Women and men filled 9 Round Kickboxing and Fitness in Middletown Saturday hoping to not just break a sweat, but also break the silence that surrounds domestic violence.
“We’re here to knock out domestic violence. To create awareness around it so in the future people are more empowered to take a stance against it,” said Dr. Kimberly Citron, the Director of Domestic Violence Research at Community Health Centers.
Dr. Citron says domestic abuse is such an intimate crime, many people don’t feel comfortable talking about it.
Funding for the life-saving services that CHC’s New Horizons shelter offers to victims has been harder to come by, thanks in part to budget cuts at the state and federal level. In addition to the shelter, New Horizons has a number of outreach programs.
“We have a 24-hour hotline that is staffed 365 days a year. We also have community based support groups, we have family violence victim advocates in the courts,” said Citron.
Participants paid a dollar at each station, nine in all, as they navigated through the kickboxing course at 9 Round. Through this unique fundraiser they hoped to not only spread awareness and raise money for their shelter, but also give people the skills to fight back.
“More women need to be involved. More women need to train. I’m a firm believer in training makes somebody confident and with confidence you become a hard target,” said Sly Manente, a trainer at 9 Round, and a self-defense expert.
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The statistics are staggering. According to the Connecticut Coalition against Domestic Violence, one in four women and one in seven men will experience domestic abuse at some point in their life.
“It’s very important to me because I do know a lot of people and we all have been through things in some kind of way and we have to be there for one another,” said Yajaira Joaquin-Ortiz, of Plainville.
Joaquin-Ortiz brought a group of coworkers to Round 9, where they not only got a great workout, but after a few rounds with Manente and his time, went home with the knowledge of how to protect themselves. They also raised over $300 for the cause.
New Horizons has two more fundraisers planned this October, which is domestic violence awareness month.
The Walk to End the Silence is Sunday, October 9 at 2 p.m. at Harbor Park in Middletown. They're also holding a Game Show Night in the Middletown Board Room on October 20.
