[View ALL News Press Releases] Because April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, the Phoenix Club of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College will host its Second Annual Child Abuse Awareness Candlelight Vigil on April 16th at 7:00 p.m. in Room 112 of the Administration Building. The room will be open from 9 a.m., providing information in the form of handouts, displays and videos to increase awareness and remember the victims of child abuse. The Phoenix Club, a student organization whose purpose is to promote awareness and prevention of family violence, has chosen to take its mission a step further. On May 1st between 7 and 9 p.m. in the Science Auditorium, the Phoenix Club and ECTC will host a public forum to discuss how family violence affects every person in this community. The public is invited to participate as we begin a dialogue to propose actions that the community can take to lessen the cause and effects of this epidemic. During the first hour, guest speakers will discuss the impact on the home, business, law enforcement, the judicial system, health care, social services and education. The second hour will consist of a panel discussion during which those in attendance are invited to raise questions and make suggestions concerning actions the community can take to prevent this tragedy that plagues so many families. "Family violence may begin in the home, but it accompanies children to school, adults to work and families to church. It drains resources from employers in lost productivity, from the community in agency support dollars, and from the state in tax dollars for incarceration," said Susan Berry, Phoenix Club advisor. "As the statistics report, no one is immune. Each of us knows someone or of someone who has been affected by family or intimate violence. We in the Phoenix Club believe this is not just a family issue, nor an agency issue, this is a people issue and the most effective way to address it is through members of our community working together to affect change." Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Susan Berry at 270-706-8436.