Message in Orange: New Britain putting spotlight on Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Jessica Fontaine; New Britain Herald; Feb. 21, 2024
NEW BRITAIN — The Beehive Bridge will be lit in orange until Friday to raise awareness of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
“All too often our teenagers experience abusive, manipulative behaviors from a person they are dating that leave them scared and unsure where to turn,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said. “The city’s partnership with the Prudence Crandall Center allows us to do extremely important outreach work so that we can prevent our youth from harmful dating experiences, while also providing them with life saving resources should they find themselves in a dangerous situation.”
City addressing domestic violence
Jessica Fontaine; New Britain Herald; Jan. 9, 2024
NEW BRITAIN — Following the death of 44-year-old Sabrina Finch, who was killed in a domestic violence-related shooting on Dec. 30, the city of New Britain responded with a plan of action and resources for those experiencing domestic abuse.
Mayor Erin Stewart had a meeting Friday with Barbara Damon, executive director of the Prudence Crandall Center, the first domestic violence shelter of its kind in Connecticut. New Britain has been an active partner with the organization for several years and Stewart explained how the city is working to address domestic violence.
Murder of New Britain woman marks 15th domestic violence-related homicide in CT in 2023
Amanda Pitts; NBC CT; Jan. 2, 2024
The latest murder in New Britain marks 15 domestic violence-related homicides for the year of 2023 in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Police have charged a man with murder after a triple shooting over the weekend killed one and injured two in New Britain. Police say Antoine Harris shot and killed Sabrina Finch inside of an apartment Saturday night and also injured two others who are currently stable at the hospital. Harris was in a relationship with Finch, police added.
Her death is the second domestic violence-related homicide in the month of December in New Britain. “This murder is just another reminder of the senseless tragedy of domestic violence,” said Barbara Damon, president and CEO of the Prudence Crandall Center. “There are more people than we realize experiencing domestic violence every day.”
Damon said Finch’s death is a tragic loss for the community and was a senseless act of violence. She said there’s an increased number of people who have reached out to her organization for domestic violence services. The Prudence Crandall Center serves nearly 10,000 people a year in central Connecticut.
“It’s been very difficult to keep up with demand,” she said. “We just are struggling to keep pace to the point where we’ve had to use hotel services when the emergency shelters are full.”
Watch the NBC CT news coverage of this story here.
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Beacon Prescriptions New Britain gifts Prudence Crandall Center $5K on Giving Tuesday
Jessica Fontaine; New Britain Herald; Nov. 29, 2023
NEW BRITAIN — Beacon Prescriptions New Britain presented Prudence Crandall Center with a $5,000 check on Tuesday to be used toward the nonprofit’s donor match incentive for Giving Tuesday. Beacon Prescriptions owner Todd DeGroff presented the check to the agency, which provides services to victims of domestic violence. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving, but DeGroff’s support embodies the spirit of thinking globally and giving locally, said Carolyn Jasper, Prudence Crandall Center’s chief development officer. “Beacon Prescriptions supports many organizations and we’re fortunate to be one of them in a way that no other national pharmacy in the community does,” Jasper said.
Read the full story in the Thursday print or e edition of the Herald.
Prudence Crandall Center, Forge City Works receive $200K grants from Bank of America
Andrew Larson; Hartford Business Journal; Nov. 27, 2023
Two local nonprofits, Prudence Crandall Center and Forge City Works, will receive $200,000 grants from Bank of America as recipients of the 2023 Neighborhood Builders award for their work advancing economic mobility and helping underserved neighborhoods in Greater Hartford.
The multi-year grant is in addition to extensive leadership training to help the nonprofits, which provide domestic violence and workforce development services, respectively, expand their offerings. The Prudence Crandall Center, based in New Britain, helps survivors of domestic violence. Its emergency shelter reached 250% capacity at times during the COVID-19 pandemic. Support from Bank of America will help the group expand housing options and children’s services.
Nonprofits are selected for the Neighborhood Builders award by a committee of community leaders and past awardees. In Greater Hartford, Bank of America has selected 33 nonprofits as Neighborhood Builders, investing a total of $6.6 million in them. Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program is one of the largest philanthropic investments into nonprofit leadership development in the nation.
“Nonprofits are vital to solving social challenges, improving communities and promoting economic advancement across Greater Hartford,” said Joe Gianni, president, Bank of America Greater Hartford. “Providing Prudence Crandall Center and Forge City Works with flexible funding and leadership training will directly impact survivors of domestic violence in our community, fight food insecurity and create career pathways for underserved individuals.”
Prudence Crandall Center hosts candlelight vigil
Jessica Fontaine; New Britain Herald; Oct. 5, 2023
The Prudence Crandall Center (PCC) hosted a “Silent No More” Candlelight Vigil on Wednesday evening to honor those who lost their lives to domestic violence. The agency is entering its 50th year providing care to victims of domestic violence.
The vigil is sponsored by the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Foundation and music was provided by the New Britain Symphony Orchestra. Several domestic violence survivors and family members of those lost to domestic violence shared their experiences.
Connecticut domestic violence agency has candlelight vigil
Jayne Chacko; WTNH News 8; Oct. 4, 2023
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — The Prudence Crandall Center held its annual candlelight vigil on Wednesday night to raise awareness and honor those who have lost their lives in the past year to domestic violence. The center is also commemorating 50 years of serving the community.
Survivors and family members of those who lost loved ones to domestic violence shared their stories. One person said leaving an abusive relationship was just the first step and that the journey is long, and support is needed. “It takes a community to raise a survivor, to sustain a survivor,” one person said.
Davida Foy Crabtree opened the Prudence Crandall Center half a century ago for that reason. She said speaking about domestic violence in the 1970s was taboo. “I had people try to silence me about it and polite people did not talk about these realities,” she said. “We name what’s actually happening, because in that is healing and in that is hope.”
The theme of the vigil was “silent no more.” Sisters Tammy Walker and Taffie Walker-Dudley spoke about their sister, Shenia Walker, who was killed by her ex-boyfriend ten years ago. They said talking about what happened and having a strong support system helped them get through the worst time of their life. “It changed our whole life, our dynamics, everything,” Walker-Dudley said. “My sister was a special person. If you have family and friends who are secure with you and solid with you, you’ll get through it. We got through it, we’re living testimony that you can make it on the other side of tragedy.” Walker-Dudley said the Prudence Crandall Center offered support to their family since its first day. “It’s sad in the beginning, but you will find in joy if you trust in God and you trust in your village,” Walker-Dudley said.
Watch the WTNH News 8 coverage of the vigil here.
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Silent No More candlelight vigil amplifies voices during Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Gaby Molina; FOX61; Oct. 4, 2023
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — 50 years ago, when Davida Foy Crabtree helped start the Prudence Crandall Center she could have never imagined the crowd of people before her in New Britain on Wednesday. “It’s really a sign of hope and healing,” she said. People spoke out against domestic violence during a month dedicated to bringing awareness to it.
“We know that people who experience domestic violence are living in fear. They’ve been threatened and intimidated and they often feel as if they don’t have a voice. So we are their voice,” said Barbara Damon, president and CEO of the Prudence Crandall Center. The Prudence Crandall Center now offers a wide range of support and resources, including an emergency shelter, counseling and court-based services. “Domestic violence happens to one in four women and one in seven men that’s victims of domestic violence,” Damon said. “In Connecticut, the average is about 14 people every year murdered as a result of domestic violence.”
Shenia Walker of Bristol was one of those people in 2013. “Her smile would light up a room it was everything, was everything,” said her sisters Taffie Walker Dudley and Tammie Walker. They help keep her memory alive for her sons and want to make sure no other family goes through what they did. “People end up losing their lives and loved ones end up losing people they love and it’s devastating,” Tammie said. They share the same belief that talking about the issue can be a light in the darkness. “Most important. It should be spoken about every month,” Tammie said.
Shop for a Cause vendor event in Berlin to raise awareness about domestic violence
Jessica Fontaine; New Britain Herald; Sep. 25, 2023
BERLIN – The Color Platform and Fitness by Design will host the second annual “Shop for a Cause” vendor event to showcase local businesses and entrepreneurs while raising awareness about domestic violence.
The event will take place on Friday from 5-9 p.m. at The Color Platform hair salon, located at 848 Farmington Avenue in Berlin. Proceeds will benefit the Prudence Crandall Center to support its work helping people live freely from domestic violence through care, advocacy, support and education in Berlin and eight surrounding towns in central Connecticut.
Security upgrades for Prudence Crandall Center
Brian Johnson; New Britain Herald; May 14, 2023
NEW BRITAIN – The American Savings Foundation has provided a $165,000 capital grant to the Prudence Crandall Center to fund “critical” security upgrades.
The Prudence Crandall Center, founded in 1973, is the oldest domestic violence prevention program in the state. They serve nearly 9,000 individuals a year with a broad range of services for community members and victims of abuse as well as their children. The capital grant will allow the center to complete a security system upgrade, making the center even safer for those it serves.
Barbara Damon, president and CEO of Prudence Crandall Center, said the installation of a new security system “could not have arrived at a more critical time.” Last fall, a lightning strike damaged some of the system’s components. Even before then, she said, the system was aging and its software was soon to become obsolete. She said this upgrade was “critical to ensuring client and staff safety.”