2017 

The members of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable celebrated National Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October with a number of activities. On Sunday, October 1, 2017, members of the Roundtable attended a beautiful Candlelight Vigil hosted by the Sudbury clergy association on the Sudbury common to commemorate those who lost their lives to Domestic violence. With a purple light shining on the First Parish Church, the clergy led those assembled in song and shared thoughts and prayers on the many forms of violence, suffering and division impacting our communities and the need to work together to address these issues in an ongoing and enduring way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, the Roundtable hosted a program entitled “Survival and Empowerment.” The program featured the powerful story of a speaker from the Survivor Speaker’s Bureau at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence. The speaker shared her experiences of surviving and moving beyond domestic violence. Attendees also learned ways domestic violence can impact survivors, what resources are available, and what they could do to help someone they are concerned about.

On Tuesday, October 17^th, the Roundtable participated in a Walk and Vigil in Wayland sponsored by First Parish Church in Wayland. Members of the Roundtable joined community members in a walk from Community United Methodist Church to First Parish where the vigil was held.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday evening, October 26^th, the Roundtable joined Domestic Violence Services Network in sponsoring a candlelight vigil entitled “Light in the Darkness” at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School.  Toni Troop of Jane Doe, Inc.  was the featured speaker.

In addition to the program, the Roundtable had Domestic Violence Awareness displays in the local libraries in Sudbury, Wayland, and Lincoln.

2015 Courage to Care Summit

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable proudly co-sponsored the second annual “Courage to Care” Relationship Summit on March 13^th at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Lincoln Sudbury’s Mentors in Violence Prevention team hosted more than 140 students and adults from 12 area schools.

LS football captain and senior, Jack Hubley described the goal of the summit in his welcome: “To help all the people here taking part in the summit feel more comfortable being an upstander and for you all to learn how to take part in spreading the MVP mission throughout your school and communities.” 

 

Malcolm Astley shared inspirational remarks about lessons from his daughter’s murder, specifically the power that young people have to change the culture, by providing safe places to grieve and having the courage to take care of one another.

Using MVP curriculum, student leaders facilitated small group workshops about the gender box and abusive relationship scenarios.  A facilitator from Northeastern describes the expertise of our student leaders “I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t get over how impressed I am with the maturity and respect each student has for one another. The whole group was engaged and actively interested in each other’s thoughts and opinions. Even if a disagreement came up, it was handled in a calm and considerate manner.”  Keynote speaker Ed Walker challenged students’ thinking in his presentation “Rethinking Masculinity and Femininity, and Reshaping Relationships”. 

In the afternoon, the Legacy Dance company performed a powerful dance to two songs with dramatically different messages:  Rhianna’s  Love the Way you Lie and Sara Bareillis’ Brave.

Later students brainstormed responses to the following questions: What does courage look like?  What are some scenarios that might indicate an abusive relationship? What does caring look like?  What are some strategies for intervening in the scenarios we mentioned? What are some indicators of a healthy relationship?  What do people need when they experience a break up?  What should the role of an upstander be?

Finally, LS MVP ambassadors helped schools plan exciting next steps in response to the question “What does Courage to Care look like at our school?” The day concluded with Malcolm Astley leading the group in the Massachusetts’ White Ribbon Day Pledge:  “From this day forward,

 I promise to be part of the solution in ending violence against women” and then LS a capella group Cora de Chicas sang an upbeat and beautiful rendition of Brave.

The Roundtable would like to extend its thanks to Lori 

Hoden, LS Safe Schools Coordinator, and the faculty advisers who spent countless hours working with 50 student leaders.  We are heartened and inspired by the student leadership developed through respectful and caring conversations about difficult and tragic topics. 

 

Fundraising Events

Each year the Roundtable plans fundraising events. These have included an annual fundraiser held at Mango Tree Artisans, in Sudbury. 

The Roundtable has also held fundraising days at Bertucci’s Restaurant and Orange Leaf Yogurt in Wayland.

 

 

 

 

 

Shower for Shelters Kickoff Event

To kick off its annual spring Shower for Shelters, the Roundtable has collaborated with Chris Saia of Sudbury Wine and Spirits to host a free annual wine tasting event for donors to the Roundtable’s Shower for Shelters. Roundtable members and guests gather for a fun evening to sample wines and refreshments while collecting needed items for families transitioning from shelter to their own apartments.