Join us for Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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Raise the Awareness, end Domestic Violence.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) happens each October and allows communities nationwide to join forces to raise awareness about the far-reaching impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV). This year, ZeroV is partnering with the national #Every1KnowsSome1 campaign, which emphasizes that everyone knows someone affected by IPV, whether they realize it or not.

Across the state in fiscal year 2025, ZeroV member programs provided services to more than 14,000 survivors, including 1,400 children. High rates of domestic violence are not private, individual problems; they require community solutions and systems change. By acknowledging this reality and standing together as a Kentucky united against violence, we can address the root causes of domestic violence and create safe communities where everyone can thrive.

As part of the #Every1KnowsSome1 campaign, we are united in our efforts to raise awareness about IPV and create a supportive community for survivors. Your involvement is crucial, and here's how you can be a part of it all:

  • Social Media Campaign: Engage with us on social media using the hashtag #Every1KnowsSome1 as we share educational resources and messages of hope, spreading the word and creating a united front against IPV.
  • Read and Share our DVAM Op-Ed: When times are tough, they’re especially tough for survivors. But when we work together, as a Kentucky united against violence, we can help each other overcome even the most challenging moments. Check out our recent Op-Ed in the Kentucky Lantern to learn more about the challenges that Kentucky's domestic violence programs are facing and find out what you can do to support survivors. Read it here. 
  • DVAM Ceremony: ZeroV's annual DVAM Ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 22, at the Capitol Education Center (706 Capital Ave, Frankfort, KY). The event will include the presentation of a gubernatorial proclamation, speakers, and a special ceremony, Speak My Name, in remembrance of Kentuckians lost to intimate partner homicide over the last year. Join us to show your support for survivors and remember the Kentuckians we have lost to IPV.
  • Purple Thursday: On Thursday, October 16, wear purple to show your support for IPV survivors and your commitment to ending abuse! Take a selfie in your purple and share it on social media with #PurpleThursday #DVAM #Every1KnowsSome.
  • GiveForDV: Visit www.zerov.org/zero_hero_supporter to make a gift on the official #GiveForDV Day of Giving on Thursday, October 26. Your donation will go directly to survivors through ZeroV's Flex Funds, which provide survivors and their children with the resources they need to rebuild their lives free from abuse. 
  • Participate in Your Local DVAM Events: ZeroV’s 15 member programs serve all of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Visit our Shelter Programs page to find your local ZeroV program and visit our DVAM 2025 Events Calendar for more information on their DVAM activities.

Everyone can join the movement this DVAM! Your involvement will give hope to survivors and help move us toward a future free from violence. Together, we can make meaningful and lasting change.

“Domestic violence” and “intimate partner violence” can be used interchangeably to describe a pattern of abusive behavior and coercive control that can happen in a dating, marital, or live-in (or ex-) intimate partner relationship. “Intimate partner violence” often feels more inclusive because it more explicitly recognizes that people in any type of romantic relationship can experience abuse by a partner–regardless of age, gender identity, sexuality, or “formal” relationship status.

Attend your local DVAM Events

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ZeroV represents and supports our 15 regional domestic violence programs, which serve all 120 counties of the Commonwealth. 

In addition to caring for and supporting IPV survivors and their children 24/7/365, our Member Programs work to strengthen our communities through education, raising awareness, and engagement opportunities for all ages.

Check out our DVAM Events Calendar page today to learn more about how you can get involved and raise awareness about IPV in your community. All events on our statewide DVAM Events Calendar are open to the public!

Why does DVAM Matter?

This collaborative effort aims to shed light on the pervasive issue of intimate partner violence and empower people to come together as communities to address this epidemic. When we talk about intimate partner violence, it helps reduce stigmatization and lets survivors know they are not alone. 

ZeroV exists because domestic violence persists in Kentucky. IPV devastates families and communities, and it’s up to all of us to support survivors and be part of the solution.

In fiscal year 2025 alone, our programs provided

157,704 bed nights to 2,382 survivors and children.

Every donation to ZeroV contributes to rewriting these stories of survival and strength. It's not just financial support, it's an investment in rebuilding lives, restoring dignity and providing a lifeline to those who need it most. The narrative of ZeroV is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the remarkable difference that a non-profit organization can make in the lives of those who face the darkest of challenges.

Zero Hero Supporters

Support ZeroV's work to create safe lives and thriving futures for survivors of IPV and their children by making a donation today. Your gift will support ZeroV's multiple efforts to support survivors, including our policy work and our Flex Fund that supports survivors in ZeroV's nationally-acclaimed housing program.

Donate to help end IPV

Speak My Name 2025

  Please join us for a moment of silence in reading the names from our Speak My Name project in honor and remembrance of Kentuckians who lost their lives to intimate partner homicide.  

Isabella Mae Walsh, 20

Arica Brown, 53

Kadesha Burch, 31

Evelyn Vega-Belton, 43

Heather Baldwin, 30

Isabella Verbaere, 15

Cicara James, 31

Jessica Campbell-Hyde, 44

Dixieana Brainard, 20

Kimberly Letner, 50

Bryant Johnson, 35

Elmer Eldridge, 24

Katherine Gomez, 33

Lapriest Maddox, 51

Latasha White, 49

Hayley Davidson, 28

SonTia Simmons, 26

Tristan Smith, 15

Estelle Shackleford, 54

Mary Thomas, 77*

Crystal Rogers, 35*

Of these 21 victims, 16 were killed with a gun.

*These victims were killed prior to September 2024.

For the lives and futures of all Kentuckians, we must commit ourselves to ending intimate partner violence during DVAM and beyond.

If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence,
please call The Domestic Violence National Hotline at 1 (800) 799-7233 (SAFE).

Disclaimer: Speak My Name includes the names of those killed by current or former intimate partners between September 1 of the previous year and August 31 of the current year. As of July 2023, the KY Justice and Public Safety Cabinet started producing an annual Domestic Violence Report containing anonymized data about intimate partner homicides from the previous calendar year. ZeroV will continue the tradition of humanizing and honoring the memory of those Kentuckians who lost their lives to a current or former intimate partner through this less formal Speak My Name list. ZeroV attempts to track domestic violence-related homicides in Kentucky through various sources such as reports from our member programs and news articles. The method is far from perfect. Please be aware that most reports come at the beginning of the law enforcement/court process, at which point an individual has been charged with homicide. We make no representation of the outcome of these cases or whether the charged individual is found guilty of criminal activity.