October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the American Association of University Woman and Crisis Services of North Alabama aimed to raise awareness of the signs and effects of domestic violence by co-hosting “Mission Possible: Propelling the Community to End Domestic Violence” Tuesday at Athens State University.

“The mission is to raise awareness of the prevalence of domestic violence and the impact it has on survivors from the emotional, psychological, health and even financial perspectives,” said Dr. Wanda Humphrey, who serves as the advisor for the AAUW chapter at Athens State.

She said they also hosted the program to shine a light on the existence of domestic violence throughout the world and how little it discriminates.

“People from all walks of life are affected,” Humphrey said. “It doesn’t see color, race, socioeconomic status or even gender.”

The education professor hopes people walked away from the event knowing more about the signs of domestic violence.

“We want people to be able to recognize if someone is withdrawing, if their attitude or demeanor has changed, if they are consistently absent from church or work or activities they participate in,” Humphrey said. “We want our community to see those signs and know how to approach the person from a nonjudgmental standpoint.”

She thanked the individuals who helped AAUW and CSNA hold the event. Among them, pastor Tony Willis of Calvary Assembly of God in Decatur, and author Kerri Davis, who served as guest speaker.

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks and Limestone County Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough also spoke at the event.

“It speaks volumes to Limestone County to see the mayor and commissioner are against domestic violence,” Humphrey said. “It shows they care about Limestone County and its citizens.”