NEWS RELEASE Sarah Smith

February 11, 2017 (123)456-7891

EMBARGO UNTIL: JUNE 1, 2018 Sarah.smith@wmich.edu

SERVICE LEARNING PRESENTS HUMAN RIGHT SPEAKER SERIES- DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE

An office out of WMU has made it their goal to start the conversation about some tough topics,

including domestic violence, on campus and in the Kalamazoo community.

KALAMAZOO, MI- On February 7th, 2019 WMU’s Service Learning office will be holding a

human rights speaker series that highlights issues that are not only extremely prevalent in America,

but they are also prevalent within Kalamazoo. One of the speakers is a Kalamazoo native who

survived domestic violence attacks from her boyfriend. She survived, and she is here to tell her

story to inspire others to get help and to tell everyone that there are ways to get out.

For years woman and men have stayed with partners that put their lives in danger and they

have stayed quiet about it, but Service Learning is helping start up the conversation about this issue

so that no one feels like they are stuck with someone who physically or emotionally hurts them.

There are three domestic violence shelters located in Kalamazoo, Open Doors being one of them.

The spokeswoman for Open Doors Kalamazoo was very pleased to hear that this series was

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including a domestic violence survivor. “I hope that this series strikes conversation and gives

women encouragement to make the move to improving their situation,” she says when asked about

her opinion of the event. Starting conversations such as these can save someone’s life.

About Service Learning

Service Learning is located on WMUs main campus and is dedicated to enriching the lives

of students and the community through service learning opportunities that teach important skills

and opening up conversations about important issues.

For more information visit www.wmich.edu/servicelearning. You can also contact the

Director of Service Learning, Sarah Smith, at (123) 456-7891 or Sarah.smith@wmich.edu. She is

more than willing to providing more information.

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