Brightwood Community Center using cookout to raise domestic violence awareness
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A local community center will host a free cookout Friday to raise awareness about domestic violence.
The cookout will be held at the Brightwood Community Center, located at 2140 N. Arsenal Ave., from 2 – 6 p.m.
In case of rain, the event will be moved indoors to Scott United Methodist Church (2153 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Ave.), which shares a parking lot with the community center.
Organizers say the event will include free food and drinks, a bounce house, face painting, games, health screenings, community resources, and more.
Research from the National Coalition of Domestic Violence indicates that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men are victims of domestic violence.
Brightwood Community Center is located in the 46218 zip code, which is one of the top 10 Indianapolis neighborhoods where calls about domestic violence originate, according to event organizers. This area saw nearly 2,900 domestic-violence related runs by Indianapolis police in 2021.
The city of Indianapolis, the Domestic Violence Network, and the community center are working to change the statistics.
In 2022, the DVN and the Brightwood Community Center received a $232,854 Elevation Grant from the City of Indianapolis and The Indianapolis Foundation to create an initiative that focuses on communities that experience violence at a disproportionate rate.
The Domestic Violence Network partnered with the Brightwood Community Center for the cookout.
It is important to recognize the signs of Domestic abuse.
Sheltering Wings, in Danville, provides resources and support for those impacted by domestic violence.