Photo By Robert Timmons | Harry Williams, a fitness instructor with the Directorate of Family and Morale,...... read more read more
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Members of the Fort Jackson community took a seat on a bike and rode for a good cause Oct. 24 during the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation hosted Domestic Violence Awareness Month Bike-A-Thon outside the Solomon Center.
“Our mission is to take a stand by taking a seat on a bike and riding for the cause and riding for a loved one,” said Pam Long, DFMWR fitness director and creator of the event.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence annually in the United States.
The stationary bike ride to bring awareness to the cause was available for all skill levels.
“Anyone can ride,” Long said. “Typically, if you feel like you just want to be involved in the cause, just sit on a bike and ride. If you feel like, ‘Hey, I take classes on a regular basis and I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and get a workout in while I’m making a statement,’ then you have the option of taking it to a higher level. Everyone is welcome.”
Annette McCleod, with Army Community Service, characterized the ride as a “good event with excellent turnout” that was part of support offered by Fort Jackson for abuse victims.
Riders at the event followed fitness professionals through various stationary bike workouts and sweated under the rhythm of music. The bikes arrayed around a sheet called, “dirty laundry” with small paper t-shirts cut out on them with different domestic abuse scenarios.
Long created the display because someone once said, “don’t air the dirty laundry keep that a secret; when the last thing it should be is a secret.”
Participants also heard from Regina Norris, the guest speaker at the event, who said knowledge is the key to preventing domestic violence.
“I strongly believe prevention is the key,” she said. “Learning is the key to prevent domestic violence, and I speak from personal experience as well.”
Norris, who wore a purple ball cap with the words “Prevent Domestic Violence” emblazoned across the bill, read a poem about an abuse victim that was “loud and clear” in bringing light to domestic violence.
“We may all know someone (who is a domestic violence victim) whether it be our mother, our sisters, even our brothers – men are abused as well,” she said. “The list is endless and it could go on and on.”
Norris, an abuse victim herself, said she found her purpose of bringing awareness to domestic violence.
“We don’t want it back in the corner,” she said. “I cannot do that any longer. I have found my purpose. My purpose is to bring awareness” of domestic violence.
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.02.2020 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 382220 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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