History of the
Coalition The Columbus
Coalition Against Family Violence was founded by Mrs. Abigail Wexner in
1998. A young mother with children of her own, she knew that, heartbreakingly,
in our society, many children are not safe. They are victims of abuse,
as are many women. The cycle of violence continues generation after generation
as children from violent homes often become abusers themselves. Mrs. Wexner
founded the Coalition to stop the violence here in Central Ohio —
with this generation.
The Coalition Today
In the past several years, the Coalition has experienced a number of
changes. Many of these changes are reflected in our leadership and organizational
structure. In 1999, we welcomed our extremely knowledgeable and capable
President, Karen S. Days. Under her leadership, we have coalesced
into an organization that originates programs designed to foster change
within our local institutions. Four new staff members have joined Karen
to further the work of the Coalition.
The video below was
produced by WBNS 10TV for The Coalition and presents educational and awareness
information about the impact of family violence and the work of CHOICES,
a domestic violence support organization.
The Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence is about change...changing
our culture to eliminate any tolerance for family violence.
We have learned the only way to effect change is to look at every
institution that touches a victims life. This is why the Coalition
is organized around task forces or touchpoints where victims and institutions
interact. These touchpoints present opportunities for positively changing
a life. We find them in our courts, doctors offices, workplaces, social
service agencies and places of worship.
Our task forces are working to capitalize on these opportunities,
not duplicate the work of the many fine programs already in existence.
We are focusing on gaps and barriers as they exist system-wide. A
good example of this is our Health Care Task Force. We quickly realized
that a lack of protocols and policies for addressing family violence
victims in hospital emergency departments and clinics meant we were
missing opportunities to identify and help those in need. Now we are
developing uniform standards and training for all our local hospital
emergency departments so they will be able to respond more effectively
to victims.
Today our direction is clearer, yet no easier. We know it will take
all of us working together to stop the cycle of violence in our community.
We also know that success is not possible without our partners, the
nonprofit agencies, businesses, governmental organizations and volunteers
who give their time to marshal the resources for change. To them,
we owe our deepest gratitude.
We look forward to a time when families live in peace and violence
is a thing of the past.
Abigail Wexner, Founder and Board Chair Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence
