A longtime community leader was the recipient of the annual "Stand Up" award presented by Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
Hutch Schumaker received a strong round of applause from over 50 people who attended the agency’s "Men Take A Stand" observance at Columbus City Hall Thursday.
Schumaker, whose family has long been affiliated with the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Columbus, was instrumental in raising $15,791 of a $26,000 goal last fall. He did it by sitting on the roof of his business for six hours during a 100-man ticket stand event. The money was being raised to purchase a van for the nonprofit.
"Obviously, this is an incredible surprise for me, and I feel extremely honored," Schumaker said. "Anything my family can do to help this cause, which is incredibly important to our society, we’ll be very happy to do it."
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Addressing the crowd under sunny and mild conditions, United Way of Bartholomew County President Mark Stewart spoke about his two daughters, ages 14 and 21.
"The thought that there is a one in three chance that one of my daughters will experience dating or domestic violence? That is too much to bear," said Stewart, who described domestic violence as a community issue. "We must not stand on the sidelines assuming other people are taking care of it. We must not be silent. We must not be still. We must not look away from this challenge. Rather, we must ask ourselves: What are we doing to do our part to eliminate dating and domestic violence?"
A key moment in the observance came when Turning Point Director of Residential Services Wayne Fancher quoted American advocate for female rights Leslie Morgan Steiner.
"Abuse thrives in silence," Fancher said in his quote. "And it transcends all races, religions, socioeconomic groups and education levels."
One of the men in the audience, Bartholomew Consolidated School Board President Jeff Caldwell, said the Steiner quote really spoke to him.
"You don’t have to be a perpetrator of domestic violence to be contributing to it, and if you see something, say something" Caldwell said. "I also like that Turning Point reaches out to the youngsters in the community, so respect for women is not something they learn as an adult. It’s a value that should be learned as a young person that the teen can carry with them for the rest of their lives."
At least in part, Caldwell is referring to the annual Dance Marathon, an all-night party for all Bartholomew County teens that is very similar to an after-prom. The only difference is that the Dance Marathon includes subtle and valuable messages regarding domestic and dating violence.
Considering the impact of COVID-19, which has left fewer people working downtown, Turning Point Prevention Team director Stephen Dishinger said he was very satisfied with Thursday’s event, which had the theme of "Connection is Prevention.
In that sense, Dishinger says his agency was really trying to push the message this year that men can still be connected to not just people in their own homes, but everyone in their own community in helping to stop domestic violence.
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Additional information regarding the many different ways south central Indiana residents can escape the traumatic consequences of domestic violence can be found online at turningpointdv.org
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