- March 6, 2025
It takes a community to fight domestic violence. Without education about how it affects individuals and families, and without awareness of the resources available to victims, it can never be stopped, said Trish Giaccone, executive director of the Family Life Center.
In line with this thinking, the center hosts an annual Ambassadors for Peace luncheon for community members to raise local involvement with the Family Life Center, a nonprofit that provides support to victims of domestic violene. The second of these events was held April 18, and its guests included Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre and Flagler County Commissioner Charlie Ericksen.
“The idea is to engage our community to become ambassadors for peace within our community, so we can build an environment of zero tolerance for domestic violence and abuse,” Giaccone said.
Heather Beaven, president and CEO of The Florida Endowment Foundation for Florida’s Graduates Inc., gave the keynote address Thursday to a crowded church fellowship hall.
Her message was simple: Words matter.
“It sounds silly because it’s so simple,” Beaven said, adding that her message not only applies to working with victims of domestic abuse, but also to working or interacting with anyone else. “The words you choose to use about the people you serve make a difference.”
She gave an example: She was speaking in a classroom while working with “recovered dropouts,” or students who had quit high school only to later re-enroll. Beaven made a casual reference to the students being “at risk.” One girl, about 17 years old, was sitting in the room holding a baby in her lap.
“Who are you calling ‘at risk’?” she asked.
To Beaven, it seemed obvious at the time that the children she was working with were at risk. But the girl's words have stuck with her since then.
“I realized I was placing a label on her that she didn’t want and that she didn’t earn,” Beaven said. “She didn’t label herself that way. Instead of calling them ‘awesome,’ ‘brave,’ or ‘fighters,’ we call them, ‘recovered dropouts.’”
Beaven encouraged any ambassadors for peace to consider the assumptions behind words placed on those served. Simple rhetorical changes can further empower victims of domestic abuse, she said.
And empowerment is what the Family Life Center strives for.
“We have an opportunity to see these women when they in and are so distraught, but by the time they leave our program, it’s been an amazing transformation,” Giaccone said.
Although Ambassadors for Peace is not a program with formal memberships, its goal is for outreach into the community. By learning about the Family Life Center’s goals and vision, community members can help the fight, Giaccone said.
“Overall, it’s important for our community to know that we’re working hard to prevent (domestic violence) and that they can help by being an ambassador for peace,” she said.
