VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – CHI Mercy Health in Valley City is inviting the public to attend the Domestic Violence Awareness Community Forum tonight on the VCSU Campus.

The CHI Violence Prevention Program in it’s fourth year is honoring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“The statistics associated with domestic violence are astonishing,” CHI says in a release. “According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the US have been slapped, pushed, or shoved by an intimate partner in his or her lifetime. This doesn’t even begin to reflect those who have experienced verbal, psychological or sexual abuse.”

The open forum will feature booths, speakers and a forum panel with reps from APOC/Green Dot, VCPD Chief Phil Hatcher, BCSO Sheriff Randy McClaflin, LSS Violence Free, and VCSU Housing & Counseling.

Allison Traynor will also be speaking and sharing her experience with violence and suffering.

“Allison hopes that her story will help shed light on how to best support survivors of domestic violence including those who are not yet ready to leave their abuser.”

The event runs from 6 PM to 9 PM at the Vangstad Auditorium. For questions, contact Stephanie Mayfield at 701-845-6557.