Among the yellows, browns, and oranges of fall, we’re seeing a lot of purple in Darien. And that’s alarming, because each purple ribbon around town represents a call for help to the domestic violence team in our police department. Over 80 calls – that’s nearly two a week – were made in the past year.

October gives us lots of opportunities to learn about recognizing unhealthy relationships and making good decisions for ourselves and others. Just last week, the official Proclamation declaring National Domestic Violence Awareness Month took place at the Darien Library, along with a special screening of The Color Purple. Next week is our annual knit-a-thon in partnership with the local Domestic Violence Crisis Center. Any experienced knitter can help – call us at 655-1234 for details. We’ll even provide patterns, yarn, and knitting needles. Let’s all work to take purple out of the fall palette of colors in our community!