“Remember My Name” event is Friday to honor memory of domestic violence victims

MASON CITY — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and an annual event in Mason City is scheduled to take place on Friday. The “Remember My Name” event honors the memory of Iowans who have lost their lives due to domestic violence.

Crisis Intervention Service executive director Mary Ingham says,  “It’s an event where we encourage community members, family and friends of loved ones to come honor that memory and share what their life was about, not what their death was about.”

Ingham says domestic violence deaths happen in Iowa, including at least one this past year in north-central Iowa.  “We see every year more and more names added to the list that the Iowa Attorney General’s office keeps, and we see names added to the list every year from people in north Iowa. In Britt earlier this year, a woman was killed as a result of domestic violence, so it happens locally.”

Ingham says the event helps people in moving forward.  “A lot of the family members look forward to this day. It’s a very somber day, it’s a moving day, but they look forward to seeing other people that know their very unique type of grief, and family members and friends are so welcoming to new families. I hope that there will be a day that we no longer have new families coming and we can have some sort of celebration that we’ve ended domestic violence at least in north Iowa.”

The event takes place at noon on Friday at the Mason City Public Library. A free lunch will be provided at noon with a program starting at 12:10. If you cannot make the event in person, it can be viewed as well on the North Iowa Domestic & Sexual Abuse Community Coalition’s Facebook page.