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<strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com life & Arts<br />
the orland park prairie | June 6, 2019 | 21<br />
Silent Witness display brings education to Orland Park<br />
Mary Compton<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
According to a 2010<br />
report by the Centers for<br />
Disease Control and Prevention,<br />
nearly 20 people<br />
per minute in the United<br />
States are physically<br />
abused by an intimate<br />
partner.<br />
Because of those numbers,<br />
Paul Slade, chairman<br />
and CEO at Orland<br />
Park Bank & Trust, wanted<br />
to show the impact of<br />
domestic violence to bank<br />
customers. Slade’s idea<br />
was to have the Crisis<br />
Center for South Suburbia’s<br />
traveling Silent Witness<br />
display in five bank<br />
locations throughout May<br />
and early June.<br />
“For us, bringing the<br />
Crisis Center for South<br />
Suburbia traveling Silent<br />
Witness display was<br />
simple,” Slade said. “It’s<br />
the right thing to do.<br />
The communities that<br />
we serve have been very<br />
good to us over the years.<br />
So, we have an obligation<br />
to help where we can. We<br />
take that very seriously.”<br />
The Silent Witness display<br />
features cutouts of<br />
victims who were killed<br />
in domestic violence incidents.<br />
On each cutout<br />
are stories about how they<br />
lost their lives to domestic<br />
violence.<br />
“We interact with thousands<br />
of people in the<br />
community every day,”<br />
Slade said. “We want to<br />
help raise awareness. ...<br />
We wanted to show this is<br />
an issue in our community.<br />
This is a call to action.<br />
If we engage a few, we’ve<br />
made a difference, and<br />
that’s why we’re here.”<br />
Andrea Ramirez-Justin,<br />
vice president of government<br />
banking and community<br />
outreach at the<br />
affiliated Old Plank Trail<br />
Community Bank in Mokena,<br />
shared her story.<br />
“Domestic violence<br />
comes in all forms,” she<br />
said. “It does not have a<br />
race. It does not have a<br />
color. It doesn’t have an<br />
individual origin. You<br />
could be standing next to<br />
a person who has been a<br />
victim of domestic violence<br />
and never know it.<br />
“It happens to people<br />
you may not think it happened<br />
to. I’m one of those<br />
people. This happened to<br />
me many, many years ago.<br />
I will tell you it was the<br />
Crisis Center for South<br />
Suburbia that helped me<br />
get through that time.<br />
“Back then … it was<br />
not to be spoken of. It<br />
was kept quiet. I never<br />
even told my parents. …<br />
It wasn’t until I went to<br />
the hospital that it became<br />
an ‘ah-ha’ moment. I<br />
thought, ‘This isn’t right,<br />
and it needed to stop.’”<br />
It was because of this<br />
experience that she joined<br />
Slade in bringing the Silent<br />
Witness exhibit to<br />
five banks.<br />
“I think it’s an important<br />
piece that you can survive<br />
from domestic violence,”<br />
Ramirez-Justin said. “It’s<br />
important to have awareness<br />
because there are<br />
men and women who are<br />
subjected to domestic violence<br />
[who] keep it quiet.<br />
They seem to think it’s<br />
their own problem. They<br />
seem to think that they did<br />
something wrong to be involved<br />
in a violent situation.<br />
Domestic violence is<br />
not just the brutal hits; it’s<br />
mental abuse. It can happen<br />
to anyone.”<br />
Crisis Center for South<br />
Suburbia Board Member<br />
Deborah Fahey said her<br />
dedication to help serve<br />
domestic violence victims<br />
is key.<br />
“The Crisis Center for<br />
South Suburbia’s traveling<br />
Silent Witness Display<br />
was at four Old Plank<br />
Trail Community Bank<br />
locations already,” Fahey<br />
said. “We like to bring the<br />
display out to the community<br />
and to events. For<br />
information on domestic<br />
violence to get out to<br />
the public is extremely<br />
important. Domestic violence<br />
is everywhere.<br />
“This exhibit touches<br />
so many people in different<br />
ways. It’s hard to explain.”<br />
All services through<br />
the Crisis Center for<br />
South Suburbia are free<br />
to those individuals who<br />
need help. Clients are assisted<br />
through the 24-hour<br />
emergency shelter; the<br />
Transitional Housing Program;<br />
a 24-hour hotline;<br />
the counseling program;<br />
court advocacy; Live Safe<br />
Patient Advocacy; Law<br />
Enforcement And Victim<br />
Outreach program,<br />
which partners with 19<br />
local police departments;<br />
education and prevention<br />
programs; and the Partner<br />
Abuse Intervention Program.<br />
According to Jay Capron,<br />
marketing director<br />
for Crisis Center for<br />
South Suburbia, there are<br />
misconceptions regarding<br />
domestic violence. Domestic<br />
violence impacts<br />
people of all cultural<br />
backgrounds and income<br />
levels; leaving an abusive<br />
situation can be difficult;<br />
and there are many forms<br />
of abuse, including physical,<br />
psychological, emotional,<br />
verbal, economical<br />
and sexual, he said.<br />
Businesses can request<br />
the Crisis Center for<br />
South Suburbia traveling<br />
Silent Witness Display. If<br />
you or someone you know<br />
is going through domestic<br />
violence, call (708) 429-<br />
7233 or visit crisisctr.org.<br />
Tinley Park<br />
708-444-2101<br />
Crystal Lake<br />
815-444-1330<br />
visit us online at www.<strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com
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