Davidson Appointed Coordinator
Of Orange County Task Force

The Orange County Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force recently announced that Laura Davidson has been hired as the new coordinator.

A long-time resident of Braintree, Davidson has been active in civil rights and community issues for many years. She served as a board member of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force for over five years and for the past eight years, has been a volunteer representative for the Central Vermont Fresh Air Fund.

"I’m very excited about my new role and look forward to being part of an organization that helps so many families in the county," Davidson said.

"The Orange County Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force is a grassroots organization comprised of ordinary people: farmers, educators, lawyers, students, industrial workers, parents, teenagers, and artists," she noted. "In short, it is made up of individuals who recognize that domestic and sexual violence affects all of us, whether directly or indirectly, and are dedicated to creating cultural, institutional and policy changes around these issues."

There are currently two community groups that meet on a regular basis.

In Tunbridge, meetings are held monthly at the Tunbridge Parish House and the next meeting will be Dec. 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. Wynona Ward, the founder of "Have Justice, Will Travel," a non-profit organization that brings legal and social services into the rural communities, will speak on the causes and effects of domestic violence.

On January 16, Sarah Kenney, a public policy coordinator for the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, will speak about what is happening in the legislature to help protect victims of domestic and sexual violence.

A group also meets monthly in the vestry of the East Corinth Congregational Church. On Jan. 8 from 6:30-8 p.m., Wynona Ward will speak again, and on Feb. 12 there will be another update on what is happening in the legislature.

The Task Force is planning to expand its reach by organizing groups in other towns around the county. One event scheduled is a January 18 performance at Chandler Music Hall in Randolph entitled "On Our Way…Surviving Abuse in Orange County." The SafeArt ensemble will present stories in dance, drama, music and poetry. In connection with this performance, there will be a show in the gallery of art and poetry created by Orange County residents and survivors of abuse.

For more information about these and other programs, call Laura at the Orange County Task Force at 802-272-2320.

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