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It is October, which means that it is
Domestic Violence Month and always a “rough” month for Art
Jones. Twenty-six years ago, the passionate community
activist lost his daughter due to domestic violence. Ever
since, he has put his heavy heart and fervent soul into a
“bound and determined” quest to save lives.
While attending a candlelight vigil for a
young victim of domestic violence, Jones was moved as he saw
a baby, obviously traumatized, clinging to a grandfather.
Jones then approached various agencies and shelters looking
for an impactful response after 26 local women had died in
2016 as a result of domestic violence.
Overall, in Ohio, there
were 38,475 incidents of domestic violence in 2018,
including 6,295 in Lucas County. There were also 45 Ohio
fatalities resulting from domestic violence between July 1,
2017 – June 30, 2018. Fortunately, there were no fatalities
during this period in Lucas County, perhaps partly as a
result of Jones’ crusade.
With the help of Lisa McDuffie, president and
CEO of YWCA Northwest Ohio, Jones saw a possible solution in
the “No More” media awareness campaign, a national
syndication produced by the National Football League (NFL).
“We
were granted permission to reproduce the NFL video using
local talent, got donations to get that produced and it was
all done around the month of October,” McDuffie explains.
“We went to every local television station, The Blade and
other media outlets. Everyone either ran the article and/or
ran the Public Service Announcement (PSA) for free with all
the air time that they could grant us and the radio stations
followed suit,” she added.
Has the No More program
been effective?
“We started the program
after we lost 26 women in 2016, Today, with the support of
No More we haven’t lost a family. That’s the story!” Jones
proudly asserts.
McDuffie agrees. “There
have been no deaths from domestic abuse since 2016 and Art
is a strong believer that that campaign had something to do
with it,” she says. “And, because we’re the only emergency
domestic violence shelter in town, I can tell you when
people come in we ask how they’ve heard of us and many of
them have heard either the commercials on TV or, at one
point, we even had a group that was helping us get posters
in bathroom stalls and on the turnpike in stalls and so
people have been able to see that. We also put up a
billboard and so people would see that.
So really, the effort is
to continue the campaign year-round and be able to try to do
everything we can to get victims safe, including educating
women on the cycle of abuse and to cater to children that
witness violence.”
What will it cost?
Last year, $50,000 was
shared with all of the TV stations that partnered with No
More. The Blade, who didn’t require any payment, provided
newspaper postings and also reproduced 75,000 pieces of
posters and/or business card pieces to be distributed
throughout the community. $50,000, also allows Jones to get
the airtime needed to keep his billboard.
Jones, a 2018 Jefferson
Award recipient for the No More campaign, is relentless in
his single-handed effort to raise the necessary funds to
continue the program, McDuffie and others insist. He
recently received a $5,000 contribution from the Toledo
Police Department but will need additional help to continue
the valiant fight to reduce domestic violence.
“We’re saving lives so we
gotta keep going to keep the awareness,” says an energetic
Jones. “The money we spend in this program has been worthy
of it.”
Send donations to:
The No More Campaign
c/o YWCA, Fiscal Agent
1018 Jefferson Avenue
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Ph: 419-241-3235
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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