths with information and activities for children.
Purple reigned in parts of Washington Saturday as walkers took to the streets near Washington & Jefferson College to raise funds for domestic violence prevention.
The Peace From Domestic Violence Walk sponsored by Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania drew at least 200 people ready to lace up their tennis shoes, wear purple T-shirts – purple being the color of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which started Saturday – and walk a 1.1 mile course starting at Church of the Covenant on West Beau Street, going past Washington & Jefferson College into downtown Washington and up Chestnut Street back to the church.
Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania hatched the idea for the walk after hosting a 5K race last year and deciding a walk would draw people with a greater range of abilities and stamina. The organization hoped to raise $15,000 from the event, which would cover the cost of running one of its shelters for a month.
“The most gut-wrenching thing about the event today is that we have to have it,” said Scott Putnam, the mayor of Washington.
The walk had a special urgency for many of the participants, however, following the Aug. 30 death of Tierne Ewing, a West Finley resident who was killed by her estranged husband, Kevin Ewing, after he cut loose a monitoring bracelet he was wearing after he allegedly held his wife captive for 11 days the month before, beating and torturing her throughout that time. A fundraising team walking in Tierne Ewing’s honor was among the 25 participating.
“I found a lot of people willing to help me,” said Michelle Leichty, who organized the team. Some of Tierne Ewing’s family members were among those on Leichty’s team.
Several tables were set up in the Church of the Covenant parking lot offering information on services available for victims of domestic violence and how it can be stopped. Keith Medley, the male engagement and prevention specialist for Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, emphasized that “it’s not just a women’s issue, it’s a men’s issue.”
He added, “We have to get engaged.”